Ever heard about the Japanese adventurer, Naomi Uemura, credited with the first solo ascent of Mount McKinley and the first solo rafting of the Amazon river? It is on this day in history that he became the first person to reach the North Pole.
Learn more interesting occurrences of this day, May 1 in history. Below is a list of remarkable events you should know about.
- 1805-The state of Virginia passed a law requiring all freed slaves to leave the state, or risk either imprisonment or deportation.
- 1840-The world’s first adhesive postage stamp was issued in the United Kingdom.
- 1884-The construction of the first American 10-story building began in Chicago, IL.
- 1912-In London’s Kensington Gardens, a statue of Peter Pan was erected.
- 1924-German automobile manufacturers Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft and Benz & Cie began their first joint venture, which later merged into Mercedes-Benz.
- 1925-The world’s largest trade union was founded.
- 1931-Empire State Building opened in New York City.
- 1937-U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt signed an act of neutrality, keeping the United States out of World War II.
- 1939-Batman first appeared in Detective Comics on this day.
- 1945-Adolf Hitler’s death was announced on German radio.
- 1950-Gwendolyn Brooks became the first African American to win the Pulitzer Prize for her book of poetry called Annie Allen.
- 1958-James Van Allen reported that two radiation belts encircled Earth.
- 1961-Fidel Castro declared Cuba a socialist nation and banned elections.
- 1967-Anastasio Somoza Debayle became president of Nicaragua.
- 1969-Leonard Tose bought the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles for $16,155,000.
- 1978-Naomi Uemura became the first person to reach the North Pole alone.
- 1986-Bill Elliott set a stock car speed record with his Ford Thunderbird in Talladega, AL.
- 1989-Disney Studios opened on this day.
- 2000-ABC aired the first celebrity show, “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.”
- 2011-U.S. President Barack Obama announced that U.S. soldiers had killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan.