First U.S. President to Visit Moscow May 22, 1972 U.S. President Richard Nixon visits Moscow for a week of summit talks with the leaders of the Kremlin. The previous February, Nixon did an 8-day trip to China, making him the first U.S. President visit China.

Top Secret Pearl Harbor Disaster May 21, 1944 While everyone is familiar with the Pearl Harbor attack by the Japanese in 1941, few have heard about the Pearl Harbor disaster in 1944. That's because it was classified top secret until 1960. On May 21, 1944 an explosion aboard the USS LST-353 while it was moored at Pearl ...

Civil War May 20, 1861 North Carolina becomes the 10th state to secede from the Union.

The Atomic Blast that Killed John Wayne? May 19, 1953 An atomic bomb is tested in Nevada. Due to a miscalculation and change in wind-direction, a large amount of radioactive fallout fell on St. George, Utah, where two years later the movie The Conqueror was filmed. By 1980, of the 220 members of the cast and crew, 91 o...

Mount St. Helens Erupts May 18, 1980 Mount St. Helens in Washington State erupts, killing 57 people. The magnitude 5.1 earthquake triggered a massive collapse of the north face of the mountain, creating the largest-known debris avalanche in recorded history. The pyroclastic flow flattened vegetation and buildings over ...