What Happened in May?

The Chinese Exclusion Act was passed by Congress and signed by President Chester A. Arthur. This act provided an absolute 10-year ban on Chinese laborers immigrating to the United States. It was the first significant law restricting immigration into the United States. More

The Brooklyn Bridge over the East River officially opens, connecting New York City and Brooklyn for the first time in history. The opening ceremony was presided over by President Chester A. Arthur and New York Governor Grover Cleveland. The bridge, designed by John A. Roebling, with a span of 1,595 feet was the largest suspension bridge ever built to that date and took 14 years to complete. Roebling died as a result of a construction accident, three weeks after the start of the project. The bridge construction was completed by his son, Washington A. Roebling, who took over as Chief Engineer. At least 20 workers were killed during construction, and many more suffered decompression sickness. More

The first Ringling Brothers Circus opens in Baraboo, Wisconsin. By the early 20th century it became the leading circus in the U.S. as the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Today , after a hiatus from 2017 to 2023, it has returned with a reimagined show that features no animals. The circus is now billed as "The Greatest Show on Earth" and includes acts like trapeze, high wire, and teeterboard. More

The Haymarket Square Riot in Chicago, also known as the Haymarket massacre, was a pivotal event in American labor history, a bomb exploded at a Chicago labor rally, wounding dozens of policemen, seven of whom eventually died. The event led to the trial and conviction of eight anarchists, some of whom were later executed, despite the lack of definitive evidence of their involvement in the bombing. More 

Dr. John Stith Pemberton, a local pharmacist from Atlanta, Georgia, produced the syrup for Coca‑Cola, and carried a jug of the new product down the street to Jacobs' Pharmacy, where it was sampled, pronounced "excellent" and placed on sale for five cents a glass as a soda fountain drink as a tonic for common ailments. Dr. Pemberton never realized the potential of the beverage he created. He gradually sold portions of his business and, just prior to his death in 1888, sold his remaining interest in Coca‑Cola to Asa G. Candler. An Atlantan business man. Candler proceeded to buy additional rights and acquire complete control. More

The Hells Canyon Massacre. The mass slaughter of Chinese gold miners by a gang of white horse thieves takes place, in Lewiston, Washington Territory, in what is now Idaho. This was one of many hate crimes perpetrated against Asian immigrants in the American West during this period.

The Panic of 1893, was one of the most severe financial crises in the history of the U.S. triggering a depression that lasted until 1897. The crisis started with a a slow down of economic activity and a large decline in U.S. Treasury gold reserves, raising the rates of defaults on loans and weakening banks’ balance sheets. Fearing for the safety of their deposits, men and women began to withdraw funds from banks. Fear spread and withdrawals accelerated, leading to widespread runs on banks. The economy remained in recession until the following summer. According to some estimates, industrial production fell by 15.3% and unemployment rose as high as 19%. After a brief pause, the economy slumped into recession again in late 1895 and did not fully recover until mid-1897. More

The start of the Panic of 1893 - The most serious economic depression in history until the Great Depression of the 1930 resulted in a significant economic downturn in the United States lasting until 1897. It began with the collapse of two major corporations, the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad and the National Cordage Company and a chain of financial failures, triggering a stock market crash with a Dow Jones Industrial Average falling 24% in a single day.
The Panic of 1893 deeply affected every sector of the economy and produced political upheaval that led to the political realignment and the presidency of William McKinley. The panic climaxed with a run on gold from the United States Treasury. Unemployment rates in many states rose above 25% and poverty became widespread. 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.

The US Supreme Court, (Chief Justice: Melville Weston Fuller) rules in Plessy v. Ferguson by a vote of 7-1, upholding the constitutionality of racial segregation under the doctrine of "separate but equal". This ruling allowed for the continued discrimination against African Americans and solidified Jim Crow laws in the South. The court reasoned that segregation did not violate the 14th Amendment as long as facilities for both races were equal. Justice John Marshall Harlan was the lone dissenter from the Court's decision, arguing that the Constitution was color-blind and that the United States had no class system. Accordingly, all citizens should have equal access to civil rights. More

The first Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) was published, with a daily closing value of 40.94 this average was calculated using the share prices of 12 industrial stocks; American Cotton Oil, American Sugar, American Tobacco, Chicago Gas, Distilling & Cattle Feeding, General Electric, Laclede Gas, National Lead, North American, Tennessee Coal and Iron, U.S. Leather, and U.S. Rubber. The Index was created by Charles Dow, co-founder of the Wall Street Journal, and his business associate, statistician Edward Jones. Currently, the DJIA tracks the performance of 30 leading U.S. companies, providing a snapshot of the overall stock market.

Martinique's Mount Pelée erupts and destroys the town of Saint-Pierre, killing approximately 30,000 people, 15 percent of the island’s population. in the space of a few minutes. This is considered the worst volcanic disaster of the 20th century. Mount Pelée is still classified as an active volcano.

Cuba gained its independence from the United States and the Cuban Republic is formally established. The United States governed Cuba as a protectorate after the end of the Spanish-American war when Spain ceded Cuba to the U.S. as part of the Treaty of Paris in 1898. 

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 on May 20, 1910 for the funeral of King Edward VII. It represents one of the largest gatherings of European royalty in that period of history. Expand +