Atlantic Ave Magazine May 2022

This Month in hISTORy
Looking Back
MAY in History
By Lewis David
Looking back at important dates that
took place in the month of May both
here in America and across the globe.
May 1, 1960
Soviet Air Defense Forces shot down American U-2 spy plane flying
at 60,000 feet over Sverdlovsk in central Russia. Francis Gary
Powers, the pilot, parachuted to safety but was captured, convicted,
and sentenced to 10 years in prison by a Russian court. The incident
caused a cancellation of a meeting between President Dwight
D. Eisenhower and Nikita Khrushchev and heightening the existing
Cold War tensions. Two years later Powers was exchanged for Soviet
spy Rudolf Abel.
May 2, 2011
U.S. Special Operations Forces raided an al-Qaeda compound
in Abbottabad, Pakistan killing the world’s most wanted terrorist,
Osama bin Laden. The entire operation, which lasted only 40
minutes from start to finish, was the culmination of years of calculated
planning and training and SEAL Team Six was credited with
accomplishing the mission flawlessly. After the attack, President
Obama addressed the nation. “For over two decades, bin Laden has
been al Qaeda’s leader and symbol, and has continued to plot attacks
against our country and our friends and allies. The death of
bin Laden marks the most significant achievement to date in our
nation’s effort to defeat al Qaeda. Yet his death does not mark the
end of our effort. There’s no doubt that al Qaeda will continue to
pursue attacks against us. We must - and we will - remain vigilant
at home and abroad.”
70 | may 2022 | www.AtlanticAveMagazine.com
May 4, 1494
During his second
journey of exploration
in the New World,
Christopher Columbus
discovered Jamaica.
May 5, 1893
The Wall Street Crash of 1893
began as stock prices fell dramatically.
By the end of the year, 600 banks closed, and several big railroads
were in receivership. Another 15,000 businesses went bankrupt
amid 20 percent unemployment. It was the worst economic crisis
in U.S. history up to that time.
May 7, 1915
The British ocean liner, Lusitania was torpedoed by a German
U-Boat (submarine) during the First World War off the coast of
Ireland, losing 1,198 of its 1,924 passengers, including 114 Americans.
The attack hastened neutral America’s entry into the war.
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May 7, 1992
The 27th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, prohibiting
Congress from giving itself pay raises.