Avian Flu 19th May ( 1997 ) : The first victim of Avian Flu A(H5N1) a three-year-old boy has died in Hong Kong.

By the end of the year there were 18 recorded cases with six of the victims dying. Authorities slaughter 1.6 million chickens and other domestic fowl in Hong Kong hoping to prevent further spread of the disease.

The World Health Organization and other interested parties are still concerned that the Avian Flu Virus could mutate further causing a similar pandemic to the 1918/1919 Spanish flu pandemic which killed anywhere from 20 to 100 million worldwide, Or between 2.5 to 5% of the worlds human population.


Sophia Loren 19th May ( 1982 ) : Actress Sophia Loren began serving a 30-day prison sentence in Italy for failing to report five million lire on her income tax return for 1970


Marilyn Monroe Singing Happy Birthday 19th May ( 1962 ) Marilyn Monroe performed a rendition of "Happy Birthday" for President John F. Kennedy for his forty-fifth birthday during a fund-raiser at New York's Madison Square Garden.

The dress she wore that night was noted for being sheer and flesh colored with 2500 rhinestones sewn into it and designed by Jean Louis. The dress sold in 1999 at auction in New York for over US$1.26 million.

NATO 18th May ( 1950 ) : 12 nations agree to the creation of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation / NATO a permanent organisation for the defence of the United States and Europe.
The 12 nations included in the beginning are Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Britain, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal and the United States.


Protesters Demand More Democratic Political System 18th May ( 1989 ) : One million protesters take to the streets marching through the streets of Beijing calling for a more democratic political system. Just a few weeks later in Tiananmen Square, the Chinese government put an end to protests by the use of force and crushed the protests.


Mount St. Helens 18th May ( 1980 ) Mount St. Helens located in the Cascade Range erupted and blasted 1,300 ft off it's top that sent hot mud, gas and ashes running down it's slopes 9 casualties have so far been identified with a further 48 persons missing presumed dead, the explosion sent plumes of dark gray ash some 60,000 feet in the air which blocked out the rays from the sun making it seem like night over eastern Washington.

Brown v. Board of Education 17th May ( 1954 ) : The United States Supreme Court ruled unanimously in Brown v. Board of Education , ruling that racial segregation in public educational facilities is unconstitutional.
The case centered on Linda Brown an African American girl who had been denied admission to her local elementary school in Topeka, Kansas, because of the color of her skin.


Rioting Liberty City, Miami 17th May ( 1980 ) : Following the death of Arthur McDuffie from multiple skull fractures caused by a blunt object during his arrest by 4 Miami police officers on December 17th 1979 a trial of the officers led to a not guilty verdict on 17th May.
After the verdict approximately 5,000 people attended a protest at the downtown Metro Justice Building, but the protest turned into a riot and three people are killed and at least 23 injured during the first night of violence.
During the next few days a total of 18 people are killed with 100's of others injured and law and order is resumed when a curfew is implimented from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. together with 3,000 National Guardsmen deployed on the streets.


Dam Busters Raid 17th May ( 1943 ) Lancaster bombers use the revolutionary bomb designed to bounce on the water to bypass dam defences ( immortalised in a 1954 war film Dambusters ) . The bombs were invented for the task by aircraft engineer Dr Barnes Wallis with pilots flying the Wellington bombers just 100ft above the water.
The destruction of the dams two on the rivers Möhne and Sorpe, and a third on the River Eder caused flood waters to sweep through the Ruhr valley, damaging factories, houses and power stations.patrolling Berkeley campus of the University of California area with fixed bayonets to keep peace and order.

First Academy Awards 16th May ( 1929 ) : The First ever Academy Awards of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Awards were handed out at a banquet held at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.

Warsaw Ghetto Uprising 16th May ( 1943 ) : Resistance in the Jewish ghetto in Warsaw has ended as SS Police and Wehrmacht units using tanks and other armoured vehicles take back control of the ghetto crushing resistance after 1 month of fighting.

Protest and Rioting 16th May ( 1969 ) Rioting and protests against the war in Vietnam continue on campuses throughout California with local National Guardsman patrolling Berkeley campus of the University of California area with fixed bayonets to keep peace and order.