Thomas Edward Lawrence (16 August 1888 – 19 May 1935)

T.E. Lawrence, known to the world as Lawrence of Arabia,
died as a retired Royal Air Force mechanic living under an
assumed name.

The legendary war hero, author and archaeological scholar
succumbed to injuries suffered in a motorcycle accident six
days before.

Lawrence of Arabia is a 1962 film, starring Peter
O’Toole, based on the wartime activities of T.E.
Lawrence. 

       
CAMILLE BOHANNON

At 8:32 a.m. PDT on May 18, 1980, Mount St. Helens, a volcanic
peak in southwestern Washington, suffered a massive eruption,
killing 57 people and devastating some 210 square miles of
wilderness.

Called Louwala-Clough, or “the Smoking Mountain,” by Native Americans, Mount St. Helens stood 9,680 feet before its
eruption.

Though a new dome has been growing steadily near the top of
the peak and small earthquakes are frequent, scientists do not
expect a repeat of the 1980 catastrophe anytime soon.

Some six weeks after the United States formally entered
the First World War, the U.S Congress passed the Selective
Service Act on May 18, 1917, giving the U.S. president the
power to draft soldiers.

By the end of World War I in November 1918, some 24 million
men had registered under the Selective Service Act. Of the
almost 4.8 million Americans who eventually served in the
war, some 2.8 million had been drafted.

The Memphis Belle flying back to the US after its 25th
mission over Germany.

On May 17, 1943, the crew of the Memphis Belle, one of a group
of American bombers based in Britain, became one of the first
B-17 crews to complete 25 missions over Europe and return to
the United States.

The Memphis Belle performed its 25th and last mission, in a
bombing raid against Lorient, a German submarine base.

Lt General Jacob Devers (center) shakes hands with one of
the crew of the Memphis Belle before she flew back to the
US in 1943.

   
Visitors gather for a private viewing of the Memphis Belle, a Boeing B-17 ‘Flying Fortress,’ at the National Museum of the
US Air Force 2018.

May 17, 2025 – Armed Forces Day is Observed on the third
Saturday every May, this is a day dedicated to paying tribute
to men and women currently serving in the U.S. Armed Forces.

   
First observed on 20 May 1950, the day was created on 31
August 1949 as President Harry S. Truman led the effort to
establish a single holiday for citizens to come together and
thank military members for their patriotic service in support
of the republic and national interests and as an undeniable fact of American life.

Secretary of Defense Louis A. Johnson announced the creation
to honor Americans serving in the five U.S. military branches –
the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Air Force and
U.S. Coast Guard – following the consolidation of the military
services in the U.S. Department of Defense as part of a modern
U.S. Armed Forces.  
    
     
     
     
 On 19 May 2017, President Donald Trump reaffirmed the
Armed Forces Day holiday, marking the 70th anniversary
since the creation of the Department of Defense.

On 15 May 2020, Armed Forces Day honored
the newly established United States Space
Force for the first time.