St. Ives, Paris student of the civil law, advocate of the poor, and patron saint of lawyers died on May 19, 1303. Learn more about St. Ives in the Catholic Encyclopedia.
READ MORE ▸
On May 18, 1896, the US Supreme Court ruled in Plessy v. Ferguson that racially separate but equal facilities were constitutional. This ruling was later overturned by the court in 1954’s Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka.
On May 18, 1804, the French Senate declared Napoleon Bonaparte Emperor of France.
On May 17, 1814, the Constitution of Norway was signed. Today, the anniversary is celebrated as Constitution Day in Norway.
On May 17, 1954, the US Supreme Court held in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka that racially segregated public schools violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. Pay a virtual visit to the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site.
On May 16, 1868, President Andrew Johnson was found “not guilty” of high crimes and misdemeanors in his impeachment trial. Learn more about President Jackson’s impeachment from contemporary articles in Harper’s Weekly.
On May 16, 1966, the Chinese Communist Party launched the Cultural Revolution with the issuance of the May Sixteenth Notice.
On May 15, 1955, the Allied Powers of World War II and representatives of Austria signed the Österreichischer Staatsvertrag (Austrian State Treaty), which re-established Austria as an independent nation for the first time since it was annexed by Nazi Germany in 1938. The treaty explicitly forbade any future attempts to unify with Germany.
On May 15, 1911, the US Supreme Court found Standard Oil in violation of the Sherman Act and ordered its dissolution. Read Standard Oil Co. of New Jersey v. U.S.
On May 14, 1787, delegates from each state begin to arrive in Philadelphia for the Constitutional Convention. The last delegates arrived 10 days later, on May 24. Learn more about the Constitutional Convention.
