May 5, 1925 John T. Scopes was arrested in Tennessee for teaching Darwin's theory of evolution,
Today, a teacher wouldn’t be arrested for teaching evolution, but back in 1925, Tennessee had the Butler Act. The Butler Act barred teachers from teaching evolution in a state-funded school. John Scopes was arrested after teaching Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution. Scopes was a willing defendant in the case, stating "If you can prove that I've taught evolution and that I can qualify as a defendant, then I'll be willing to stand trial." Scopes was declared guilty, but wasn’t convicted due to a legal technicality. The technicality was related to a fine; judges weren’t allowed to assign a fine higher than $50, the Butler Act required a minimum of $100, and the judge did in this case instead of the jury. The trial brought up the Creationism vs. Evolution conflict that still rages today.
May 6, 1937 The Hindenburg crashed in Lakehurst, N.J.,
On this day in history, the LZ 129 Hindenburg caught fire and crashed in Lakehurst. Named after the Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg, President of Germany, the Hindenburg was the lead ship of the Hindenburg class of German airships. The ship was originally going to be filled with helium, which isn’t flammable, but it was too rare and expensive. Instead, the ship was filled with flammable hydrogen. The first flights were successful. The final flight to Lakehurst, NJ ended in disaster as the airship burst into flames and crashed, killing 36 people. Experts are still unsure of the location of ignition, cause of ignition, and initial fuel source.
May 14, 1796 The first vaccination against smallpox was administered by English doctor Edward Jenner
Smallpox is an infectious disease unique to humans that is similar to cowpox. Before the vaccine, upwards of 60% of those infected with smallpox died from it. Smallpox causes bumps filled with opaque liquid. Edward Jenner saw the connection between cowpox and smallpox when milkmaids who had cowpox at some point did not become infected with the smallpox because they were immune. The first vaccination was performed by inoculating James Phipps with cowpox, then trying with smallpox once he recovered. The boy was successfully immunized. The process became widespread and, eventually, the disease was entirely eradicated in 1979.
May 26, 1978 The first legal casino opened in Atlantic City, New Jersey
The first legal casino in Atlantic City was Resorts, which was opened in 1978. Today, it runs as a casino hotel. Resorts was the first legal casino outside of Nevada, which was a big thing. At the time, people had to travel across the US just to gamble because the legal casinos were all in Nevada. The addition of Resorts allowed East Coast residents to gamble closer to home. The resort has been falling in and out of debt and is possibly going to be bought by another company that can support it financially.
May 30, 1922 The Lincoln Memorial was dedicated
The Lincoln Memorial is the memorial to the 16th US president and takes the form of a Greek temple. The Gettysburg Address and Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address are both inscribed in the memorial. A large statue of Lincoln sits inside. Commission president William H. Taft dedicated the memorial. The memorial was host to many famous speeches, such as Martin Luther King Jr.’s I Have a Dream. The Lincoln Memorial is shown on the back of the United States one-cent piece, also known as the penny. It may be lucky to pick up a penny that is face up, but the back holds the true glory of the Lincoln Memorial.