May 31. Warning -- do not do anything special this day. You won't make the list. Seriously, if you aren't finding the cure for cancer, you won't even sniff the list.
1279 BC. Rameses II, the Great, becomes Pharoah of Egypt. Generally regarded as the greatest emperor of Ancient Egypt, he holds the throne for over 66 years, dying when he was 90 (or 99, accounts differ) years old. His mummified body was discovered in a royal tomb (to which it had been moved long after his death to preserve it against grave robbers) in 1881, and is now at the Cairo Museum. His wife was the almost equally famed Nefertari.
Although he was indeed great, as greatness is measured in those times -- conquering new lands, etc. -- his empire was under constant attack following his death, and within 150 years the New Kingdom of Egypt, which represented the zenith of Ancient Egyptian glory and power, would come to an end.
Among other things, Rameses II was famed for his many sons by his wives and concubines, and the funerary complex he built for his sons (many of whom he outlived) is the largest funerary complex of Ancient Egypt yet discovered.
1678. The procession of Lady Godiva is honored at the Great Fair in Coventry, England. A tradition that continues to this day and is known as the Godiva Procession during the Godiva Festival. (please ignore the fact that it is almost certain that the whole thing is just a legend and no noblewoman ever rode naked to get anyone a concession on taxes).
1864. The Battle of Cold Harbor begins. Ulysses S. Grant makes what is likely his worst mistake as a general, charging fortified Confederate lines and decimating his troops.
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Ulysses S. Grant
"I have always regretted that the last assault at Cold Harbor was ever made. I might say the same thing of the assault of the 22d of May, 1863, at Vicksburg. At Cold Harbor no advantage whatever was gained to compensate for the heavy loss we sustained." |
1911. RMS Titanic is launched.
1916. The Battle of Jutland begins, the largest naval combat of WWI and the last major engagement of traditional surface fleets the world will see before the advent of aircraft carriers changes naval warfare forever. The result of the battle is inconclusive, but Germany's navy is penned back into its docks for the rest of the war.
1927. The last Model T rolls off the assembly line, after a production run of 19 years and slightly over 15 million vehicles. The first vehicle to be mass produced, it was initially sold at a price of $850 per vehicle (roughly the equivalent of $20,000 in today's money) when other vehicles sold at the equivalent of $50,000 in today's money. By the 1920s, the price had fallen to under $300 due to increasing efficiencies, making it extremely affordable to middle class workers.
1962. Adolf Eichmann gets his neck stretched in Israel.