May 16, 1866 - The U.S. Congress authorized the first 5-cent piece to be minted.
May 15, 1941 - Joe DiMaggio began his historic major league baseball hitting streak of 56 games.
May 14, 1853 - Gail Borden applied for a patent for condensed milk.
May 13, 1607 - Jamestown, Virginia, was settled as a colony of England.
May 12, 1847 - William Clayton invented the odometer.
May 11, 1910 - Glacier National Park in Montana was established.
May 10, 1773 - The English Parliament passed the Tea Act, which taxed all tea in the U.S. colonies.
May 9, 1926 - Americans Richard Byrd and Floyd Bennett became the first men to fly an airplane over the North Pole.
May 8, 1541 - Hernando de Soto reached the Mississippi River. He called it Rio de Espiritu Santo.
May 8, 1794 - The United States Post Office was established.