334 BC – The Macedonian army of Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of the Granicus
1570 – 1st atlas ‘Theatrum Orbis Terrarum’ (Theatre of the World), published by Abraham Ortelius in Antwerp with 70 maps
1843 – 1st wagon train with 700 – 1000 migrants, departs Independence, Missouri for Oregon
1939 – Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini sign “Pact of Steel” in Berlin, Germany
1946 – First US rocket (WAC Corporal) to reach edge of space fired from White Sands Missile Range New Mexico
1960 – One of the largest earthquakes on record struck the southern coast of Chile, killing about 5,700 people and creating seismic sea waves that caused death and destruction in distant Pacific coastal areas, notably Japan and Hawaii.
1972 – Richard M. Nixon arrived in Moscow, the first visit by a U.S. president to the Soviet Union.
2011 – One of the deadliest tornados in U.S. history struck Joplin, Missouri, causing massive damage and killing some 160 people.
2014 – Royal Thai Armed Forces, led by General Prayut Chan-o-cha stage a coup in Thailand, suspending the kingdom’s constitution and taking control of the government, the 12th since the country’s first coup in 1932.
2016 – US President Barack Obama arrives in Vietman for a 3 day tour
2017 – Just moments after Ariana Grande finished the final song of her May 22, 2017 concert at Manchester Arena, a suicide bomber detonated an explosion on the premises, killing 22 concertgoers and injuring 116 more. ISIS claimed responsibility for what was the deadliest act of terrorism in Britain since the 2005 London metro bombings.
2018 – Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is questioned by members of the European parliament in Brussels in wake of its security scandal
2019 – Washington State becomes the 1st US state to legalize composting human bodies
2020 – Pakistan International Airlines flight crashes near Jinnah International Airport in Karachi killing 97 with just two survivors
Births & Deaths:
1885 – French poet, novelist, and dramatist Victor Hugo died in Paris.
Sports: 2003 – In Fort Worth, Texas, Annika Sörenstam becomes the first woman to play the PGA Tour in 58 years.
Music: 1900 – Edwin S Votey patents pneumatic piano player
