This Day In History, May 9th.
Five Historical Events That Happened on May 9th.
Christopher Columbus sets off from Cadiz, Spain, on his fourth and last expedition to the New World.
Thomas "Diamond" Pitt paid £135,000 for the Regent Diamond, one of the world's biggest and most renowned jewels.
Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West Show debuted in London, England, in 1887, kicking off a lucrative European tour.
1945: The Soviet Army captures Berlin, essentially bringing World War II to a conclusion in Europe.
Former Italian Prime Minister Aldo Moro's bullet-riddled body was discovered in the trunk of a vehicle in Rome, Italy, after being kidnapped by the Red Brigades terrorist group.
Christopher Columbus set sail on his fourth and final voyage to the New World from Cadiz, Spain.
On May 9, 1502, Christopher Columbus set out on his fourth and last expedition to the New World. The mission was financed by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain, with the goal of discovering a route to the East Indies. Columbus, however, was unable to locate a new path to the East and instead explored the shores of Central and South America, including present-day Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama. The trip was laden with problems, including as storms, sickness, and hostile encounters with indigenous peoples, and Columbus returned to Spain in November 1504, his reputation tainted and his health deteriorating.
Thomas "Diamond" Pitt purchased the Regent Diamond, one of the largest and most famous diamonds in the world, for £135,000.
On May 9, 1671, Thomas "Diamond" Pitt, an English businessman and politician, paid £135,000 for the Regent Diamond. The Regent Diamond, weighing 140.64 carats and having a long and storied history, is one of the world's biggest and most famous diamonds. In the mid-17th century, it was mined in India and later acquired by French King Louis XV. It was later stolen during the French Revolution, but it was later found and sold to Pitt. The diamond was passed down through the Pitt family for numerous generations until being acquired by the French government in 1887 and displayed in the Louvre Museum in Paris.
Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West Show opened in London, England, marking the beginning of a successful tour throughout Europe.
Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West Show debuted in London, England on May 9, 1887, kicking off a successful European tour. The show included reenactments of life on the Western frontier, such as buffalo hunts, Indian raids, and cowboy skills like roping and riding. The play was a smash hit, drawing enormous crowds wherever it traveled and presenting European audiences to a romanticized view of the American West. The trip contributed to Cody's reputation as an icon of American frontier culture, as well as to the burgeoning obsession with the American West that would last throughout the twentieth century.
The Soviet Army captured the German city of Berlin, effectively ending World War II in Europe.
The Soviet Army conquered Berlin on May 9, 1945, essentially ending World War II in Europe. The fall of Berlin was a watershed moment in the war since it was the final major combat in Europe and heralded Nazi Germany's collapse. The struggle for Berlin was harsh and deadly, with Soviet troops encountering tenacious German opposition and suffering high fatalities. The victory was a watershed moment for the Allies, paving the way for the conclusion of the war in Europe, which occurred on May 8, 1945, when Germany signed an unconditional surrender in Reims, France. The Pacific War would last until August of that year, when the United States launched atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, resulting to Japan's capitulation and the end of World War II.
The bullet-riddled body of former Italian Prime Minister Aldo Moro was found in the trunk of a car in Rome, Italy, after being kidnapped by the Red Brigades terrorist group.
Former Italian Prime Minister Aldo Moro's bullet-riddled body was discovered in the trunk of a vehicle in Rome, Italy, on May 9, 1978, after being kidnapped by the Red Brigades terrorist group. Moro was kidnapped on March 16, 1978, on his route to the Italian Parliament, and kept captive for 55 days. The Red Brigades requested the release of 13 of their colleagues from Italian jails in return for Moro's release while he was imprisoned, but the Italian authorities refused to deal with the terrorists. Despite the Pope's and other world leaders' pleas, Moro was killed by the Red Brigades on May 9, 1978. The kidnapping and murder of Aldo Moro was a stunning and terrible incident that shocked Italy to its core and exposed Europe's increasing terrorist danger in the 1970s.