225 years ago, on May 4, 1778, the Continental Congress ratified an alliance treaty with France, and a commitment to "amity and commerce." Remember those honeymoon days with France?
200 years ago, on May 2, 1803, James Monroe and Robert Livingston signed the Louisiana Purchase treaty in Paris, more than doubling the U.S. territories, at a bargain price of $15 million.
Later that month, on May 23, Commodore Edward Preble was given command of a squadron of Marines that would sail to the Mediterranean to battle with the pirates of Tripoli, in modern Libya.
On May 25, Ralph Waldo Emerson, the transcendental philosopher of individualism, was born.
175 years ago, on May 19, 1828, The "Tariff of Abominations" was passed by Congress and signed by President John Quincy Adams. The South threatened secession for this punitive tariff.
100 years ago, on May 23, 1903, Wisconsin became the first state to institute direct primary elections. By 1948, all states had done so . . . . And on May 29, 1903, one of the world’s greatest comedians, Bob Hope (born Leslie Townes Hope) was born in London. He turns 100 this month.
75 years ago, on May 11, 1928, WGY in Schenectady, NY, began the first regularly scheduled television programming, airing three times a week, 1:30 to 2:00 p.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Most viewers were on the technical staff of General Electric, the station’s owner. The TV screens were three inches squares, needing constant tuning. WGY covered Al Smith’s Democratic candidacy for President. The Depression of the 1930s killed TV programming until the late 1940s???.
On May 25, Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly the Atlantic, taking off from Boston with two passengers aboard her airplane, Friendship.
And on May 28, Chrysler and Dodge Motors united in the largest automotive industry merger tot that date. Hundreds of car companies existed in 1920; only a handful survived the 1930s.
50 years ago, on May 15, 1953, the Golden Arches were born. In search of an eye-catching look for their hamburger shops, Richard and Mac McDonald rejected all professional architectural and advertising advice to build two sheet-metal parabolic "golden arches," with neon stripes, to call attention to their burger joint.
On May 22, 1953, President Eisenhower signed a bill surrendering Federal ownership of $80 million of offshore oil and gas reserves to oil corporations. The Supreme Court had earlier ruled that this oil was the property of the nation. A former U.S. Solicitor General called this "the largest wholesale looting of national assets in history," but more recent events proved that government ownership would result in severe shortages by now.
On May 29, New Zealander Edmund Hillary, and Tenzing Norkay of Nepal became the first men to sit on top of the world, on Mount Everest, 29,000 feet above sea level. Over the previous 30 years, five British expeditions failed, ending in death for one or more of the climbers.
25 years ago, on May 26, 1978, the first legal casino outside Nevada was opened in Atlantic City.
