Today is Tuesday, May 20, the 140th day of 2025. There are 225 days left in the year.
Today in history:
On May 20, 1956, the United States detonated the first airborne hydrogen bomb over Bikini Atoll in the Pacific.
Also on this date:
In 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Homestead Act, aiming to promote settlements west of the Mississippi River by offering federal land for private ownership and farming. By 1934, around 10% of the land area of the United States (270 million acres, or 1.1 million square km) had been privatized.
In 1927, Charles Lindbergh embarked on his historic solo flight to France from Roosevelt Field on Long Island, New York, aboard the Spirit of St. Louis.
In 1932, Amelia Earhart set off from Newfoundland in an effort to become the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic. Due to weather and equipment issues, Earhart landed the next day in Northern Ireland instead of her intended destination, France.
In 1948, Chiang Kai-shek was elected as the inaugural president of the Republic of China (Taiwan).
In 1961, a white mob assaulted a bus carrying Freedom Riders in Montgomery, Alabama, leading the federal government to deploy U.S. marshals to restore order.
In 1969, U.S. and South Vietnamese forces seized Ap Bia Mountain, known as “Hamburger Hill” by the Americans, after one of the deadliest battles of the Vietnam War.
In 1985, Radio Marti, managed by the U.S. government, commenced broadcasting. Cuba responded by trying to jam its signal.
In 2015, four major banks — JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup’s banking unit Citicorp, Barclays, and the Royal Bank of Scotland — agreed to pay over $5 billion in fines and plead guilty to manipulating the currency markets.
Today’s Birthdays:
- Japanese baseball star Sadaharu Oh turns 85.
- Singer-actor Cher is 79 years old.
- Actor-comedian Dave Thomas celebrates his 76th birthday.
- Sen. Mike Crapo, a Republican from Idaho, marks his 74th birthday.
- Political commentator Ron Reagan is 67 years old.
- Musician Jane Wiedlin (The Go-Go’s) is 67 years old.
- Actor Bronson Pinchot turns 66.
- TV personality Ted Allen is 60 years old.
- Actor Mindy Cohn celebrates her 59th birthday.
- Actor Timothy Olyphant turns 57.
- Former racing driver Tony Stewart is 54 years old.
- Rapper Busta Rhymes celebrates his 53rd birthday.
- Actor Matt Czuchry (zoo-KREE’) is 48 years old.
- Actor-singer Naturi Naughton turns 41.
- Cyclist Chris Froome is 40 years old.
- Country musician Jon Pardi celebrates his 40th birthday.
