Once again, it should be reiterated, that this does not pretend to be a very extensive history of what happened on this day (nor is it the most original - the links can be found down below). If you know something that I am missing, by all means, shoot me an email or leave a comment, and let me know!
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/transcontinental-railroad-completed
May 10, 1869: Transcontinental railroad completed
On this day in 1869, the presidents of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads meet in Promontory, Utah, and drive a ceremonial last spike into a rail line that connects their railroads. This made transcontinental railroad travel possible for the first time in U.S. history. No longer would western-bound travelers need to take the long and dangerous journey by wagon train, and the West would surely lose some of its wild charm with the new connection to the civilized East.
Since at least 1832, both Eastern and frontier statesmen realized a need to connect the two coasts. It was not until 1853, though, that Congress appropriated funds to survey several routes for the transcontinental railroad. The actual building of the railroad would have to wait even longer, as North-South tensions prevented Congress from reaching an agreement on where the line would begin.
One year into the Civil War, a Republican-controlled Congress passed the Pacific Railroad Act (1862), guaranteeing public land grants and loans to the two railroads it chose to build the transcontinental line, the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific. With these in hand, the railroads began work in 1866 from Omaha and Sacramento, forging a northern route across the country. In their eagerness for land, the two lines built right past each other, and the final meeting place had to be renegotiated.
Harsh winters, staggering summer heat, Indian raids and the lawless, rough-and-tumble conditions of newly settled western towns made conditions for the Union Pacific laborers--mainly Civil War veterans of Irish descent--miserable. The overwhelmingly immigrant Chinese work force of the Central Pacific also had its fair share of problems, including brutal 12-hour work days laying tracks over the Sierra Nevada Mountains. On more than one occasion, whole crews would be lost to avalanches, or mishaps with explosives would leave several dead.
For all the adversity they suffered, the Union Pacific and Central Pacific workers were able to finish the railroad--laying nearly 2,000 miles of track--by 1869, ahead of schedule and under budget. Journeys that had taken months by wagon train or weeks by boat now took only days. Their work had an immediate impact: The years following the construction of the railway were years of rapid growth and expansion for the United States, due in large part to the speed and ease of travel that the railroad provided.
1267 - Vienna's church orders all Jews to wear a distinctive garb
1278 - Jews of England imprisoned on charges of coining
1291 - Scottish nobles recognize authority of English king Edward I
1427 - Jews are expelled from Berne Switzerland
1497 - Italian navigator Amerigo Vespucci leaves for 1st voyage to the New World
1503 - Columbus discovered the Cayman Islands
1525 - Church reformer John Pistorius caught in the Hague
1534 - French navigator Jacques Cartier reaches Newfoundland
1559 - Scottish Protestants under John Knox uprise against queen-mother Mary
1570 - Czar Ivan IV becomes Protestant
1624 - Jacob Willekens & Piet Heyn conquer Salvador, Civil rights activist
1652 - John Johnson, a free black, is granted 550 acres in Northampton, Va
1655 - Jamaica captured by English
1676 - Bacon's Rebellion, frontiersmen vs Virginia government begins
1752 - Benjamin Franklins 1st tests the lightning rod
1768 - John Wilkes is imprisoned as an outlaw for writing an article for The North Briton severely criticizing King George III. This action provokes rioting in London. Wilkes was returned to parliament as a member for Middlesex.
1773 - The English Parliament passed the Tea Act, which taxed all tea in the U.S. colonies.
1774 - Louis XVI ascended to throne of France
1775 - Second Continental Congress convened in Pa issues paper currency for first time
1775 - Second Continental Congress names George Washington, supreme commander
1775 - Ethan Allen and Colonel Benedict Arnold led an attack by the "Green Mountain Boys" on the British Fort Ticonderoga and captured it from the British.
1787 - Parliament impeaches Warren Hastings
1794 - Elizabeth, the sister of King Louis XVI, was beheaded.
1796 - French government arrest 10 utopists
1796 - Napoleon Bonaparte won a brilliant victory against the Austrians at Lodi bridge in Italy.
1796 - Riot after disagreement of patriotic demand in Amsterdam
1797 - 1st Navy ship, the "United States," is launched
1801 - First Barbary War: The Barbary pirates of Tripoli declare war on the United States of America.
1816 - English steamship "Defiance" arrives at Rotterdam harbor
1823 - First steamboat to navigate the Mississippi River arrives at Ft Snelling
1824 - The National Gallery in London opens to the public in its temporary home in a townhouse on Pall Mall
1837 - Panic of 1837: New York City banks fail, and unemployment reaches record levels.
1840 - Mormon leader Joseph Smith moved his band of followers to Illinois to escape the hostilities they had experienced in Missouri.
1849 - Pack destroys Astor Place opera house in NYC (22 killed)
1857 - Indian Mutiny begins with revolt of Sepoys in Meerut against the British Army.
1861 - Union troops march on state militia in St Louis, MI
1862 - Battle of Plum Run Bend, TN (Plum Point Bend)
1863 - Confederate General Stonewall Jackson died after being accidentally shot by his own troops.
1864 - Battles at Spotsylvania Court House, Virginia
1864 - Skirmish at Ny River Virginia
1865 - Former Confederate President Jefferson Davis was captured at Irwinsville, Georgia
1865 - Surrender of Sam Jones
1869 - Central Pacific and Union Pacific Rail Roads meet in Promontory, UT. A golden spike was driven in at the celebration of the first transcontinental railroad in the U.S.
1870 - Jem Mace & defends his heavyweight crown against Irish champ Joe Coburn, it lasts 1 hr & 17 minutes, & neither is struck by a punch
1871 - Peace of Frankfurt-am-Main concluded between France & Germany ends Franco-Prussian war
1872 - Victoria Woodhull became the first woman nominated for US president
1876 - Richard Wagner’s "Centennial Inaugural March" was heard for the first time at the Centennial Exposition, which opened on this date in Philadelphia, PA
1879 - Meteor falls near Estherville, Iowa
1880 - General Wolseley opens new legislative council in Pretoria
1881 - Lighthouse on Ameland begins operation
1889 - 17th Preakness: W Anderson aboard Buddhist wins in 2:17.5
1893 - 19th Kentucky Derby: Eddie Kunze aboard Lookout wins in 2:39.25
1893 - Imperial Institute in London opens
1898 - A vending machine law was enacted in Omaha, NE. It cost $5,000 for a permit.
1905 - 31st Kentucky Derby: Jack Martin aboard Agile wins in 2:100.75
1906 - Russia's Duma (Parliament) meets for 1st time
1907 - Paul Dukas' opera "Ariane et Barbe Bleue," premieres in Paris
1908 - The first Mother's Day observance took place during a church service in Grafton, West Virginia.
1908 - First Mother's Day observed (Phila)
1909 - Winchester's Fred Toney no-hits Lexington for 17 inning
1910 - First aircraft air display held (Hendon, England)
1910 - 36th Kentucky Derby: Fred Herbert aboard Donau wins in 2:06.4
1910 - Comet Halley's closest approach to Earth in 1910 pass
1913 - 39th Kentucky Derby: Roscoe Goose aboard Donerail wins in 2:04.8
1915 - Zeppelin drops hundred of bombs on Southend-on-Sea
1916 - Disastrous fire in Ellendale, North Dakota
1916 - Historic Shipport Museum opens in Amsterdam
1917 - Atlantic ships get destroyer escorts to stop German attacks
1918 - HMS Vindictive sunk to block entrance of Ostend Harbor
1919 - 45th Kentucky Derby: Johnny Loftus aboard Sir Barton wins in 2:09.8
1919 - Race riot in Charleston SC, 2 blacks killed
1921 - Luigi Pirandello's "Sei Personaggi in Cerca d'Autore," premieres
1922 - Dr Ivy Williams is 1st woman to be called to the English Bar
1922 - WHB-AM in Kansas City MO begins radio transmissions
1922 - The United States annexes the Kingman Reef.
1924 - J Edgar Hoover appointed head of FBI
1926 - 52nd Preakness: John Maiben aboard Display wins in 1:59.8
1928 - WGY, Schenectady begins regular TV programming
1929 - 55th Preakness: Louis Schaefer aboard Dr Freeland wins in 2:01.6
1930 - The Adler Planetarium opened to the public in Chicago, IL. it was the first American planetarium.
1931 - Golf ball size hail falls in Burlington NJ
1932 - Government declares "Wilhelmus" Neth national anthem
1932 - Senate chairman Albert Lebrun becomes president of France
1933 - Deutsche Arbeitsfront (DAF) forms
1933 - Nazis stage public book burnings in Germany
1933 - Paraguay declares war on Bolivia
1933 - Suriname worker's union leader A de Come banish to Netherlands
1936 - Manuel Azaña elected president of Spain
1936 - Nahas Pasja becomes premier of Egypt
1937 - Busmen strike in London
1938 - Banning speech on anti-fascism demonstration in Amsterdam
1940 - British Local Defense Volunteers (Home Guard) forms
1940 - Dutch torpedo boat Johan van Galen sinks
1940 - Dutch-Indies Gov Van Starkenborch proclaims end to state of siege
1940 - French marines stationed on Aruba
1940 - French troops arrive in Zealand/Brabant Netherlands
1940 - Nazi armies attack France, Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg
1940 - Winston Churchill succeededNeville Chamberlain as British Prime Minister
1940 - World War II: The first German bombs of the war fall on England at Chilham and Petham, in Kent.
1941 - 67th Preakness: Eddie Arcaro aboard Whirlaway wins in 1:58.8
1941 - Adolph Hitler's deputy Rudolf Hess parachutes into Scotland on what he claimed was a peace mission.
1941 - England's House of Commons & Holborn Theater destroyed in a blitz during a German air raid.
1941 - Queen Wilhelmina on Radio Orange warns against treason
1942 - U.S. forces in the Philippines began to surrender to the Japanese.
1942 - World War II: The Thai Phayap Army invades the Shan States during the Burma Campaign.
1943 - U.S. troops invaded Attu in the Aleutian Islands to expel the Japanese.
1944 - Chinese offensive in West-Yunnan
1944 - Smith v Allwright (excluding Blacks from primary voting) is illegal
1945 - Allies capture Rangoon from the Japanese
1945 - Russian troops occupied Prague
1946 - Red Sox win 15th straight beat Yanks 5-4, DiMaggio hits Grand Slam
1946 - Umberto II succeeds Victor Emmanuel III as king of Italy
1947 - "Chocolate Soldier" closes at Century Theater NYC after 69 perfs
1947 - 73rd Preakness: Doug Dodson aboard Faultless wins in 1:59
1948 - First attack by Egyptian irregular forces at Kfar Darom Israel
1948 - Winston Churchill visits The Hague
1950 - First Neth-US telex sent
1951 - Z Alexander Looby elected to Nashville City Council
1952 - "Shuffle Along" closes at Broadway Theater NYC after 4 performances
1953 - KCBD TV channel 11 in Lubbock, TX (NBC) begins broadcasting
1954 - Bolshoi-ballet does not appear in Paris
1956 - French government sends 50,000 reservists to Algeria
1956 - KFSN TV channel 30 in Fresno, CA (ABC/CBS) begins broadcasting
1957 - First meeting of legislative of Cameroon
1957 - Dmitri Sjostakovitsch 2nd Piano concert, premieres in Moscow
1959 - Soviet forces arrive in Afghanistan
1959 - Giants Jim Hearn allows 2 runs against Pirates, game is suspended, Hearn is released & charged with loss 2 months after his retirement
1960 - John F Kennedy wins primary in West Virginia
1960 - US atomic sub USS Triton completes 1st around world under water trip
1960 - USS Nautilus The U.S.S. Triton completed the first circumnavigation of the globe under water. The trip started on February 16.
1961 - "Beyond the Fringe," premieres in London
1963 - Decca signs Rolling Stones on advice of Beatle George Harrison
1966 - 25°F lowest temperature ever recorded in Cleveland in May
1967 - Foundation AZ soccer team forms in Alkmaar
1967 - Hank Aaron only inside the park HR (vs Jim Bunning)
1967 - Keith Richards, Brian Jones & Mick Jagger arrested on drug charges
1967 - Stockholm Vietnam-Tribunal declares US aggression in Vietnam/Cambodia
1967 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1968 - Vietnam peace talks began in Paris between the US & North Vietnam
1969 - Apollo 10 transmit first color pictures of Earth from space
1969 - Turtles play White House, Mark Volman falls off stage 5 times
1969 - US troop begin attack on Hill 937/Hamburger Hill
1969 - The National and American Football Leagues announced their plans to merge for the 1970-71 season.
1970 - Brave's Hoyt Wilhelm pitches in his 1,000th game, loses to Cards 6-5
1970 - Stanley Cup: Boston Bruins sweep St Louis Blues in 4 games
1971 - US special delivery rates go from 45 cents to 60 cents
1972 - Overloaded South Korean bus plunges into reservoir, killing 77
1972 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1973 - 27th NBA Championship: NY Knicks beat LA Lakers, 4 games to 1
1973 - 9th Mayor's Trophy Game, Mets beat Yanks 8-4
1973 - Establishment of Frente Polisario in Mauritania
1973 - Stanley Cup: Montreal Canadiens beat Chicago Blackhawks, 4 games to 2
1974 - 7th ABA championship: NY Nets beats Utah Stars, 4 games to 1
1975 - Brian Oldfield of US put shot 75', an unofficial record
1978 - "Angel" opens at Minskoff Theater NYC for 5 performances
1978 - Liverpool wins 23rd Europe Cup
1979 - Federated States of Micronesia becomes self-governing
1979 - John McMullen becomes CEO of Houston Astros
1979 - Vivekananda (Sri Lanka) completes nonstop cycle ride of 187 hrs, 28 min, around Vihara Maha Devi Park, Colombo, Sri Lanka [From May 2]
1980 - "Happy New Year" closes at Morosco Theater NYC after 17 performances
1981 - Francois Mitterrand defeats Valery Giscard d'Estang for Pres of France
1981 - Montreal Expo Charlie Lee no-hits SF Giants, 4-0
1982 - WABC NYC plays its last record (John Lennon's Imagine)
1982 - WABC joins ABC's All Talk radio network
1983 - "Laverne & Shirley," last airs on ABC-TV
1983 - Lee Chin Yong performs 170 continuous chin-ups in Seoul
1984 - Intl Court of Justice rules on US blockade of Nicaragua
1985 - Challenger transports back to Kennedy Space Center via Kelly AFB
1986 - "Rock Me Amadeus," by Falco hit #1 on UK pop chart
1986 - Navy Lt. Commander Donnie Cochran became the first black pilot to fly with the Blue Angels team.
1988 - Edgar Degas' "Danseresje of 14" sold for $10,120,000
1989 - FC Barcelona wins 29th Europe Cup II
1989 - Gen Manuel Noriega's government nullifies country's elections, which the opposition had won by a 3-1 margin
1990 - "Zoya's Apartment" opens at Circle in Sq Theater NYC for 45 perfs
1990 - French TGV-train hits record speed of 510.6 kph
1990 - Howard Stern holds a mock funeral for rival John DeBella
1991 - Oakland A's Jose Canseco is seen leaving Madonna's apt
1992 - "Hamlet" closes at Criterion Theater NYC after 45 performances
1992 - Bible Lands Museum opens in Jerusalem Israel
1993 - Fire in clothing factory at Bangkok, kills 145
1993 - Last TV appearance of Mies Bouwman
1993 - Paul Cezannes still life sells for $28,600,000 in NYC
1993 - Premier Lubbers opens Terminal West on Schiphol
1994 - The state of Illinois executed convicted serial killer John Wayne Gacy for the murders of 33 young men and boys.
1994 - "Best Little Whorehouse Goes Public" opens at Lunt-Font NYC for 16 per
1994 - Barbara Striesand's begins first concert tour in 30 years
1994 - Drew Barrymore (19) files for divorce from Jeremy Thomas (31)
1994 - Nelson Mandela sworn in as South Africa's 1st black president
1994 - Silvio Berlusconi forms Italian government with 5 neo-fascists
1995 - 30th Academy of Country Music Awards: Reba McEntire wins
1995 - Britain lifts a 23-year ban on ministerial talks with Sinn Fein
1995 - In South Africa, 104 miners killed in an elevator accident
1996 - "Twister" premieres
1996 - 2 US Marine helicopters collided during joint US & British war games
1996 - Excel Communications, Inc. becomes the youngest company ever to join the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), trading under the symbol (ECI).
1997 - Chicago Cubs turn baseballs 68th triple play (vs SF Giants) 2001 - In Ghana, a stampede at a football game kills over 120 spectators.
1997 - An earthquake in northeastern Iran killed at least 2,400 people.
1999 - China broke off talks on human rights with the U.S. in response to NATO's accidental bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Yugoslavia.
1999 - The Cezanne painting "Still Life With Curtain, Pitcher and Bowl of Fruit" sold for 60.5 million.
2000 - 11,000 residents were evacuated in Los Alamos, NM, due to a fire that was blown into a canyon. The fire had been deliberately set to clear brush.
2001 - Boeing Co. announced that it would be moving its headquarters to Chicago, IL.
2001 - In Ghana, 121 people were killed in a stampede at a soccer game.
2002 - Anaheim Angels crush the Chicago White Sox 19-0. The Angels join the 1923 Indians, 1939 Yankees and 1950 Red Sox as the only teams to beat two opponents by 19 or more runs in the same season
2002 - Robert Hanssen was sentenced to life in prison with no chance for parole. Hanssen, an FBI agent, had sold U.S. secrets to Moscow for $1.4 million in cash and diamonds.
2002 - Taiwan test fired a locally made Sky Bow II surface-to-air missile for the first time. They also fired three U.S.-made Hawk missiles.
2002 - Dr. Pepper announced that it would be introducing a new flavor, Red Fusion, for the first time in 117 years
2003 - The May 2003 tornado outbreak sequence takes place.
2005 - A hand grenade which was thrown by Vladimir Arutyunian lands about 65 feet (20 metres) from U.S. President George W. Bush while he was giving a speech to a crowd in Tbilisi, Georgia, but it malfunctions and does not detonate.
2011 - It was announced that Microsoft had closed a deal to purchase the internet phone service Skype for $8.5 billion.
2012 - The Red Cross suspends all humanitarian work in Pakistan after a worker was kidnapped and killed
2012 - Two bombings in Damascus, Syria, kill 55 people and injure 370
The following are the websites that I primarily used to complete this blog entry:
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history
http://www.historyorb.com/events/may/10
http://on-this-day.com/onthisday/thedays/alldays/may10.htm
http://www.infoplease.com/dayinhistory/May-10
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