What Happened Today in History on May 21

Pro-slavery forces attacked and burned the free-state town of Lawrence, Kansas, in what became known as the "Sacking of Lawrence." More

The American Red Cross is founded in Washington, D.C. by Clara Barton and a circle of her acquaintances. Barton led the Red Cross for 23 years. More

Queen Victoria officially opens the Manchester Ship Canal in England to traffic. The 36-mile waterway, linking Manchester to the Irish Sea, became the largest navigation canal in the world and transformed Manchester into a major port. It was a monumental feat of civil engineering, taking six years to construct and costing £15 million. The Canal had started to allow commercial traffic almost 6 months earlier on January 1, 1894.

Charles Lindbergh becomes the first man to complete a solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean, flying 3,610 miles from New York to Paris in his plane, the Spirit of St. Louis,in 33 1/2 hours. More

Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic. More

Indian politician Rajiv Gandhi, who had served as the country's prime minister from 1984 to 1989, was assassinated in a suicide bombing attack. More