Pope John Paul II Shot
May 13, 1981
Escaped Turkish terrorist Mehmet Ali Ağca shoots Pope John Paul II in St. Peter’s Square at Vatican City. The Pope was struck four times. Ağca was apprehended and later sentenced to life in prison. But the Pope forgave Ağca and he was pardoned by Italian president Carlo Azeglio Ciampi at the Pope’s request and then deported to Turkey in 2000, where he was imprisoned for a previous murder. Ağca made conflicting claims about who hired him for the assassination attempt. One of the claims was the Russian government hired him because of the Pope’s involvement in Polish solidarity. Others that he also claimed had hired him included Cardinal Agostino Casaroli and the Ayatollah Khomeini.
Skylab
May 14, 1973
The U.S. space station Skylab is launched. About a minute after take-off a protective shield and a solar panel broke off, damaging the other solar panel in the process. The crew was sent up on the 25th and made repairs.
DiMaggio’s 56-Game Hitting Streak
May 15, 1941
Joe DiMaggio begins his 56-game hitting streak. It ended July 17 after 91 hits for a .408 average.