Scott Allsop's Blog, page 36

14th May 1607: Jamestown, Virginia, established as the first permanent English settlement in North America

They quickly began to construct a triangular fort containing a number of houses alongside a storehouse and a church, which they named James Fort after King James ...

13th May 1865: The Battle of Palmito Ranch, considered by many to be the last battle of the Civil War

The Battle of Palmito Ranch ended in a Confederate victory. Union private John J. Williams died in the battle, likely making him the last battlefield fatality of the Civil ...

12th May 1926: Norge airship makes the first verified flight over the North Pole

After more than 16 hours of flight, at 1.25 am Greenwich time on 12 May, 1925, the Norge successfully reached the North Pole, making it the first confirmed expedition to do ...

11th May 1812: Spencer Perceval, the only British prime minister to be assassinated, shot in the lobby of the House of Commons

John Bellingham fired a single shot from a pistol, fatally wounding prime minister Spencer Perceval in the chest. Perceval collapsed immediately, and despite efforts to save him, he died shortly ...

10th May 1801: The First Barbary War began when Tripoli declared war on the United States

The First Barbary War lasted until June 1805, but continuing tensions led to the Second Barbary War in ...

9th May 1386: Treaty of Windsor, the longest-lasting diplomatic treaty in recorded history, signed between Portugal and England

The Treaty of Windsor was negotiated by King John I of Portugal and John of Gaunt, the Duke of Lancaster, on behalf of the English king Richard II and remains in force. This makes it the longest-lasting diplomatic treaty in recorded history, and even served as the basis for Portuguese assistance to Britain during the Second World ...

7th May 1253: William of Rubruck sets out on his journey into the Mongol Empire that resulted in a masterpiece of medieval travel literature

William traveled to the court of the Great Khan of the Mongols, and wrote about his experiences in a report for Louis IX that is widely regarded as one of the finest examples of medieval travel ...

6th May 1906: Russia enacts the Fundamental Laws, which serve as the Constitution of 1906

Alongside the establishment of the bicameral State Duma, the constitution granted citizens freedom of speech, assembly, and association, and provided for the protection of private ...

5th May 1961: Astronaut Alan Shepard becomes the first American to travel in space on board Freedom 7

The flight lasted for 15 minutes and 22 seconds and reached a maximum altitude of 116 miles before returning to earth for splashdown in the Atlantic ...

4th May 1926: General strike of 1.7 million workers begins in the United Kingdom.

Essential services such as transportation, utilities, and communication networks were severely disrupted by the General Strike and the Conservative government, led by Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin, was forced to declare a state of emergency and mobilise troops to maintain order and provide essential ...