A Brief History This article presents a chronological list of notable events that happened on May 11th.  For each date below, please click on the date to be taken to an article covering that date’s event. Digging Deeper On May 11, 1713, Finnish residents of Helsinki burned their own capital city to the ground rather than allow the Russian invaders to possess their city during the Great Northern War. On May 11, 1812, the lobby of the British House of Commons was the scene of an unprecedented and as yet not repeated historical event, the assassination of a British Prime Minister. On May…

A Brief History On May 11, 1812, the lobby of the British House of Commons was the scene of an unprecedented and as yet not repeated historical event, the assassination of a British Prime Minister. Digging Deeper Spencer Perceval had been Prime Minister since October of 1809, representing the Tory party.  Previously he had served as an MP, Solicitor-General, Attorney General, and Chancellor of the Exchequer, the only British politician to hold those offices and then become Prime Minister. On the fateful day, Perceval was shot in the chest by a single pistol round fired by John Bellingham, a British…

A Brief History This article presents a chronological list of notable events that happened on May 10th.  For each date below, please click on the date to be taken to an article covering that date’s event. Digging Deeper On May 10, 1849, Astor Opera House in Manhattan was the unlikely scene of another of those goofy named riots we keep telling you about. On May 10, 1865, Union troops ambushed, shot and captured infamous Confederate raider William Quantrill. On May 10, 1865, President of the Confederate States of America, Jefferson Davis, was captured by Federal troops in Georgia. Many Americans…

A Brief History On May 10, 1899, a farmworker in Finland hacked seven people to death with an axe, proving once again that murderers do not necessarily need a firearm to inflict mayhem on the innocent public. Digging Deeper Karl Emil Malmelin, 27 years old at the time, was working on a farm in Klaukkala, Finland, when his offer of marriage was rebuffed by a young lady, the daughter of the property owner.  Not one to take no for an answer, Karl proceeded to kill everyone on the farm, which included two men, three women, and two children. Although convicted…

A Brief History This article presents a chronological list of notable events that happened on May 9th.  For each date below, please click on the date to be taken to an article covering that date’s event. Digging Deeper On May 9, 1671, Anglo-Irish Thomas Blood dressed up as a parson and attempted to steal the Crown Jewels of England. On May 9, 1865, the American Civil War ended, or did it? On May 9, 1926, Richard E. Byrd claimed to have made a flight over the North Pole, making him (the navigator) and his pilot the first men to have…