Smallpox Eradicated May 8, 1980 Existing only as laboratory specimens, smallpox is certified by the World Health Assembly as obsolete. This was the first time a disease was eradicated by man. The last known case was in Birmingham, England (1978), when the virus escaped from a research lab. The researcher who accidental...

Sinking of the Lusitania May 7, 1915 This civilian steamer RMS Lusitania is sunk by a German submarine's torpedo, killing 1,198 (including 128 Americans) of 1,959 people on board. It was later revealed that the Lusitania was carrying about 173 tons of war munitions for Britain, which the Germans cited as justification ...

The Hindenburg Disaster - "Oh, the Humanity!" May 6, 1937 News reporter Herbert Morrison makes his famous proclamation, "Oh, the Humanity!" as he witnesses the disaster unfolding. The giant airship Hindenburg explodes and burns killing 36 people while preparing to land at Lakehurst, New Jersey. The ...

First American in Space May 5, 1961 Alan Shepard becomes the second person and the first American to travel into space and, in 1971, he became the fifth and oldest person to walk on the Moon, at age 47. When asked what he thought about as he sat atop the rocket waiting for liftoff, Shepard replied, "The fact that...

Kent State Massacre May 4, 1970 National Guardsmen kill four unarmed students of Kent State University (Ohio) and wound 9 others during a Vietnam War protest. Two of the students killed were bystanders.