What Happened in May?

The Boer War, the armed conflict between Britain and the two Boer republics of Transvaal and Orange Free State in South Africa, often called the Boer War, ends with the signing of the Treaty of Unity and the annexation of Transvaal by Britain. More

President Theodore Roosevelt travels to San Francisco and his arrival parade is captured on  on moving-picture film, making him one of the first presidents to have an official activity recorded in that new medium. Video

The U.S. officially acquires jurisdiction over the Panama Canal Zone. The U.S had tried and failed to negotiate an agreement with Colombia leading to the United States backing a separatist group in Panama and President Roosevelt dispatching U.S. warships to Panama City (on the Pacific) and Colón (on the Atlantic) in support of Panamanian independence. Panama declared independence from Colombia on November 3, 1903. A French company was the first to attempt building such a canal, but was unsuccessful and roughly 20,000 workers perished due to accidents and tropical diseases, The company collapsed and was acquired by the U.S. in 1902 after Congress passed the Spooner act, gaining the rights to the land to build the canal. More

The 1904 Summer Olympics are held in St. Louis, Missouri. The first Olympics hosted in the United States and the first at which gold, silver and bronze medals were awarded. The event was originally awarded to the city of Chicago but was changed to St. Louis, where the World’s Fair called the Louisiana Purchase Exposition was to be taking place, in order to avoid the possibility of conflicting athletic competitions. 
Due to the cost and difficulty in traveling, only 12 countries participated across the 95 events with over half of the events being contested only by U.S. athletes which accounted for 523 of the 630 total athletes. More

The Naval engagement of Tsushima starts during the Russo-Japanese War resulting in the final, crushing defeat of the Russian navy in that conflict. The Japanese ships were superior in speed and armament and sunk two-thirds of the Russian Fleet and captured six ships during the two-day battle. More

Halley's Comet passed near Earth. Easing widespread fears, although its tail brushed the planet, it did not cause any harm or a doomsday scenario. Halley's Comet is a famous periodic comet, known for its regular appearances in Earth's night sky, making it a celestial event of great historical and scientific interest.  Expand +

"The Nine Sovereigns at Windsor", all present for the funeral of King Edward VII In 1910, represents one of the largest gatherings of European royalty in that period of history. Expand +

The Union of South Africa is created becoming a sovereign state within the British empire as General Louis Botha forms a government as prime minister.

The U.S. Congress passes the 17th Amendment, modifying Article I, Section 3, of the Constitution by allowing voters to cast direct votes for U.S. senators. Prior to its passage, senators were chosen by state legislatures. The amendment was ratified on April 8, 1913. More

President Wilson makes his first Mothers Day proclamation after the U.S. Congress set the second Sunday of every May as the official Mothers Day celebration. By then most U.S. States were already celebrating Mother's Day. Julia Ward Howe (1872), a key women's rights figure and participant in the American Woman Suffrage Association and Anna Jarvis (1907) are also credited for suggesting and promoting the idea. The custom developed of wearing a red or pink carnation to represent a living mother or a white carnation for a mother who was deceased. The modern American version of the holiday has been criticized for becoming too commercialized. Many other countries have a multi-century history of a day to celebrate mothers on different dates. More

The passenger liner RMS Lusitania was sunk by a German submarine during World War I, killing 1,198 people. More

Italy declares war on Austria-Hungary. When World War I began in July 1914, Italy was a partner in the Triple Alliance with Germany and Austria-Hungary, but decided to remain neutral. However, a strong sentiment existed within the general population and political factions to go to war against Austria-Hungary, Italy’s historical enemy.

Britain and France secretly concluded the Sykes-Picot Agreement, dividing most of the Arab lands under the Ottoman Empire into British and French spheres of influence after World War I. This agreement, negotiated by British diplomat Mark Sykes and French diplomat François Picot, effectively demarcated areas of direct control and influence for both nations. More

Battle of Jutland - World War I’s biggest naval conflict off the coast of Denmark marks the first and only showdown between German and British naval forces during World War I.

Three children, Lucia dos Santos and her cousins Francisco and Jacinta Marto; report seeing the Virgin Mary near the village of Fátima, Portugal. In Roman Catholicism, "Our Lady of Fátima" is the title given to the Virgin Mary referring to her six appearances before the three peasant children. Her appearances were always on the 13th of the month, Mary reportedly entrusted the children with messages, including the "Three Secrets of Fatima". Since that revelation, millions of the faithful have made pilgrimages to the site. The Roman Catholic Church officially recognized the Fátima events as “worthy of belief” in 1930. More 

Congress passed the Selective Service Act, which authorized the Federal Government to temporarily expand the military through conscription. The act eventually required all men between the ages of 21 to 45 to register for military service. More

The first US transatlantic convoy to reach Great Britain departs Hampton Roads, Virginia. The United States had entered World War I recently and now faced the challenge of transporting men and material safely to the European war theater while facing the challenge of the German u-boats. Expand +

The U.S. Postal Service opens its first regularly scheduled airmail route between New York City and Washington, D.C. via Philadelphia. This historic event marked the beginning of a new era in both mail transportation and aviation. More

The U.S. Congress passes the Sedition Act. The Act, enacted during World War I, extended the Espionage Act of 1917 to cover a broader range of offenses, notably speech and the expression of opinion. " Among other things, it forbade the use of "disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive language" about the United States government, its flag, or its armed forces. At least 877 people were convicted in 1919 and 1920. Those convicted under the act generally received sentences of imprisonment for five to 20 years. The law was repealed on December 13, 1920. More

Day of the proclamation of Independence of the Democratic Republic of Georgia from the Russian Empire.