What happened today in history
May
What happened on May 10
On May 10 history recorded 56 notable events. 122 people who left a mark were born on this day, and 62 died. Here is the full almanac.
- 56events
- 122births
- 62deaths
- 17observances
Highlights
Highlights
28 BCChinese astronomers during the Han dynasty made the first precisely dated observation of a sunspot.
Astronomy in China has a long history stretching from the Shang dynasty, being refined over a period of more than 3,000 years. The ancient Chinese people have identified stars from 1300 BCE, as Chinese star names later categorized in the twenty-eight mansions
1627Dutch explorer Pieter Nuyts was appointed governor of Formosa (modern-day Taiwan) by the Dutch East India Company.
Pieter Nuyts or Nuijts was a Dutch explorer, diplomat and politician.
1775American Revolutionary War: A small force of Patriots led by Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold captured Fort Ticonderoga in New York, without significant injury or incident.
The American Revolutionary War, also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence or simply the American Revolution, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which American Patriot for
May 10
On this day
I century BC
- 28 BC
28 BCA sunspot is observed by Han dynasty astronomers during the reign of Emperor Cheng of Han, one of the earliest dated sunspot observations in China.
X century
XIII century
XV century
XVI century
XVII century
XVIII century
- 1713
1713Great Northern War: The Russian Navy led by Admiral Fyodor Apraksin land both at Katajanokka and Hietalahti during the Battle of Helsinki. - 1768
1768Rioting occurs in London after John Wilkes is imprisoned for writing an article for The North Briton severely criticising King George III. - 1773
1773The Parliament of Great Britain passes the Tea Act, designed to save the British East India Company by reducing taxes on its tea and granting it the right to sell tea directly to North America. The legislation leads to the Boston Tea Party. - 1774
1774Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette become King and Queen of France. - 1775
1775American Revolutionary War: A small Colonial militia led by Ethan Allen and Colonel Benedict Arnold captures Fort Ticonderoga. - 1775
1775American Revolutionary War: The Second Continental Congress takes place in Philadelphia. - 1796
1796War of the First Coalition: Napoleon wins a victory against Austrian forces at Lodi bridge over the Adda River in Italy. The Austrians lose some 2,000 men.
XIX century
- 1801
1801First Barbary War: The Barbary pirates of Tripoli declare war on the United States of America. - 1824
1824The National Gallery in London opens to the public. - 1833
1833A revolt broke out in southern Vietnam against Emperor Minh Mang, who had desecrated the deceased mandarin Le Van Duyet. - 1837
1837Panic of 1837: New York City banks suspend the payment of specie, triggering a national banking crisis and an economic depression whose severity was not surpassed until the Great Depression. - 1849
1849Astor Place Riot: A riot breaks out at the Astor Opera House in Manhattan, New York City over a dispute between actors Edwin Forrest and William Charles Macready, killing at least 22 and injuring over 120. - 1857
1857Indian Rebellion of 1857: In India, the first war of Independence begins. Sepoys mutiny against their commanding officers at Meerut. - 1865
1865American Civil War: In Kentucky, Union soldiers ambush and mortally wound Confederate raider William Quantrill, who lingers until his death on June 6. - 1869
1869The First transcontinental railroad, linking the eastern and western United States, is completed at Promontory Summit, Utah Territory with the golden spike. - 1872
1872Victoria Woodhull becomes the first woman nominated for President of the United States. - 1876
1876The Centennial Exposition is opened in Philadelphia. - 1881
1881Carol I is crowned the King of the Romanian Kingdom. - 1899
1899Finnish farmworker Karl Emil Malmelin kills seven people with an axe at the Simola croft in the village of Klaukkala.
XX century
- 1904
1904The Horch & Cir. Motorwagenwerke AG is founded. It would eventually become the Audi company. - 1908
1908Mother's Day is observed for the first time in the United States, in Grafton, West Virginia. - 1916
1916Sailing in the lifeboat James Caird, Ernest Shackleton arrives at South Georgia after a journey of 800 nautical miles from Elephant Island. - 1922
1922The United States annexes the Kingman Reef. - 1924
1924J. Edgar Hoover is appointed first Director of the United States' Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and remains so until his death in 1972. - 1933
1933Censorship: In Germany, the Nazis stage massive public book burnings. - 1940
1940World War II: German fighters accidentally bomb the German city of Freiburg. - 1940
1940World War II: Winston Churchill is appointed Prime Minister of the United Kingdom following the resignation of Neville Chamberlain. On the same day, Germany invades France, The Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. Meanwhile, the United Kingdom occupies Iceland. - 1941
1941World War II: The House of Commons in London is damaged by the Luftwaffe in an air raid. - 1941
1941World War II: Rudolf Hess parachutes into Scotland to try to negotiate a peace deal between the United Kingdom and Nazi Germany. - 1942
1942World War II: The Thai Phayap Army invades the Shan States during the Burma Campaign. - 1946
1946First successful launch of an American V-2 rocket at White Sands Proving Ground. - 1961
1961Air France Flight 406 is destroyed by a bomb over the Sahara, killing 78. - 1962
1962Marvel Comics publishes the first issue of The Incredible Hulk. - 1967
1967The Northrop M2-F2 crashes on landing, becoming the inspiration for the novel Cyborg and TV series The Six Million Dollar Man. - 1969
1969Vietnam War: The Battle of Dong Ap Bia begins with an assault on Hill 937. It will ultimately become known as Hamburger Hill. - 1975
1975Sony introduces the Betamax videocassette recorder. - 1993
1993In Thailand, a fire at the Kader Toy Factory kills over 200 workers. - 1994
1994Nelson Mandela is inaugurated as South Africa's first black president. - 1996
1996A blizzard strikes Mount Everest, killing eight climbers by the next day. - 1997
1997The 7.3 Mw Qayen earthquake strikes Iran's Khorasan Province killing 1,567 people.
XXI century
- 2002
2002FBI agent Robert Hanssen is sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for selling United States secrets to Russia for $1.4 million in cash and diamonds. - 2005
2005A hand grenade thrown by Vladimir Arutyunian lands about 20 m from U.S. President George W. Bush while he is giving a speech to a crowd in Tbilisi, Georgia, but it malfunctions and does not detonate. - 2012
2012The Damascus bombings are carried out using a pair of car bombs detonated by suicide bombers outside a military intelligence complex in Damascus, Syria, killing 55 people. - 2013
2013One World Trade Center becomes the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere. - 2017
2017Syrian civil war: The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) capture the last footholds of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Al-Tabqah, bringing the Battle of Tabqa to an end. - 2022
2022Queen Elizabeth II misses the State Opening of Parliament for the first time in 59 years. It was the first time that a new session of Parliament was opened by the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Cambridge acting as Counsellors of State. - 2024
2024Start of the May 2024 solar storms, the most powerful set of geomagnetic storms since the 2003 Halloween solar storms.
Best known
Born on May 10
Best known
Died on May 10
1403Katherine Swynford
Wife of John of Gaunt (c. 1349 – 1403)
1482Paolo dal Pozzo Toscanelli
Italian Renaissance astronomer
1493Colin Campbell, 1st Earl of Argyll
Scottish nobleman (c. 1433 – 1493)
1566Leonhart Fuchs
German physician and botanist
1569John of Ávila
Spanish priest and Doctor of the Church
1641Johan Banér
Swedish field marshal
Holidays and observances
- Children's Day (Maldives)
- Christian feast day: Alphius, Philadelphus and Cyrinus
- Christian feast day: Blessed Beatrice d'Este
- Christian feast day: Calepodius
- Christian feast day: Catald
- Christian feast day: Comgall
- Christian feast day: Damien of Molokai
- Christian feast day: Blessed Ivan Merz
- Christian feast day: Job (Roman Catholic Church)
- Christian feast day: John of Ávila
- Christian feast day: Solange of Bourges
- Christian feast day: May 10 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Confederate Memorial Day (North Carolina and South Carolina)
- Constitution Day (Micronesia)
Frequently asked questions
What happened on May 10?
56 documented historical events happened on May 10, from antiquity to the present day. The best known is this: Chinese astronomers during the Han dynasty made the first precisely dated observation of a sunspot. On the same day, in another year: Dutch explorer Pieter Nuyts was appointed governor of Formosa (modern-day Taiwan) by the Dutch East India Company. On Almanaccolo every event is listed in chronological order, grouped by century, and links to the Wikipedia article it comes from, so you can always read further or check the source. Alongside the events you find who was born and who died on this date, and which observances are celebrated around the world.
Who was born on May 10?
122 people with a Wikipedia article were born on May 10, including Al-Aziz Billah, Suzanne, Duchess of Bourbon, Jean-Marie Leclair. The list spans every era and every field — art, science, politics, sport, entertainment — ordered by year of birth, from the earliest to the most recent. The six featured people are those most has been written about: the ordering uses the length of their Wikipedia article as an indicator of prominence. For each one you find their occupation, year of birth and a link to the full biography.
Who died on May 10?
62 people with a Wikipedia article died on May 10, including Katherine Swynford, Paolo dal Pozzo Toscanelli, Colin Campbell, 1st Earl of Argyll. The list is in chronological order by year of death and spans all of documented history, from antiquity to the present day. For each person you find their occupation, the year and a link to the Wikipedia biography, where the full story and its sources can be read.
What is celebrated on May 10?
17 observances are celebrated on May 10 around the world: Children's Day (Maldives), Christian feast day: Alphius, Philadelphus and Cyrinus, Christian feast day: Blessed Beatrice d'Este, Christian feast day: Calepodius, Christian feast day: Catald, Christian feast day: Comgall. The list gathers national holidays, international days and religious or civil observances falling on this date in different countries, as recorded on Wikipedia. Some are fixed and recur on the same day every year; others depend on the local calendar. Each links to the article explaining its origin and meaning.
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Source: Wikipedia · Calendar