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 On this day May 13-19 2018 (week 20) infographic
Graphics show birthdays and anniversaries on each day for the week.
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HISTORY

On this day May 13-19 2018 (week 20)

By Julie Mullins

May 13, 2018 - May 19, 2018 - Graphics show birthdays and anniversaries for each day of the week. This week features the shooting of Pope John Paul II in Rome, the establishment of the State of Israel, Australia’s Flying Doctor service, the world’s first electric tram line, the exploration of the the Mississippi River, the fall of Acre in the Holy Land, and the Spanish Armada.

May 13, 1981: Pope John Paul II was shot and wounded as he drove through a crowd of 20,000 in St Peter’s Square in Rome. The gunman, Mehmet Ali Agca, was arrested

May 14, 1948: David Ben-Gurion proclaimed the establishment of the State of Israel, just eight hours before the British mandate in Palestine was due to expire

May 15, 1928: Australia’s Flying Doctor service was launched in the state of Queensland, and flew over 20,000 miles in 50 flights in the first year alone

May 16, 1881: The world’s first electric tram line opened in Lichterfelde near Berlin, Germany, using a trolley pole to feed power from electric wires strung above the tram route

May 17, 1673: Louis Joliet and Jacques Marquette set out from the Great Lakes to explore the Mississippi River, proving it ran all the way to the Gulf of Mexico

May 18, 1291: The last Christian stronghold in the Holy Land, Acre, fell to the Mamluk Sultan of Egypt, al-Ashraf Khalil. The fall of Acre marked the end of the Jerusalem crusades

May 19, 1588: The Spanish Armada, then the largest fleet ever assembled, set sail from Lisbon on an ill-fated attempt to invade England and overthrow Queen Elizabeth I

Sources
PUBLISHED: 8/04/2018; STORY: Graphic News; PICTURES: Newscom, Getty, Associated Press
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