On this day in history, May 8, 1945, President Truman announces 'flags of freedom fly all over Europe'
After Germany's surrender, Truman also cautioned that Allies 'must work to finish the war'.


President Harry S. Truman is shown seated in the White House library.

On this day in history, May 8, 1945, President Harry Truman announced to the American people that Nazi Germany's forces had surrendered in World War II — and that "the flags of freedom fly all over Europe."

The day has been known as Victory in Europe Day or V-E Day — with celebrations erupting all around the globe to mark the end of World War II in Europe.

The war had been raging for nearly five years when U.S. and Allied forces landed on the beaches of Normandy, France, on June 6, 1944, as defense.gov notes.

That invasion signaled the beginning of the end for Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany. In less than a year, Germany would surrender and Hitler would be dead.

But in his speech to the nation on V-E Day, Truman also cautioned that the Allies needed to "work to finish the war" by defeating the Japanese in the Pacific.

In a news conference to the nation on May 8, Truman said, in part, "This is a solemn but glorious hour. General Eisenhower informs me that the forces of Germany have surrendered to the United Nations. The flags of freedom fly all over Europe."

He added, "It's celebrating my birthday, too — today, too." (He was born on May 8, 1884.)

As author David A. Smith, writing in an op-ed for Fox News in 2015 noted, "When news of the German surrender reached New York City, Times Square was closed to traffic for six hours as hundreds of thousands of people poured into the streets."

Smith also said, "The city’s telephone company reported the busiest day in its history and the subway had to rush extra trains into service to accommodate the crowds. Ticker-tape rained down in the canyons of Wall Street."

 

1902: Saint-Pierre buried after Mount Pelee erupts on Martinique
Called "the Paris of the Caribbean," Saint-Pierre is wiped off the map as Martinique's Mount Pelee volcano erupts with a fury, sending black clouds of superheated gases and dust 420 mph over the seaside town. More than 30,000 will perish in what will be the worst volcanic disaster of the 20th century.

 

On This Day In History
May 8, 1792
Militia Act establishes conscription under federal law

On May 8, 1792, Congress passes the second portion of the Militia Act, requiring that every free able-bodied white male citizen of the respective States, resident therein, who is or shall be of age eighteen years, and under the age of forty-five years be enrolled in the militia.

Six days before, Congress had established the president’s right to call out the militia. The outbreak of Shay’s Rebellion, a protest against taxation and debt prosecution in western Massachusetts in 1786-87, had first convinced many Americans that the federal government should be given the power to put down rebellions within the states. The inability of the Continental Congress under the Articles of Confederation to respond to the crisis was a major motivation for the peaceful overthrow of the government and the drafting of a new federal Constitution.

The Militia Act was tested shortly after its passage, when farmers in western Pennsylvania, angered by a federal excise tax on whiskey, attacked the home of a tax collector and then, with their ranks swollen to 6,000 camped outside Pittsburgh, threatened to march on the town. In response, President Washington, under the auspices of the Militia Act, assembled 15,000 men from the surrounding states and eastern Pennsylvania as a federal militia commanded by Virginia’s Henry Lee to march upon the Pittsburgh encampment. Upon its arrival, the federal militia found none of the rebels willing to fight. The mere threat of federal force had quelled the rebellion and established the supremacy of the federal government.

 

8 May 1942

The Battle of the Coral Sea ends. Japanese and US carrier fleets discovered each other that morning, each closing in to attack. The Japanese carrier Shokaku was damaged by three bombs at 1057 hours (223 casualties), while the American carrier USS Lexington was hit by two bombs at 1120 hours (191 killed; would soon be lost by scuttling) and the American carrier USS Yorktown was hit by a bomb (66 casualties). Meanwhile at Port Moresby, an Australian cruiser force successfully defended itself against a land-based aircraft attack as it blocked the Japanese invasion fleet bound for Port Moresby, New Guinea. As both sides withdrew due to damage and losses, the Japanese scored a tactical victory but lost strategic momentum as the Port Moresby invasion was delayed.

This would ultimately be a major strategic victory for the US and its allies after the Japanese defeat at Midway Atoll the following month, and the US invasion of Guadalcanal, both of which stopped the Japanese advances in the Pacific, and ultimately put the Japanese on the retreat in 1943.

 

May 9

1386 - Treaty of Windsor between Portugal and England is ratified at Windsor cementing and strengthening ties between the two kingdoms. The treaty guarantees the mutual security of both nations and strengthens commerce ties. It is the oldest diplomatic alliance still in force.

1901 - The first Australian Parliament opens in Melbthough the first working session wasn't until May 22.

158 - The American film nor psychological thriller "Vertigo" is released . Directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring g Jimmy Stewart and KimNovack.

1962 - The Beatles sign there first contract with EMI Parlaphone

2023 - Geotge Harrison's "Here Comes the Sun" becomes the first Beatles song to have a billion streams on Spotify. It is also the oldest song to do so.

1915 - President Woodrow Wilson proclaims Mother's Day.

 

On May 9, 1960, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the world’s first commercially produced birth-control pill—Enovid-10, made by the G.D. Searle Company of Chicago, Illinois. It would become known simply as 'The Pill.'

Enovid had actually been on the market since 1957 for the treatment of gynecological disorders but was used off-label for birth control and was finally marketed explicitly for contraceptive purposes in 1960 after the FDA approval.

The popularity of the pill when coupled with the emergence of the women's rights movement and Enovid's control over fertility effectively fueled the Sexual Revolution of the 1960s.

This capability allowed women to make choices about other life arenas, especially work, but it also allowed many women to become the wanton sluts they always wanted to be. Men were overjoyed.

 

On this day in history, May 9, 1914, President Woodrow Wilson issues proclamation creating Mother's Day
The 28th president called for a public expression of the nation's 'love and reverence' for mothers.


President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation regarding the public expression of reverence for mothers through the celebration of Mother’s Day.

President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation regarding the public expression of reverence for mothers through the celebration of Mother’s Day.

The first unofficial Mother’s Day observances were organized by West Virginia resident Anna Jarvis and held in Grafton, West Virginia, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on May 10, 1908, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Anna Jarvis's push for a special day to celebrate mothers was one she inherited from her own mother, social activist Anne Reeves Jarvis, said the BBC.

"Mrs. [Anne Reeves] Jarvis had spent her life mobilizing mothers to care for their children, says historian Katharine Antolini, and she wanted mothers' work to be recognized," that outlet noted.

 

1671: Captain Blood tries to pinch England's Crown Jewels
Following an elaborate ruse played on the Tower of London's custodian, Captain Thomas Blood and his henchmen attempt to steal the Crown Jewels. The Scepter is sawn in two, the Crown flattened, and the Sovereign's Orb hidden down a pair of trousers. Blood will be captured, but pardoned by King Charles II.

 

On This Day In History
May 9, 1794
House votes to initiate impeachment proceedings against President Nixon

The House of Representatives Judiciary Committee opens impeachment hearings against President Richard Nixon, voting to impeach him on three counts on July 30.

The impeachment was the result of the scandal involving the bungled burglary of the offices of the Democratic National Committee in the Watergate apartment complex in Washington, D.C., on June 23, 1972. Eventually, it was learned that there was a criminal cover-up that went all the way to the White House. Nixon, facing the impeachment proceedings, resigned the presidency on August 8, 1974. His resignation had a major impact on the situation in Vietnam. Nixon had convinced South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu to consent to the provisions of the Paris Peace Accords by personally promising (on more than 30 occasions) that the United States would re-enter the conflict if the North Vietnamese violated the peace agreement.

However, when Nixon resigned, his successor, Gerald R. Ford, was not able to keep Nixon’s promises. Ford could not, despite Thieu’s desperate pleas for help, get Congress to appropriate significant funds to help the South Vietnamese. Having lost its sole source of aid and support, South Vietnam fell to the North Vietnamese in April 1975.

 

9 May 1940

British Prime Minister Chamberlain offered to form a coalition government with the opposition Labour Party, but the attempt was unsuccessful. In the afternoon, Chamberlain began to discuss with Halifax and Churchill, the two leading contenders to be his successor, about the possibility of his resignation.

Adolf Hitler and his staff arrived at the Felsennest headquarters in the Westwall fortifications on the German-French border. Adolf Hitler issued the order to commence the invasion of France and the Low Countries at dawn on the following day. At noon German meteorologists made a firm forecast of clear skies for the following morning; Adolf Hitler gave the meteorology officer a medal on the spot. In the afternoon, Hitler departed Berlin, Germany for this temporary forward headquarters codenamed Felsennest near Bad Münsereifel in the Rhineland region of Germany to observe the coming invasion.

Luxembourg's Grand Duchess Charlotte called an extraordinary meeting of her leading ministers, and they decided to place the grand ducal family and the government under the protection of France. She and her family would depart southward on the next day.

 

May 10

1497 - Italian navigator Amerigo Vespucci leaves for his first voyage to the New World.

1801 - First Barbary War: the Barbary pirates of Tripoli declare war on the United States of America. It was our first foreign war.

1869 - Golden Spike driven completing completing the First Transcontinental Railroad at Promontory Summit, Utah. It connected the Central Pacific Railroad with the Union Pacific.

1960 - US atomic submarine USS Triton completes first submerged navigation of the world.

1963 - Decca Records signs the Rolling Stones on advice of Beatles George Harrison.

1909 - one of the founders of country music,Mother Maybelle Carter was born.

1818 - Paul Revere passed away

1977 - Joann Crawford passed away

 

To be honest with you,
I’m not sure of the day, but I just
came across this, but it was a day in May.

 

It was on May 10, 1940, that arguably the most important event of the century took place when Woos-ass bitch and Nazi appeaser Neville Chamberlain resigned as British Prime Minister after a Parliamentary vote of 'No Confidence.'

Winston Churchill, First Lord of the Admiralty, was called to assume the office, becoming exactly the right man at the right time to lead Britain against Hitler.

During his years in the 1930s when he was out of government office, Churchill had taken the lead in calling for British rearmament to counter the growing threat of militarism in Nazi Germany. His call for action went unheeded with weak appeasers like Chamberlain in charge.

Churchill and 'Peace in Our Time' loser Chamberlain:

 

1869: Golden spike completes transcontinental railroad
A ceremonial golden spike and the official telegraph message 'DONE' mark the end of six years of labor on a massive scale that included about 20,000 Chinese workers, as the US transcontinental railroad is completed. Once a half-year's journey, the trip from one coast of North America to the other now takes about a week.

 

On this day in history, May 10, 1977, iconic American actress Joan Crawford dies in New York City
Hollywood star had lucrative career — legacy lives on for a number of reasons.


Joan Crawford holds her Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in "Mildred Pierce" as she makes a call from her bed on March 1946. Crawford was presented with the Oscar as she lay ill in bed.

Joan Crawford, the legendary Oscar-winning actress who appeared in over 80 films during a remarkable 45-year Hollywood career, died on this day in history, May 10, 1977.

Born Lucille Fay LeSueur on March 23, 1904, in San Antonio, Texas, Crawford reportedly grew up with little means, and was raised by her mother and stepfather in Oklahoma before relocating to Kansas City, Missouri.

Amid the jazz-age flapper movement, she was in search of a dance career until she was discovered while performing in a New York chorus line in 1925 by MGM, according to Turner Classic Movies (TCM).

Crawford's undeniable talent soon pushed her toward the big screen. She appeared in such memorable motion pictures as "Our Dancing Daughters" (1928), "Grand Hotel" (1932), "Mildred Pierce" (1945), "Possessed" (1947) and "Strait-Jacket" (1964), to name a few.

In 1946, while sporting pajamas in bed at her California home, she accepted the Oscar for Best Actress for her role in "Mildred Pierce" as she was reportedly fighting the flu.

 

On This Day In History
May 10, 1924
J. Edgar Hoover begins his 48-year tenure as FBI director.

J. Edgar Hoover is named acting director of the Bureau of Investigation (now the FBI) on May 10, 1924. By the end of the year he was officially promoted to director. This began his 48-year tenure in power, during which time he personally shaped American criminal justice in the 20th century.

Hoover first became involved in law enforcement as a special assistant to the attorney general, overseeing the mass roundups and deportations of suspected communists during the Red Scare abuses of the late 1910s. After taking over the FBI in 1924, Hoover began secretly monitoring any activities that did not conform to his American ideal.

Hoover approved of illegally infiltrating and spying on the American Civil Liberties Union. His spies could be found throughout the government, even in the Supreme Court. He also collected damaging information on the personal lives of civil rights activists, including Martin Luther King Jr.

While Hoover’s success at legitimate crime fighting was modest, his hold over many powerful people and organizations earned him respect and kept him in power. He was extremely successful at attracting attention and favorable press to the FBI. It wasn’t until after his death in 1972, right before the beginning of the Watergate scandal, that Hoover’s corruption became known.

 

As it turned out, J. Edgar was rumored to have had a thing about dressing in women's clothing. Never really confirmed, but never disproven.

 

Do tell!
You mean, like full color with J. Edgar in panties and hose?
Care to share?

 

10 May 1940
Germany invaded the Allied nation of France and the neutral Low Countries. In France, Luftwaffe aircraft destroyed many French aircraft on the ground. German tanks crossed into neutral Luxembourg with relative ease, reaching the edge of the Ardennes Forest; the royal family of Luxembourg was evacuated to the south. In the Netherlands, German paratroopers quickly secured key bridges and airfields around Rotterdam and the Hague, but the plan to land troops at the Ypenburg airfield to capture the Dutch political leaders was foiled when Dutch fighters shot down 18 German Ju 52 transport planes; German tanks penetrated more than 10 miles into the Dutch border by the end of the day. In Belgium, 10 gliders landed 78 German airborne soldiers atop Fort Ebel Emael at the crossings of the Albert Canal and the River Meusse, pinning down the 700 Belgian defenders. British and French leaders enacted the Dyle Plan in response to the invasion, moving troops toward the Dyle River in Belgium where they were to form a defensive line.

10 May 1941
Sparking a controversy that would last long after the war, Deputy Führer Rudolf Hess landed in Scotland, United Kingdom with a Bf 110 fighter in an attempt to dissuade the Duke of Hamilton to introduce him to King George VI in order to broker peace between the United Kingdom and Germany. This mission was not authorized by Adolf Hitler. He landed 12 miles from the Duke's residence, broke his ankle, and was arrested by a farmer. He was taken into custody and remained so until his death in 1987.

10 May 1945
The surrender of Germany officially took effect at 0001 hours on this date.

 

May 11

330 - Newly built city of Constantinople (Byzantium) is dedicated and becomes the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire.

1189 - Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa and 100,000 crusaders depart Regensburg for the Third Crusade.

1752 - Pennsylvania Hospital is founded in Philadelphia by Dr. Bond and Benjamin Franklin. I believe it was the first in America.

1969 - British comedy troupe Monty Hall forms. It includes Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Hillman, Terry Jones and Michael Palin.

1888 - Irving Berlin is born

1912 - Phil Silvers is born

1874 - John D. Rockefeller passed away.
1981 - Bob Marley passed away.