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Today in History: May 22, strongest earthquake recorded strikes Chile

Today is Thursday, May 22, the 142nd day of 2025. There are 223 days left in the year. Today in history: On May 22, 1960, the strongest earthquake recorded struck southern Chile. The magnitude 9.5 quake claimed 1,655 lives, left 2 million homeless and triggered a tsunami responsible for over 230 additional deaths in Hawaii, Japan and the Philippines. Also on this date: In 1939, the foreign ministers of Germany and Italy, Joachim von Ribbentrop and Galeazzo Ciano, signed a "Pact of Steel" committing their two countries to a military and political alliance. In 1962, Continental ...

Today in History: May 21, Clara Barton founds American Red Cross

Today is Wednesday, May 21, the 141st day of 2025. There are 224 days left in the year. Today in history: On May 21, 1881, the American Red Cross was founded by nurse and educator Clara Barton in Washington D.C. Also on this date: In 1924, 14-year-old Bobby Franks was murdered in a ...

1962, Lincoln signs Homestead Act

By The Associated Press Today is Tuesday, May 20, the 140th day of 2025. There are 225 days left in the year. Today in history: On May 20, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Homestead Act, which was intended to encourage settlements west of the Mississippi River by making federal ...

Today in History: May 19, West Virginia’s Matewan Massacre

Today is Monday, May 19, the 139th day of 2025. There are 226 days left in the year. Today in history: On May 19, 1920, ten people were killed in a gun battle between coal miners, who were led by a local police chief, and a group of private security guards hired to evict them for joining a ...

1954, Supreme Court strikes down school segregation

By The Associated Press Today is Saturday, May 17, the 137th day of 2025. There are 228 days left in the year. Today in history: On May 17, 1954, a unanimous U.S. Supreme Court handed down its Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka decision, which held that racially segregated public ...

1966, China’s Cultural Revolution begins

Today in History: May 16, China's Cultural Revolution begins By The Associated Press undefined Today is Friday, May 16, the 136th day of 2025. There are 229 days left in the year. Today in history: On May 16, 1966, the Chinese Communist Party issued the May 16 Notification, a document ...