#Middlebury
On May 9, 1671, in London, Thomas Blood, an Irish adventurer better known as “Captain Blood,” is captured attempting to steal the Crown Jewels from the Tower of London. King Charles II was so impressed with Blood’s audacity that he made him a member of his court.- On May 10, 1749, the 10th and final volume of Henry Fielding’s novel “Tom Jones” is printed. The serialized novel told the humorous story of the attempts of the illegitimate but charming Tom Jones to win his neighbor’s daughter.
- On May 7, 1902, Martinique’s Mount Pele begins the deadliest volcanic eruption of the 20th century. The city of Saint Pierre was buried and virtually everyone died instantly when a cloud of superheated gas sent an avalanche of boiling ash down the mountain.
- On May 6, 1937, the airship Hindenburg, the largest dirigible ever built and the pride of Nazi Germany, bursts into flames upon touching its mooring mast in Lakehurst, New Jersey, killing 36 passengers and crew members.
- On May 4, 1965, San Francisco Giants outfielder Willie Mays hits his 512th career home run to break Mel Ott’s National League record. Mays would finish with 660 career home runs, good for third on the all-time list at the time.
- May 8, 1988, Stella Nickell is convicted of murder by a Seattle jury. She was the first person to be found guilty of violating the Federal Anti-Tampering Act after putting cyanide in Excedrin capsules in an effort to kill her husband. She began planning his death after their 1976 honeymoon.
- On May 5, 2002, the comic book adaptation of “Spider-Man” becomes the fastest movie ever to earn more than $100 million at the box office. Its $39 million opening day bested the previous record of $32 million, set by “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” in 2001.
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