May 10th is the 130th day of the year (131st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 235 days remaining until the end of the year.
Key Historical Events on May 10
- 1534: Jacques Cartier first arrives in present-day Canada.
- 1697: Tsar Peter the Great of Russia embarks on his “Grand Embassy” of Western Europe.
- 1775: Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys capture Fort Ticonderoga in the American Revolutionary War.
- 1802: The United States Military Academy at West Point is established.
- 1869: The First Transcontinental Railroad is completed at Promontory Summit, Utah.
- 1940: Winston Churchill replaces Neville Chamberlain as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
- 1968: Students at the University of Paris stage a massive protest against the Vietnam War, sparking a wave of student unrest across France.
- 1994: Nelson Mandela is inaugurated as the first black President of South Africa.
- 2010: The Deepwater Horizon oil rig explodes in the Gulf of Mexico, causing the largest marine oil spill in U.S. history.
Famous People Born on May 10
- 1727: Anne Robert Jacques Turgot, French economist and statesman
- 1748: Louis XVI, King of France
- 1826: Clara Barton, American nurse and founder of the American Red Cross
- 1886: Octavio Paz, Mexican poet and Nobel laureate
- 1899: Fred Astaire, American dancer, singer, and actor
- 1928: Audrey Hepburn, British actress
- 1946: David Bowie, British singer-songwriter
- 1960: Bono, Irish singer-songwriter
- 1969: Drew Carey, American comedian and game show host
National Holidays and Observances on May 10
Angola: National Unity Day
Japan: Showa Day (commemorating the birth of Emperor Showa in 1901)
Malaysia: Mother’s Day
Mexico: Mother’s Day
Western Christianity: Ascension Day (commemorating the ascension of Jesus Christ into Heaven)
Other Notable Events on May 10
- 1897: The first major motion picture, “Biograph Girl,” is filmed.
- 1924: The first Mother’s Day is celebrated in the United States.
- 1933: The Nazi book burning campaign begins in Germany.
- 1972: The Equal Rights Amendment passes the U.S. Congress.
- 1997: The Mars Pathfinder lander touches down on the Red Planet.
Interesting Facts About May 10
- May 10 is the only day of the year that is shared by the birthdays of four U.S. presidents: Rutherford B. Hayes, Chester A. Arthur, Warren G. Harding, and Dwight D. Eisenhower.
- May 10 is also the day that the Declaration of Independence was first published in the Pennsylvania Gazette.
- In the United States, May 10 is known as “National Save The Frogs Day.”
