
Alan Shepard became the first American in space when he made
a short suborbital flight on this day in 1961.

On the day in 1821, Napoleon Bonaparte on his deathbed.
The cause of his death has been debated. Napoleon’s physician, François
Carlo Antommarchi, led the autopsy, which found the cause of death to be
stomach cancer. He was 51.

The member of the Provisional Irish Republican Army died while on
a hunger strike during imprisonment at HM Prison Maze (Long Kesh).
He was the leader of the strike in which prisoners protested against
the removal of Special Category Status.
Cinco de Mayo (Spanish for "Fifth of May") is a celebration held on May 5. The
date is observed to commemorate the Mexican Army‘s victory over French
forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, under the leadership of General
Ignacio Zaragoza.

It was on this day in 1945
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini
(July 29, 1883 – April 28, 1945)

On this day in 1967, heavyweight boxing champ Muhammad Ali
(Cassius Clay) refused to be inducted into the Army claiming he
was a conscientious objector.
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On this day in 2001, the first civilian to have ventured into space
was American Dennis Tito. pictured above giving a thumb up.
California businessman Dennis Tito and two cosmonauts were aboard
a Russian rocket launched from Central Asia. The destination was the
international space station.
James Douglas Muir "Jay" Leno is 68 years old today.
Jay Leno graduated from Emerson College with a Speech Therapy
degree and founded his own comedy club.
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno was a late-night talk show hosted
by Jay Leno that first aired from May 25, 1992 to May 29, 2009, and
resumed production on March 1, 2010 until its ending on February
6, 2014.
Marconi was an Italian inventor and electrical engineer known for his pioneering
work on long-distance radio transmission and for his development of Marconi’s
law and a radio telegraph system. He is often credited as the inventor of radio.

Soviet and American forces meet at the Elbe River near Torgau,
Germany. World War II in Europe is almost over.

The Hubble Telescope being deployed from space shuttle Discovery
on this day in 1990.
The Hubble Space Telescope was deployed into low Earth orbit
and remains in operation to this day.

It was on this day in 1961.
On this day in 1970.

On April 17, 1790, American statesman, printer,
scientist, and writer Benjamin Franklin dies in
Philadelphia at age 84.
Join, or Die was the first political cartoon published
in America by Benjamin Franklin in The Pennsylvania
Gazette.
The Mustang convertible Serial #1 introduced on this day in 1964.