History Today

On this day in History: President Wilson declared Mother's Day a holiday, Wild West show opened, and "Dianetics" published.

On this day in History: Germans surrendered, Sean Connery as Bond, James Bond, and USSR announced boycott of 1984 Olympics.

On this day in History: H.H. Holmes hanged, volcanic explosion on Martinique, and Lusitania sunk.

On this day in History: Four-minute mile barrier broken, the Hindenburg exploded, and John Steinbeck won Pulitzer Prize.

On this day in History: Happy Cinco de Mayo, Cy Young threw a perfect game, and six killed in Oregon by Japanese bomb.

On this day in History: Four dead in Ohio, Audrey Hepburn born, and Margaret Thatcher sworn in as PM.

Hello, and welcome to This Day in History. Here’s what happened on May 3rd. With American politics feeling as ruthless as it’s ever been, we look back to this day in 1469, when the man often thought of as the father of ruthless politics--Machiavelli--was born in Florence. Machiavelli’s most famous work--The Prince--outlined what he believed a successful leader to be: an amoral, calculating tyrant for whom the end justifies the means.

On this day in History: Loch Ness Monster sighting first reported, Lou Gehrig's career ended, and Osama Bin Laden killed.

On this day in History: Empire State building opened, the Battle of Chancellorsville began, and Citizen Kane released.

On this day in history: Prison for Women, GW inauguration, and the Louisiana Purchase