May 1 โ Some important events on this day
1006 ๐๐ผ Supernova observed by Chinese and Egyptians in constellation Lupus
1489 ๐๐ผ Christopher Columbus proposes his plan to search for a western route to India in an audience with Spanish monarch, Isabella I. Full support is granted 3 years later, in 1492
1707 ๐๐ผ Acts of Union comes into force, uniting England and Scotland to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain
1753 ๐๐ผ Publication of Species Plantarum by Carolus Linnaeus, and the formal start date of plant taxonomy adopted by the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature. Carolus Linnaeus is the father of modern taxonomy. He defined the principles for grouping, ranking and naming organisms into genera and species(binomial nomenclature).
1786 ๐๐ผ Wolfgang Amadeus Mozartโs opera โMarriage of Figaroโ premieres in Vienna with Mozart himself directing.
1795 ๐๐ผ Kamehameha, King of Hawaiสปi defeats Kalanikupule and conquors island of Oสปahu at Battle of Nuสปuanu (approximative date).
1840 ๐๐ผ โPenny Blackโ, the worldโs first adhesive postage stamp issued by Great Britain.
The Penny Black was the worldโs first adhesive postal stamp used by a public postal system. The stamp features a profile of a young Queen Victoria.
In 1837 it was normal for the recipient to pay postage on delivery, charged by the sheet and on distance traveled making posting and receiving a simple letter a complex affair.
To simplify things, Rowland Hill proposed an adhesive stamp to indicate pre-payment of postage. The Penny Black and later other stamps, allowed letters of up to 1โ2 ounce (14 grams) to be delivered, regardless of distance at a flat rate of one penny.
The total print run was 286,700 sheets, a total of 68,808,000 stamps, each now worth around ยฃ500.
1841 ๐๐ผ First emigrant wagon train leaves Independence, Missouri, for California
1852 ๐๐ผ Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm publish the first part of their German Dictionary (fully completed 1961)
1853 ๐๐ผ Argentina adopts its constitution ๐ฆ๐ท
1854 ๐๐ผ Amsterdam begins transferring drinking water out of the dunes
1886 ๐๐ผ US general strike for 8-hour working day begins
1898 ๐๐ผ US Admiral George Dewey commands โYou may fire when you are ready, Gridleyโ as US route Spanish fleet at Manila
1909 ๐๐ผ Netherlands begins unity with Belgium
1931 ๐๐ผ Empire State Building opens in New York City
1939 ๐๐ผ Batman first appears in Detective Comics #27.
One of the most famous comic book characters of them all, Batman, was the creation of Bob Kane and Bill Finger and soon became popular enough after his debut in 1939 that he gained his own comic book in 1940.
Since then he has been portrayed by all manner of people, whether it be Adam West, George Clooney, Christian Bale or Ben Affleck. The popularity of Christopher Nolanโs Batman trilogy of films helped reinvigorate his popularity with a newer generation in the 21st century.
1952 ๐๐ผ Mr Potato Head introduced ๐ฅ
1955 ๐๐ผ Showgirl Linda Lawson is crowned โMiss-Cueโ in the Atomic Pageant, after the Operation Cue test is repeatedly delayed by high winds.
The 1950s atomic era was a period of paranoia, communist scares, McCarthyism andโฆ beauty pageants. Nuclear themed beauty pageants, of course!
In 1955, Linda Lawson was declared the winner of the Atomic Pageant. Her victory coincided with the Operation Cue atomic tests, which were long delayed by high winds and weather, so she became known as โMiss-Cueโ.
There were four winners, with the last crowned in 1957. They took place in Las Vegas to celebrate the cityโs two main attractions: nuclear bombs and showgirls.
1959 ๐๐ผ West Germany introduces 5 day work week