Podcast Episodes
Back to Search17th May 1954: U.S. Supreme Court rules in Brown v. Board of Education that racial segregation in public schools is unconstitutional
The unanimous opinion of the Court said that segregated public schools were inherently unequal and therefore ...
4 months, 1 week ago
16th May 1966: Start of the Cultural Revolution in China when Mao releases the ‘May 16th Notification’
By the time the Cultural Revolution ended in 1976 an estimated minimum of 400,000 people had died through torture, execution, or ...
4 months, 1 week ago
15th May 1928: Mickey and Minnie Mouse appear in their first cartoon to be shown to a cinema audience
Mickey Mouse's first animated appearance was in a silent short called Plane Crazy, but the cartoon failed to secure a distributor until a soundtrack …
4 months, 1 week ago
14th May 1932: “We Want Beer” parade takes place in New York City to protest against prohibition
New York City Mayor Jimmy Walker led an estimated 100,000 people on the Beer for Taxation march in favour of legalising beer, framing it as both a cu…
4 months, 1 week ago
13th May 1950: First #Formula1 World Championship Grand Prix race at Silverstone
The first Formula One World Championship Grand Prix race took place at the Silverstone circuit in ...
4 months, 1 week ago
12th May 1949: The Soviet Union ends its blockade of West Berlin
Instigated on 24 June the previous year, the Soviet blockade prevented all rail, road, and water transport between Berlin and the West of the ...
4 months, 1 week ago
11th May 1981: The musical Cats opens at the New London Theatre in London’s West End
Unlike traditional musicals with a clear linear plot, Cats relied on a sequence of musical numbers linked by theme and atmosphere. Nevertheless, the …
4 months, 2 weeks ago
10th May 1941: Rudolf Hess, Deputy Führer of the German Nazi Party, flew from Germany to Scotland on a mission to strike a peace deal with the British government
Hess landed twelve miles away from his intended destination of Dungavel House, the home of the Duke of Hamilton, with whom he hoped to open peace ...
4 months, 2 weeks ago
9th May 1887: Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West Show opened in London at the American Exhibition in West Brompton
This was the first time Buffalo Bill had travelled to Britain, and also marked the first time that many Europeans had seen the fabled ‘Cowboys and ...
4 months, 2 weeks ago
8th May 1429: Siege of Orléans lifted by French forces, marking a turning point in the Hundred Years’ War
A major engagement on 7 May resulted in the capture of the English stronghold known as Les Tourelles and, the following day, English forces abandoned…
4 months, 2 weeks ago