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 ...

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.

Police Burn Down a Philadelphia Neighborhood May 13, 1985 Eleven people are killed and more than 60 homes are destroyed in a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania neighborhood as a result of the police bombing the heavily-armed home of the radical group "MOVE". The police were attempting to end a two-day siege. Police h...

The Battle Hymn of the Republic May 12, 1861 Julia Ward Howe's song is performed for the first time at a flag-raising ceremony for Union recruits at Fort Warren near Boston. Also known as Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory, it is sung to the tune of John Brown's Body. "Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the...