On May 9, 1926, explorer Richard Evelyn Byrd and co-pilot Floyd Bennett flew
over the North Pole in an airplane. This was the first time an airplane had
flown over the top of the world. The pilots had left from Norway, and they
flew the 1,545-mile trip to the pole and back in a little more than fifteen
hours.
On May 10, 1869, the presidents of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific
railroads drove the last spike into the first transcontinental rail. This
rail connected the two railroads and made it possible, for the first time,
for people to travel across the country on a train.
On May 12, 1940, Nazi Germans invaded France. Germany continued to invade
and attack various cities and coastal lines. In June, Paris was controlled
by the Nazis. The liberation of France did not begin until four years
later, when the successful Allied landed at Normandy.
THIS WEEK IN HISTORY
On May 10, 1869, the presidents of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific
railroads drove the last spike into the first transcontinental rail. This
rail connected the two railroads and made it possible, for the first time,
for people to travel across the country on a train.
On May 12, 1940, Nazi Germans invaded France. Germany continued to invade
and attack various cities and coastal lines. In June, Paris was controlled
by the Nazis. The liberation of France did not begin until four years
later, when the successful Allied landed at Normandy.