HISTORY IN A NUTSHELL~MAY 10

 

 

     1868  Happy Birthday to Reno, Nevada

 

 

 

 

 

It was on this day that a little town in Northwestern Nevada was officially named, Reno (after General Jesse Lee Reno, a Union officer of the Civil War).

 

Actually, the town that was just over the border from California, already existed before this date. It was first settled by the Washoe Indians who used the area for festivals and ceremonies. Then, as settlers moved in, it was known as Fuller’s Ferry, and later, as Lake’s Crossing.

In the mid 1800s, Reno was just another settlement of silver miners. When the Comstock Lode was discovered in the Virginia City area, intrigued fortune hunters throughout the world came to the area to strike it rich.

Today, they still come to strike it rich at Reno’s glitzy gambling casinos.

Reno, also a haven for quickie divorces (only a six-week residency is required), is known as the biggest little city in the world, the winning slogan from a contest held in 1929.

 

1869  The Union Pacific and the Central Pacific Railways Meet

 

 

 

There was a grand celebration at Promontory, Utah when, in honor of the linking of the two railways, a golden spike was driven into the railroad. The spike, valued at $400, was driven, along with bronze spikes into a laurel wood tie by the president of the Central Pacific, Leland Stanford. Some say Mr. Stanford missed on his first stroke.

Immediately after the celebration, the spikes and tie were removed and replaced with the standard pine tie and steel spikes.

Interestingly, the people involved in this historic moment were unaware of its significance in the great scheme of things; and no markings were left at the specific location of the meeting of the rails.

 

1872  The First Woman Nominated To Be President of the United States 

Victoria Claflin Woodhull was chosen for the ballot by the National Woman Suffrage Association in New York City. Ms. Woodhull was not elected; nor has any woman ever been elected to the office of U.S. President.

The closest any woman has come to the top seat of the nation since Victoria Woodhull was Geraldine A. Ferraro who was on the Democratic party slate as the Vice-Presidential candidate in 1984.

 

1940  Churchill Becomes Prime Minister

Winston Churchill, First Lord of the Admiralty, is called to replace Neville Chamberlain as British prime minister following the latter's resignation after losing a confidence vote in the House of Commons.

In 1938, Prime Minister Chamberlain signed the Munich Pact with Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, giving Czechoslovakia over to German conquest but bringing, as Chamberlain promised, "peace in our time." In September 1939, that peace was shattered by Hitler's invasion of Poland. Chamberlain declared war against Germany but during the next eight months showed himself to be ill-equipped for the daunting task of saving Europe from Nazi conquest. After British forces failed to prevent the German occupation of Norway in April 1940, Chamberlain lost the support of many members of his Conservative Party. On May 10, Hitler invaded Holland, Belgium, and the Netherlands. The same day, Chamberlain formally lost the confidence of the House of Commons.

Churchill, who was known for his military leadership ability, was appointed British prime minister in his place. He formed an all-party coalition and quickly won the popular support of Britons. On May 13, in his first speech before the House of Commons, Prime Minister Churchill declared that "I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat" and offered an outline of his bold plans for British resistance. In the first year of his administration, Britain stood alone against Nazi Germany, but Churchill promised his country and the world that the British people would "never surrender." They never did.

 

1994  Nelson Mandela Inaugurated

In South Africa, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela is sworn in as the first black president of South Africa. In his inaugural address, Mandela, who spent 27 years of his life as a political prisoner of the South African government, declared that "the time for the healing of the wounds has come." Two weeks earlier, more than 22 million South Africans had turned out to cast ballots in the country's first-ever multiracial parliamentary elections. An overwhelming majority chose Mandela and his African National Congress (ANC) party to lead the country.

 

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