Today in History: May 22

Here are some significant events that took place on May 21.....

Sports
2003: At the Bank of America Colonial golf tournament in Fort Worth, Texas, Annika Sörenstam becomes the first woman since 1945 to play in a major men's tournament.

U.S. News
1915: In Shasta County, California, Lassen Peak volcano erupts with its most powerful force. Besides Mount St. Helens, it is the only other volcano to erupt in the continental U.S. in the 20th Century.

1990: Microsoft releases Windows 3.0 which is the third major release by the company. This was the first successful version to be released by Microsoft.

World News
334 BC: The Battle of the Granicus River(in present day Turkey) takes place as Macedonia led by Alexander The Great defeats the Persian Empire. This was major victory for Alexander, and the Macedonians would defeat them again later.

1939: German dictator Adolf Hitler and Italian dictator Benito Mussolini sign the Pact of Steel as they form an alliance.

1960: In Valdivia, Chile, an earthquake measuring 9.5 on the Richter Scale becomes the most powerful ever recorded to date. Countries as far away as Australia, the Philippines, Japan, and New Zealand were struck with a power tsunami as a result. The death toll as well as cost of damage can never known because of the wdespread disaster.

1972: Sri Lanka joins the Commonwealth of Nations becoming a Republic for the first time. The country was called Ceylon prior to them being a Republic.

1980: In Japan, Namco releases the first ever Pac-Man arcade game. This new genre of video gaming became immensely popular, and is one of the most famous titles ever.

1990: North Yemen and South Yemen unify to become the Republic of Yemen. They are the only republic in the Arabian Peninsula.

Today is my nephew Hanson's 12th birthday, too.

Posted in: events, May 22, sports, world history

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