On May 3, 1948, the Supreme Court ruled that racially-restrictive covenants violate the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, even covenants between private individuals. In Shelley v. Kraemer, the Court overturned a covenant among members of a neighborhood in St. Louis, Missouri that restricted home sales to only white families.

May 3 is World Press Freedom Day. On May 3, 1845, Macon B. Allen, the first African American to practice law in the United States, was admitted to the Massachusetts bar. Learn more about Allen’s admission.

Longtime FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover died on May 2, 1972 at age 77, having led the agency since 1924. He built his reputation on battling bootleggers during Prohibition and communist and pro-rights groups after World War II. Review Hoover’s official FBI personnel file, released under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act.

On May 2, 1998, the European Central Bank (ECB) was founded to set monetary policy for the sixteen EU nations who use the Euro as their primary currency. Learn more about the ECB from the organization’s website.

On May 1, 1707, the two Acts of Union went into effect, implementing the Treaty of Union and thereby uniting the Kingdom of England and Kingdom of Scotland to create the United Kingdom of Great Britain. The Union with Scotland Act was passed by the Parliament of England in 1706, and the Scottish Parliament promulgated [...]

On May 1, 1794, the Federal Society of Journeymen Cordwainers (shoemakers) was organized in Philadelphia to negotiate wages for its members, becoming the first trade union in the United States. Learn more about the history of the labor movement in the United States, and visit the website of the AFL-CIO, the federation of America’s labor [...]