On this date
In 1431, Joan of Arc, condemned as a heretic, was burned at the stake in Rouen, France. In 1883, 12 people were trampled to death in a stampede sparked by a rumor that the recently opened Brooklyn Bridge was in danger of collapsing.
In 1911, the first Indy 500 took place at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway; the winner was Ray Harroun, who drove a Marmon Wasp for more than 61⁄2 hours at an average speed of 74.6 mph and collected a prize of $10,000.
In 1937, 10 people were killed when police fired on steelworkers demonstrating near the Republic Steel plant in South Chicago.
In 1943, during World War II, American troops secured the Aleutian island of Attu from Japanese forces.
In 1958, unidentified American service members killed in World War II and the Korean War were interred in the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery. In 2002, a solemn, wordless ceremony marked the end of the agonizing cleanup at ground zero in New York, 81⁄2 months after Sept. 11.
Ten years ago: The Taliban claimed responsibility for shooting down a Chinook helicopter over southern Afghanistan, killing five U.S. soldiers, a Canadian and a Briton. Five years ago: A gunman in Seattle fatally shot four people inside a cafe and a fifth victim in a carjacking before killing himself.
One year ago: President Barack Obama challenged Americans on Memorial Day to fill the silence from those who died serving their country with love and support for families of the fallen, “not just with words but with our actions.”