[goofywife]

1915: Germans sink Lusitania

A German submarine torpedoed and sunk the British ocean liner Lusitania today, killing almost 1,200 people. Many of the passengers were previously warned about the danger of sailing on the Lusitania because of the war between Germany and Great Britain.

"The Lusitania was steaming along about eight or ten miles off Old Head Kinsale, on the last leg of her voyage to Liverpool, when about 2 o'clock in the afternoon a submarine suddenly appeared and, so far as reports go, fired two torpedoes without warning, at the steamer. One struck her near the bows and the other in the engine room. The powerful agents of destruction tore through the vessel's side, causing terrific explosions. Almost immediately great volumes of water poured through the openings and the Lusitania listed," reported The Washington Post on May 8, 1915.

NOTE: More than 100 Americans died on board the ship, leading to protests from the United States and encouraging American involvement in the war. When Germany resumed unrestricted submarine warfare in 1917, the United States declared war against Germany and entered World War I.

1998: Daimler-Benz and Chrysler merge

Daimler-Benz, the maker of Mercedes cars, and Chrysler announced they will be merging today. "The transaction, formally announced today after the boards of both companies approved it, ranks as the biggest industrial merger ever. The new company, DaimlerChrysler, combines the No. 3 U.S. automaker that once trumpeted a 'Buy American' slogan with a German carmaker that had previously held only a small share of the U.S. market," informed The Capital on May 7, 1998. "The merger will give Chrysler greater access to the European market, something it has strived for."

1992: NASA launches space shuttle Endeavour

The space shuttle Endeavour, which replaced the Challenger shuttle, was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, today. "A wayward satellite and the nation's newest space shuttle are hurtling toward a weekend rendezvous today in a bold NASA mission to pluck the satellite from a useless orbit and put it to work," explained The Capital one day after the launch. "The shuttle Endeavour, one year off the assembly line, began the celestial chase with a twilight liftoff yesterday from the Kennedy Space Center. Its target is the Intelsat 6 satellite, which has been orbiting 350 miles above Earth since a miswired rocket failed to boost it to its 22,300-mile-high duty station two years ago."

1964: Plane crashes after passenger shoots pilots

A Pacific Airlines plane crashed in California today, killing all 44 people on board, after a passenger shot the pilots. "A note of mystery was injected into the tragedy with discovery of a .38 caliber revolver in the wreckage. Authorities said it might have belonged to an off duty police officer who was aboard, but they are not certain," reported The Modesto Bee and News-Herald on May 7, 1964. Authorities later discovered that the pilots were shot by a passenger who entered the cockpit. NOTE: In what was described as a "horrible coincidence," the Federal Aviation Agency released a statement on the morning of the crash telling airline pilots they would soon be required to lock their flight deck doors.

1896: Serial killer Dr. Holmes is hanged

American serial killer Herman W. Mudgett, better known as Dr. H.H. Holmes, was hanged in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, today. "Holmes, the murderer, died as he lived, with a lie on his lips. Calm and unruffled, he stood upon the fatal trap and told the witnesses of his execution that he had caused the death of only two women, and that they died by accident," explained The Gleaner on May 16, 1896. NOTE: Holmes had constructed a terrible “murder castle” which he opened as a hotel for the Chicago World’s Fair. The number of people he killed is unknown, but thought to be as high as 230, though he only confessed to 27 and only nine were confirmed. The 2003 best-seller The Devil in the White City deals with Holmes and the World’s Fair.

1840: Hundreds die in 'Great Natchez Tornado'

A tornado struck Natchez, Mississippi today, killing more than 300 people. On May 28, 1840, the Freeman and Messenger printed a letter to the editor, dated May 7. The letter read, "While nearly the whole of our citizens were engaged in dining at the hour of two this afternoon, vivid flashed the lightning, loud roared the thunder, and black grew the sky. In a few minutes the tempest came, and for about forty minutes we were in that perilous state which speaks only of destruction and death. First toppled down the chimneys, then went the roofs of houses, and a moment after, houses after houses fell into ruins."