May 10 is the 130th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 235 days remain until the end of the year.
We have some interesting facts & historic events all about May 10th, including areas in religion, crime, health and more.
Keep reading for more interesting facts about May 10th in history!
Table of Contents
Global Celebrations
- World Lupus Day.
- International Day Of Argania.
- Mother Ocean Day
- One Day Without Shoes Day
- National Clean Up Your Room Day
Historic Events
What Happened On This Day – May 10
1994: Nelson Mandela becomes South Africa’s first black president
Mandela’s inauguration came after more than 300 years of white rule. Before becoming president, he was a pivotal figure in the fight against the racist apartheid regime and was incarcerated for 27 years.
1954: Bill Haley releases “Rock Around the Clock”
It was the first rock song to top the Billboard charts and has become a classic of the early rock era.
1941: Adolf Hitler’s deputy, Rudolf Hess, parachutes into Scotland to broker a peace agreement
Hess was captured and interrogated. He was the last in a long line of prominent figures to be incarcerated in the Tower of London. Hitler characterized his peace mission four years before the end of World War II as treason.
1933: Nazis ceremonially burn about 25,000 allegedly “un-German” books
The book burnings were part of the right-wing German Student Union’s Action against the Un-German Spirit. Among the burnt books were works by Albert Einstein, Bertolt Brecht, Sigmund Freud, and Franz Kafka.
1869: In the United States, the first coast to coast railroad is completed
The Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroad systems were joined at Promontory Summit in Utah, using a “Golden Spike”. This last spike is now housed in the Cantor Arts Museum at Stanford University.
1951: Motorists stop to watch a Boeing 377 Stratocruiser cross a taxiway bridge at New York International Airport aka Idlewild (now JFK) in 1951.

1942: Night witches. Women of the 46th “Taman” Guards Night Bomber Aviation Regiment. Nina Gorelkina, regiment armaments master, Nadezhda Studilina, 46th air regiment navigator, Nina Buzina, senior armament squadron technician, 10/5/1942 (Colorized)

1940: The Battle of France began during World War II 1940.
1933: In Germany, Nazis start burning books considered to be un-German in 1933.
1930: A desperate man during the Great Depression 1930

1913: Both Union and Confederate veterans shake hands over the Angle, the location where Pickett’s Charge took place. (1913)

Famous Birthdays
Births On This Day, May 10
1977: Nick Heidfeld, German race car driver
1960: Bono, Irish singer-songwriter, actor, activist
1957: Sid Vicious, English singer, bass player
1946: Donovan, Scottish/English singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, actor
1899: Fred Astaire, American actor, singer, dancer
Sid Vicious was born.
John Wilkes Booth was born.
Mark David Chapman was born.
Heartbreaking Deaths
Deaths On This Day, May 10
1977: Joan Crawford, American actress
1897: Andrés Bonifacio, Filipino activist
1863: Stonewall Jackson, American general
1818: Paul Revere, American military officer
1774: Louis XV of France
Louis XV of France died.
Thomas Young died.
Pandit Shivkumar Sharma died.