This Day in History: May 21, 2024

1542

Spanish explorer Hernando De Soto died while searching for gold on the banks of the Mississippi River.
1881

Clara Barton founded what became the American Red Cross.
1927

Charles Lindbergh became the first person to fly across the Atlantic (from New York to Paris) in his monoplane, The Spirit of St. Louis.
1932

Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean (from Newfoundland to Ireland).
1956

The first hydrogen bomb to be dropped by air exploded over the Bikini Atoll in the Pacific.
1989

In Hong Kong, approximately one million people took to the streets to show their support for students protesting for democratic reforms in China’s Tiananmen Square.
1991

Rajiv Gandhi, former Indian prime minister, was assassinated by a suicide bomber.
1998

Indonesian President Suharto resigned.
1999

Susan Lucci finally won a Daytime Emmy on her 19th nomination.
2003

Christine Todd Whitman announced her resignation as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.

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May 21