May
in History
Compiled
by Chris Rowan
Mother’s
Day
In 1872, Julia Ward Howe, who wrote the lyrics to the Battle
Hymn of the Republic, proposed the idea of an observance called
Mothers for Peace Day. The idea evolved into a day honoring
motherhood. On May 9, 1914, President Woodrow Wilson declared
the second Sunday in May as a national day of observance
to honor the nation’s mothers.
Memorial
Day
On May 5, 1866, residents of Waterloo, New York, gathered
to honor Americans who died fighting for the Union in the Civil
War. They called the event “Memorial Day.” It became a national
day of remembrance, first observed on May 30, 1868. Now it honors
all Americans who died in war and is observed on the last
Monday in May.
On May 30, 1945
New York City held its last Memorial Day parade sponsored
by Civil War veterans.
Firsts
In Education
On May 3, 1765 the first medical school in the 13 colonies
opened in Philadelphia.
Education
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