May in History
compiled by Chris Rowan
In 1872, Julia Ward Howe, who
wrote the lyrics to the Battle Hymn of the Republic proposed
the idea of an observance day called Mothers for Peace Day.
Although the original purpose was to promote peace, the idea
evolved into having a day devoted to honoring motherhood.
On May 9, 1914 President Woodrow Wilson declared the
second Sunday in
May as a day of national
observance, honoring the nation's mothers.
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 tradition and a national holiday (first observed on May 30,
1868). Memorial Day now commemorates 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.
On May 25, 1765 the first medical school in the
13 colonies opened in Philadelphia.
In 1607 (on May 14), the first permanent English
settlement in North America was established in Jamestown, Virginia.#