ON THIS DATE: MAY 10
Historical events from May 10 are brought to you by Encyclopaedia Britannica. Explore more at britannica.com.
2002: American FBI agent Robert Hanssen was sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to spying for Moscow; he was one of the Soviet Union’s and Russia’s most-valuable double agents and the most-damaging spy ever to penetrate the FBI.
1999: American cartoonist, children’s author, poet, and playwright Shel Silverstein, who was best known for his light verse and quirky cartoons, died at age 68.
1994: Nelson Mandela, whose efforts to end apartheid led to his imprisonment (1962–90) and earned him a share (with F.W. de Klerk) of the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize, became president of South Africa this day in 1994.
1994: American serial killer John Wayne Gacy—whose murders of 33 boys and young men in the 1970s shocked his suburban Chicago community, where he was known for his performances as a clown at charitable events and children’s parties—was executed at age 52.
1962: Marvel Comics released the first issue of The Incredible Hulk; the towering muscle-bound antihero was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby.
1960: Irish musician and human rights activist Bono, who was the lead singer of the popular rock band U2, was born.
1940: After losing the support of many Conservatives in the House of Commons, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain resigned his office and was replaced by Winston Churchill.
1924: U.S. public official J. Edgar Hoover was made acting director of the FBI and later in the year became director; he built the agency into a highly effective, if occasionally controversial, arm of federal law enforcement.
1899: Fred Astaire, born this day in 1899, is considered one of the greatest American popular-music dancers and is especially remembered for his partnership with Ginger Rogers in a series of highly successful musical comedy films.
1872: American reformer Victoria Woodhull became the first woman to be nominated for president when the Equal Rights Party selected her as its candidate.
1869: The tracks of the Central Pacific and the Union Pacific were joined at Promontory, Utah, to form the first transcontinental railway in the United States.
1865: Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederacy, was captured by Union troops near Irwinville, Georgia.
1857: The Indian Mutiny erupted in Meerut in reaction to the increased pace of Westernization in India and a military crackdown on Indian troops by their British officers.