1498 – Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama arrives at Calicut, India becoming the first European to reach India by sea
1784 – The Netherlands yielded to Great Britain some of its holdings in India and Indonesia in a treaty signed as part of the Peace of Paris, a collection of treaties that concluded the American Revolution.
1609 – Shakespeare’s Sonnets are first published in London, perhaps illicitly, by publisher Thomas Thorpe
1862 – US President Abraham Lincoln signs into law the Homestead Act to provide cheap land for the settlement of the American West (80 million acres by 1900)
1864 – Spotsylvania campaign in US Civil War ends after 10,920 killed or injured
1882 – Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy secretly formed the Triple Alliance, a treaty organization that provided for mutual protection against attacks by other European powers until Italy entered World War I.
1927 – At 7:40 AM, Charles Lindbergh takes off from New York to cross the Atlantic for Paris, aboard Spirit of St Louis (1st non-stop flight)
1927 – Saudi Arabia becomes independent of Great Britain in the Treaty of Jeddah
1942 – US Navy 1st permitted black recruits to serve
1955 – Argentine parliament accepts separation of church and state
1959 – Japanese-Americans regain their citizenship
1971 – Pentagon reports blacks constitute 11% of US soldiers in SE Asia
1980 – In a referendum, 59.5% of Quebec voters reject separatism
1989 – China declares martial law in Beijing
1990 – Hubble Space Telescope sends its 1st photographs from space
1997 – US President Clinton signs an executive order barring new US investment in Burma (also known as Myanmar), effective May 21 and renewable annually
2013 – The Church of Scotland votes to allow openly gay men and women to be ministers
2018 – President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela wins a second term in an election marked by boycotts and accusations of vote rigging
2019 – Bangladesh imposes a 65-day ban on coastal fishing to conserve fish stocks
2019 – Google stops support for Huawei’s Android system in an escalation of the tech war between US and China
2020 -Cyclone Amphan comes ashore in West Bengal, East India and Bangladesh, with winds of 185 km per hour (115 mph) killing at least 84 people
Births & Deaths:
1806 – Economist and philosopher John Stuart Mill was born in London.
1946 – American singer and actress Cher, who was known for her flamboyant style, was born.
Film:
1891 – History of cinema: The first public display of Thomas Edison’s prototype kinetoscope to members of the National Federation of Women’s Club
Music: 1979 – Elton John is the 1st western pop star to tour USSR
1983 – “Every Breath You Take” single released by The Police (Billboard Song of the Year 1983)
2006 – 51st Eurovision Song Contest: Lordi for Finland wins singing “Hard Rock Hallelujah” in Athens
Sport:
1900 – II Summer (Modern) Olympic Games open in Paris (last 5 months)
