HISTORY
On this day May 24-30, 2020 (week 22)
May 24, 2020 - May 30, 2020 - Graphics show birthdays and anniversaries for each day of the week. This week features aviator Amy Johnson, the first hippopotamus ever seen in Britain, the evacuation of 400,000 Allied troops from Dunkirk, the Battle of Tsushima in the Russo-Japanese war, Colombian driver Juan Pablo Montoya, the first escalator and Flemish Baroque painter Peter Paul Rubens.
May 24, 1930: Amy Johnson landed her Gypsy Moth plane, Jason, at Darwin in Australia’s Northern Territory after becoming the first woman to fly solo from England
May 25, 1850: The first hippopotamus seen in Britain arrived at London Zoo. The gift of the Ottoman Viceroy of Egypt, it attracted up to 10,000 visitors each day
May 26, 1940: Operation Dynamo began as hundreds of ships set sail from Britain to evacuate around 400,000 Allied troops trapped by the Germans at Dunkirk in France
May 27, 1905: The Battle of Tsushima in the Russo-Japanese war resulted in a decisive victory for Japan, the first by an eastern nation over a major European power
May 28, 2000: Colombian driver Juan Pablo Montoya won the Indianapolis 500 at his first attempt, the first rookie to win the motor racing classic since 1966
May 29, 1900: The Otis company officially registered its Escalator trademark, combining the word elevator with the Latin word “scala”, meaning stairs, or ladder
May 30, 1640: Flemish Baroque painter Peter Paul Rubens, renowned for his extravagant style that emphasised movement, colour and sensuality, died in Antwerp