Today in History

[goofywife]

1869: Spike links Transcontinental Railroad

A golden spike was driven in at Promontory, Utah, to link the First Transcontinental Railroad today. This joined the Union Pacific Railroad, running east to Omaha, to the Central Pacific, running west to California.

"The long-looked for moment has arrived," reported the The New York Herald on May 10, 1869. "The inhabitants of the Atlantic board and the dwellers on the Pacific slope are henceforth emphatically one people."

NOTE: The event was a turning point in American history, opening up the West and truly making the United States a coast–to–coast nation. Although the completion of the railroad was celebrated on May 10, it did not actually reach the Pacific Ocean until later in the year. On May 10, the rails stretched to Sacramento, where passengers were transferred to river steamers on their way to San Francisco.

2005: Grenade thrown at President Bush

A hand grenade was thrown at U.S. President George W. Bush today at a speech in Tbilisi, Georgia, but the explosive device did not detonate. “It remains unclear whether the grenade was aimed at Bush or Saakashvili [the President of Georgia] or was simply intended as a deadly disruption of what turned out to be an ebullient event,” informed The Post-Standard on May 19, 2005. NOTE: The grenade was thrown by dissident Vladimir Arutyunian, who was captured and sentenced to life imprisonment.

1960: Nuclear sub travels around the world

The Triton, a U.S. nuclear-powered submarine, finished a 36,000-mile underwater trip around the world today. "The historic 84-day voyage traced much of the route of the first trip around the globe by the surface ships of Ferdinand Magellan. The Magellan expedition took more than three years in 1519-22," explained The Hammond Times on May 10, 1960.

1940: Churchill becomes prime minister

Winston Churchill was named British prime minister following the resignation of Neville Chamberlain today. "In a dramatic ceremony at Buckingham Palace last night, Churchill, whose mother was an American, realized a lifetime ambition when he solemnly kissed the king's hand signifying his acceptance of the premiership," reported The Kingston Daily Freeman on May 11, 1940.

1933: Nazis hold public book burnings

The Nazi regime burned piles of books and other documents considered to be "un-German products," today. On May 10, 1933, the Dunkirk Evening Observer explained, "Fifteen thousand students, carrying banners and torches will escort six trucks carrying 20,000 volumes of objectionable literature in an hour's parade through the city." NOTE: Books by American authors including Helen Keller, Upton Sinclair and others were among those destroyed.