Once Upon A Time – 1978 – May 3 – 1st Unsolicited Bulk Commercial E-mail (“spam”) Is Sent

1791 Constitution of May 3 is proclaimed by the Great Sejm (Parliament) of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, becoming the 1st modern constitution in Europe

1926 Britain’s Trade Union Congress calls for the country’s first ever general strike, begins at 1 minute to midnight in support striking coal miners, lasts 9 days

1937 Margaret Mitchell wins Pulitzer Prize for “Gone With The Wind”

1945 World War II: German ship “Cap Arcona” laden with prisoners sunk by Royal Air Force in East Sea, 5,800 killed – one of largest maritime losses of life

1947 Japan’s post-war constitution goes into effect, granting universal suffrage, stripping Emperor Hirohito of all but symbolic power and outlawing Japan’s right to make war

Historical Events Today
Today in Film & TV
1944 “Going My Way”, directed by Leo McCarey and starring Bing Crosby premieres in New York (Academy Award for Best Picture, 1945)

Today in Music
1960 Musical “Fantasticks” by Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones, premieres in NYC (world’s longest running musical)

Today in Sport
1999 World Snooker Championship, Crucible Theatre, Sheffield: Stephen Hendry of Scotland defeats Welshman Mark Williams, 18-11 for a record 7th world crown

1808 Day depicted by Spanish painter Goya in his “The Third of May”, painted 1814

1978
First unsolicited bulk commercial e-mail (“spam”) is sent by a Digital Equipment Corporation marketing representative to every ARPANET address on the US west coast