On this date in history:
– In 1909, reports from Nairobi detailed that former President Teddy Roosevelt’s hunting collection was augmented by the killing of two giraffes, one leopard, and one buffalo, along with the capture of two leopard cubs.
– In 1926, the British general strike, which had paralyzed the nation for over 8½ days, was ended.
– In 1937, George VI was crowned King of England, succeeding his brother Edward, who had abdicated to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson.
– In 1949, Soviet authorities declared an end to the land blockade of Berlin, which had lasted 328 days and was overcome by the Allies’ Berlin airlift.
– In 1975, a Cambodian gunboat attacked the U.S. cargo ship Mayaguez, forcing it into a Cambodian port and sparking an international incident. Although the ship’s crew was eventually released unharmed, a rescue mission resulted in the downing of three U.S. helicopters and numerous casualties among U.S. troops and others.
In 2000, Adam Petty, a fourth-generation driver from NASCAR’s first family, tragically died at the age of 19 after crashing into a wall during a practice session at New Hampshire International Speedway.
In 2002, former President Jimmy Carter began a visit to Cuba, becoming the first U.S. president, either in or out of office, to visit the island since the communist takeover in 1959.
In 2008, a magnitude-8 earthquake, the deadliest in China in three decades, claimed over 69,000 lives, with nearly 18,000 people missing and hundreds of thousands left homeless. This disaster is often referred to as the Great Sichuan Earthquake.
In 2010, a man wielding a meat cleaver entered a kindergarten classroom in central China and killed seven children, a teacher, and her mother before taking his own life. In a two-month span, there were five attacks on Chinese schools, resulting in 17 deaths and around 100 injuries.
In 2013, 19 individuals were injured in shootings linked to gang violence during a Mother’s Day parade in New Orleans, according to police.
In 2019, six people were killed by attackers while attending a mass at a Catholic church in Dablo, Burkina Faso.
