1863: 'Glory' unit goes to war
Amid much celebration, the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment departs Boston heading for Beaufort, South Carolina. Although sendoffs of Union soldiers are a common sight, the 54th distinguishes itself as one of the first African-American regiments to join the conflict.

 

28 May 1942

Task Force 16, consisting of carriers USS Enterprise and USS Hornet departed Pearl Harbor for Midway Atoll. Sister USS Yorktown is moved to dry dock for emergency repairs with Adm. Nimitz ordering her out in three days and in time to join TF 16 for battle.

 

May 29

1453 - Constantinople, capital of the Eastern Roman Empire falls to the Ottoman Turks. Ends the Byzantine Empire after 1,100 years

1592 -Korean navy led by Admiral Yi Sun Shin repels Japanese fleet in the Battle of Sacheon.

1851 - Sojourner Truth addresses the first Black Woman's Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio.

1736 - Patrick Henry was born. "Give me liberty or give me death "

1903 - Bob Hope was born.

1917 - John F. Kennedy was born.

1942 - John Barrymore passed away

2017 - Scumbag Manuel Noriega dies

 

On May 29, 1913, Composer Igor Stravinsky and the pioneering Russian ballet corps Ballet Russes gave the debut performance Stravinsky’s ballet Le Sacre du printemps (The Rite of Spring), choreographed by the famous dancer Vaslav Nijinsky, at the Theatre de Champs-Elysees in Paris.

As this was a major departure from ballet and classical music norms, various accounts have been verified that the performance caused a 'riot' in the audience. According to some, blows were exchanged, objects were thrown at the stage, and at least one person was challenged to a duel. Forty people were ejected from the theater.

Carl Van Vechten, drama critic for the New York Sun later wrote, "The unruly audience became as much a part of the performance as the dancers and musicians."

While 'Rite' is now considered a triumph of early modernist dance, it would not be recognized and celebrated for decades.

Of the debut, Esteban Buch, director of studies at the School of Advanced Studies in Social Science in Paris, says it's difficult to deny that "something really extraordinary" took place, and that the event was, as he put it, was "some kind of gate to modernism, to the 20th Century".

Personally, I am no ballet fan, but Stravinsky's 'Rite', his third extrended composition, is as much a catalyst for the emergence of 20th century music as the ballet was to dance. From the first notes of the bassoon playing at the high end of its register, the composition accurately reflects the reawakening of life following the winter. A marvelous work of stunning imagery.

 

On this day in history, May 29, 1851, Sojourner Truth delivers famed 'Ain’t I a Woman' speech
African American abolitionist and women's rights advocate, born into slavery in 1797, spoke in Akron, Ohio.


Sojourner Truth headshot from 1864. Truth’s speech "Ain't I a Woman?" is recognized as one of the most abolitionist and pro-women's rights speeches in American history, the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center notes.

Sojourner Truth, the African American abolitionist, women's rights advocate and social activist revered to this day for her presentation on racial inequalities, delivered her famous "Ain't I a Woman?" speech on this day in history, May 29, 1851, at the Ohio Women's Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio.

The powerful performance is still used today as a call for equal treatment of women, according to many sources.

Truth’s words are recognized as one of the most abolitionist and pro-women's rights speeches in American history, the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center notes.

 

1953: Hillary and Norgay are first to summit Mt. Everest
New Zealand's Edmund Hillary and Nepal's Tenzing Norgay stand at more than 29,000 feet atop the highest spot on earth. They remain on Mt. Everest's summit just 15 minutes before Tenzing leaves an offering of chocolate, and Hillary a cross, and then begin their long, arduous descent.

 

29 May 1940
Allies evacuated 33,558 men from the harbor at Dunkirk, France, and 13,752 from the nearby beaches. German aircraft interfered, attacking ships in the sea, as well as, men waiting on the docks. Destroyer HMS Grenade was hit by three bombs, one of which went down her funnel, in Dunkirk harbor and sank, killing 19. Destroyer HMS Jaguar was badly damaged by a bomb, killing 13 and wounding 19. Minesweeper HMS Waverley, with 600 troops already aboard, was sunk by a bomb, killing 350. Elsewhere in France, German troops captured Lille, Ostend, and Ypres. Also on the same day, French auxiliary cruiser Ville d'Oran took on 200 tons of gold from the French reserve for shipment to Casablanca, French Morocco.

29 May 1942
The Main Body of the Japanese Midway invasion fleet set sail; it consisted of Battleship Division 1 (Yamato, Nagato, Mutsu), light carrier Hosho, seaplane/submarine tenders Chiyoda and Nisshin, light cruiser Sendai of Destroyer Squadron 3, nine destroyers, and Supply Group No. 1; the Main Body remained 600 miles behind the Carrier Striking Force. Meanwhile, the transport fleet set sail from Saipan in the Mariana Islands, consisting of 15 transports.

US Carrier USS Yorktown was refloated and moved out of Dry Dock No. 1 at Pearl Harbor Navy Yard. She received fuel and a new air complement from nearby Naval Air Station Kaneohe.

 

On This Day In History
May 29, 1998
Danica Patrick becomes first woman to lead Indy 500

On May 29, 2005, 23-year-old Danica Patrick becomes the first female driver to take the lead in the storied Indianapolis 500.

Having previously distinguished herself in the Toyota Atlantic series, Patrick had qualified fourth—another best for a woman—for the 89th Indianapolis 500, only her fifth Indy Racing League event. (Toyota Atlantic served as a feeder system for the Champ Car Series, Indy’s rival open-wheel racing circuit. Open-wheel cars are sophisticated vehicles built specifically for racing, with small, open cockpits and wheels located outside the car’s main body.) Patrick entered the Indy 500 in a car co-owned by Bobby Rahal, winner of the Indy 500 in 1986, and David Letterman, the late-night talk show host. After a pit stop on the 79th lap of the 200-lap, 500-mile race, Patrick stalled her engine, falling from 4th to 16th place. She spent the next 70 laps climbing back into the top 10, then took the lead with 10 laps left in front of 300,000 screaming fans at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

When her team took a gamble that she could make it to the end without an additional pit stop, Patrick was forced to conserve fuel. With six laps left, British driver Dan Wheldon passed her. With his first Indy 500 win, Wheldon became the first Briton to claim victory at the event since Graham Hill in 1966. Patrick, meanwhile, finished in fourth place, behind Vitor Meira and Bryan Herta. Her stellar performance earned her Rookie of the Year honors and a place in the history books alongside Janet Guthrie, who exactly 28 years before—on May 29, 1977—had become the first woman to drive in the Indy 500. Three women before Patrick had driven in a combined 15 Indy 500 events; Guthrie was the previous top finisher, coming in ninth place in 1978.

Three years after Patrick’s star-making turn at the Indy 500, she became the first woman to win an Indy Racing League event, defeating the two-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves by nearly six seconds in the Indy Japan 300. Having left her previous team a year earlier, Patrick had joined the team owned by Michael Andretti, son of the legendary driver Mario Andretti and a former racer himself. In a statement honoring Patrick’s victory, fellow Indy driver Sarah Fisher linked the accomplishment with that of Guthrie and other trailblazing women: “Today marks the celebration for all of us who have chipped away at the barriers that many women have faced in fields that are dominated by men. To finally have a female win an open-wheel race is simply a progression of what Janet Guthrie started.”

Patrick retired after the 2018 season.

 

May 30

1431 - Joan of Arc burned at the stake.

Having led the French army in a momentous victory over England at Orleaens during the we Hundred Years War, Joan of Arc was charged with heresy and witchcraft and burned at the steak

 

On May 30, 1911, the very first Indianapolis 500 was run, but history didn't note where the race was held (LOL). Ray Harroun was the winner, driving his single-seater Marmon Wasp to victory in 6 hours and 42 minutes.

The inception that led to the creation of the race was in 1906, when Indiana automobile dealer Carl Fisher first proposed building a private auto testing facility in order to address car manufacturers’ inability to test potential top speeds of new cars due to the poorly developed state of the public roadways. The result was the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, built on 328 acres of farmland five miles northwest of downtown Indianapolis.

Although shorter races had been held for manufacturers to test their cars in competion, it was on this date in 1911 that 40 cars lined up at the starting line for the first Indy 500. A multi-car accident occurred 13 laps into the race, and the ensuing chaos temporarily disrupted scoring. In spite of a dispute with 2nd place Ralph Mulford, Harroun was declared the winner and awarded the $14,250 prize money.

Aside from the fame this win afforded Harroun, the most public admiration went to Harry Knight, who purposefully wrecked his car to avoid running over mechanic C.L. Anderson, who had been trying to move a wrecked car out of the path of oncoming racers. Many thought he was likely to have won the race. His impending marriage to Jenny Dolly, a beautiful Hungarian dancer, was contingent upon Knight making big money at the race. They never married by the time Knight was killed in a race two years later. Dolly hung herself in her Hollywood hotel room in 1941.

The Indy 500 is now regarded as one of the world’s most important and famous motor racing competitions.



Harroun in his Marmon Wasp:




Harry Knight:


Jenny Dolly:

 

On this day in 1977 my daughter fought the doctors delaying tactics (from Saturday 11:15am May 28) and was born @11:43pm. She was 1+ month premie.
HBD shnookie.

 

30th of May 1954, my ex bro-in-law and good friend, Frank, was born. Need to give him a call, later on.

 

On this day in history, May 30, 1868, first Decoration Day is held in remembrance of those lost in war
Day was a precursor to Memorial Day, held to honor those who died in service to our nation.


American flags are planted in front of a row of graves in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, outside of Washington, D.C.

On this day in history, May 30, 1868, the first Decoration Day — a precursor to Memorial Day — was celebrated.

Originally known as Decoration Day, from early traditions of decorating graves with flags, flowers and wreaths, Memorial Day is a day for remembrance to honor those who have died in service to our country.

"This was first widely observed on May 30, 1868, to commemorate the sacrifices of Civil War soldiers, by proclamation of Gen. John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of former Union sailors and soldiers," according to PBS.

During that first national commemoration, former Union Gen. and sitting Ohio Congressman James Garfield gave a speech at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, after about 5,000 participants decorated the graves of over 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers who were buried there, recounts the same source

This national event brought together efforts to pay respect and remember fallen soldiers that began with local observances at burial grounds in several towns throughout the U.S. following the end of the Civil War, says PBS.

 

1942: Japanese American fights charges for defying internment
Fred Korematsu, 23, is arrested by police who suspect him to be Japanese. Born in Oakland, Calif., Korematsu had been laying low since Japanese Americans in the western US were ordered into internment camps. He'll fight his charges, eventually losing his Supreme Court case—but he'll be vindicated when the 1988 Civil Liberties Act condemns internment.

 

Powell's expedition to explore the length of the Colorado River in 1869 has been on the river now for 6 days, as of May 30, 1869.
They have gone barely 35 miles but Powell has an epiphany that shapes the belief of the geology of the Colorado river even today;
The idea Powell had was that the river came first, and the mountains second, rising up from a great plain. The river eats through the rock and forms the canyons that we have today.

They will run the Gates of Ladore in the next week, and on June 8 they will lose one of the four boats at a rapids they named Disaster falls. The boat is completely destroyed but they manage to save a pirated keg of whiskey and a few instruments. Howland, one of the crew loses all of his clothing and leaves the expedition a few days later to live with the Paiute Indians.

 

30 May 1940

The British Admiralty ordered all modern destroyers to leave Dunkirk, France due to the previous day's losses by the German Luftwaffe, leaving 18 older destroyers to continue the evacuation; 24,311 were rescued from the harbor and 29,512 were rescued from the nearby beaches on this date. Despite poor weather, German aircraft damaged destroyers HMS Anthony and HMS Sabre, minesweeper HMS Kellet, armed boarding vessel HMS King Orry, and steamers St. Julien & Normannia.

 

This day, today, made history. A former US President was found guilty on 34 felony counts. I'm just really sorry it is not the kind of history you ever want to be made.

 

On This Day In History
May 30, 1997
Jonathan Levin is tortured and killed by his former student.

Jonathan Levin, a popular 31-year-old English teacher, is stabbed and shot to death in his Upper West Side apartment in New York City. The son of Time Warner chairman Gerald Levin, Jonathan was known by many to be wealthy. When he did not show up for work, investigators searched his apartment and found his lifeless body bound to a chair with duct tape. Levin’s bankcard was missing from his wallet, and $800 had been removed from his account around the time that he was killed.

Police learned from Levin’s answering machine tape that Corey Arthur, a former student in Levin’s remedial English class at William H. Taft High School in the Bronx, called Levin on May 30 to arrange a meeting. Apparently, Arthur and his accomplice, Montoun Hart, tortured Levin with a kitchen knife in order to get him to tell them his debit card code. They turned on the vacuum cleaner and stereo to cover up his screams.

Arthur, arrested a week after the murders, first claimed that he had been at Levin’s apartment smoking crack when two other men came in and killed him. However, his story lost its credibility at trial when his fingerprints were found on the duct tape. Even still, Arthur denied being the one who pulled the trigger of the fatal shot.

Arthur was found guilty of second-degree murder and received 25 years to life in prison. Hart, despite his 11-page signed confession, was acquitted after convincing jurors that the confession had been coerced out of him when he was drunk.

 

May 31

1279 BC - Ramessees II(aka (Ramessees the Great) becomes Pharaoh of Anccient Egypt(19th Dynasty)

1578 - Martin Forbisher sails from Harwich, England to Forbisher Bay, Canada and mines fools gold. It is famously used to pave the streets of London.

1919 - Battle of Jutland. Largest naval battle of WWI between the British Grand Fleet and the German High Seas Fleet which killed 8,645 in an inclusive victory. TheGerman Fleet never puts to sea again.

1819 - Walt Whitman was born.

1930 - Clint Eastwood was born.

1948 - John Bonham was born.

1983 - Jack Dempsey passes away.

 

On May 31, 1859, the famous tower clock known as Big Ben, located at the top of the 320-foot-high Elizabeth Tower, named for Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee in 2012, rang out over the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, London, for the first time.

The tower structure, often mistakenly cited as St. Stephen's Tower, which is actually the smaller entrance structure, never had an offical name before 2012 and was simply called the East Tower, the Clock Tower, St. Stephen's Tower, or most popularly, simply Big Ben.

4 months after its inaugural ringing in September 1859, Big Ben cracked. A lighter hammer was fitted and the bell rotated to present an undamaged section to the hammer. This is the bell as we hear it today.

It is one of the images we see in movies that immediately identifies a location, like the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty, the White House, or the Colliseum.


The actual St. Stephen's Tower:


The view from inside:


The mechanisms: