This Day in History: May 31, 2024
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1790
The first U.S. Copyright Law was enacted, protecting books, maps, and other original materials.
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1889
Heavy rains caused the South Fork Dam to collapse, sending 20 million tons of water into Johnstown, Pa. Over 2,200 people were killed and the town was nearly destroyed.
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1911
The hull of the Titanic was launched in Belfast. At the ceremony, a White Star Line employee claimed, “Not even God himself could sink this ship.”
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1961
South Africa became an independent republic.
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1962
Former Gestapo official Adolf Eichmann was hanged in Israel.
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1970
An earthquake in Peru left more than 50,000 dead.
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2004
Alberta Martin, 97, one of the last widows of a U.S. Civil War veteran, died. She had married Confederate veteran William Martin in 1927 when she was 21 and he was 81.
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2010
Nine people are dead after an Israeli navy commando attacks a flotilla of cargo ships and passenger boats on their way to Gaza to provide aid and supplies for the area.
