Inventions, firsts, and turning points tied to today’s date — each one sourced and dated.
On May Day 1931, a 102-story tower opened in Manhattan and held the title of world's tallest building for nearly 40 years.
Queen Victoria opened a vast glass-and-iron hall in Hyde Park, showcasing the wonders of the industrial age to the world.
A small black stamp bearing the young Queen Victoria put the world's first adhesive postage on sale and flipped who paid for the mail.
A subversive comedy about servants outwitting their master became Mozart's first great triumph with the librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte.
On a single spring day in 1707, two ancient rival crowns dissolved their separate parliaments to become one new kingdom.
