What Happened on May 10?

May 10 marks the Golden Spike that joined America's coasts by rail in 1869 and Nelson Mandela's inauguration as South Africa's first Black president in 1994. Winston Churchill took power on the same date in 1940 as Nazi Germany attacked Western Europe.

• 1775 — American forces capture Fort Ticonderoga in the Revolutionary War

  Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys seized Fort Ticonderoga from the British on May 10, 1775 — capturing cannons the rebels would later drag to Boston. Read the full story →

• 1869 — The Golden Spike completes the first transcontinental railroad

  At Promontory Summit, Utah, on May 10, 1869, a ceremonial golden spike joined the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads — linking the Atlantic and Pacific coasts by rail. Read the full story →

• 1908 — First official Mother's Day service held in the United States

  On May 10, 1908, Anna Jarvis held a memorial service in Grafton, West Virginia, launching the Mother's Day tradition Americans celebrate each spring. Read the full story →

• 1924 — J. Edgar Hoover appointed director of the Bureau of Investigation

  Attorney General Harlan Fiske Stone named J. Edgar Hoover acting director on May 10, 1924 — beginning a decades-long tenure shaping the FBI. Read the full story →

• 1940 — Winston Churchill becomes British prime minister as Germany invades

  Winston Churchill replaced Neville Chamberlain on May 10, 1940 — the same day Germany launched its blitzkrieg assault on the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. Read the full story →

Famous birthdays

Fred Astaire (1899–1987) · Bono (1960) · Wayne Dyer (1940–2015) · Ellen G. White (1827–1915)

Days & observances

National Shrimp Day · National Clean Your Room Day · World Lupus Day · School Lunch Hero Day