334 BC The Macedonian army of Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of the Granicus
1570 1st atlas ‘Theatrum Orbis Terrarum’ (Theatre of the World), published by Abraham Ortelius in Antwerp with 70 maps
1843 1st wagon train with 700 – 1000 migrants, departs Independence, Missouri for Oregon
1939 Germany’s Adolf Hitler and Italy’s Benito Mussolini sign the “Pact of Steel” formalizing the 1936 alliance known as the Rome-Berlin Axis
1946 First US rocket (WAC Corporal) to reach edge of space fired from White Sands Missile Range New Mexico
2014 Royal Thai Armed Forces, led by General Prayut Chan-o-cha stage a coup in Thailand, suspending the kingdom’s constitution and taking control of the government, the 12th since the country’s first coup in 1932
Historical Events Today Events in 2023
Today in Film & TV
1992 Johnny Carson’s final appearance as host of “The Tonight Show”
Today in Music
1900 American inventor Edwin S Votey receives patent for pneumatic piano player
Today in Sport
2003 In Fort Worth, Texas, Annika Sörenstam becomes the first woman to play the PGA Tour in 58 years.
2004 The U.S. town of Hallam, Nebraska, is wiped out by a powerful F4 tornado that broke a width record at an astounding 2.5 miles wide. It also kills one local resident.
1933 First modern sighting of the Loch Ness Monster by Aldie and John Mackay saw “something resembling a whale”
Famous Weddings
1860 US Major General George McClellan (33) weds Mary Ellen Marcy at Calvary Church in NYC, New York
1945 American paranormal investigator Lorraine Moran (18) weds partner Ed Warren (18)
1956 Swedish actress Anita Ekberg (24) weds actor and singer Anthony Steel (36) in Florence, Italy; divorce in 1959
Constantine the Great, who died on this day, was the first Roman Emperor to become a Christian. But there was nothing forgiving about his dealings with sinners – May 22, 337 AD
