May 10

May 10 is the 130th day of the year (131st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, leaving 235 days until the year's end.^[1] The date features several pivotal historical events, including the British Parliament's passage of the Tea Act on May 10, 1773, which imposed duties on tea imports to the American colonies and fueled colonial resistance;^[2] the opening session of the Second Continental Congress on May 10, 1775, where delegates addressed the escalating conflict with Britain;^[3] the completion of the United States' First Transcontinental Railroad on May 10, 1869, marked by the driving of a golden spike at Promontory Summit, Utah, which connected the eastern and western rail networks and accelerated national economic integration;^[4][5] and the appointment of Winston Churchill as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on May 10, 1940, coinciding with Nazi Germany's invasion of Western Europe, initiating his leadership during the early crises of World War II.^[6][7] May 10 also observes national holidays in select countries, such as Constitution Day in the Federated States of Micronesia, commemorating the 1979 ratification of its constitution, and Mother's Day in Mexico, honoring maternal figures.^[8]

Events

Pre-1600

238: Gaius Julius Verus Maximinus, known as Maximinus Thrax, the Roman emperor who ruled from 235 to 238, was assassinated by mutinous legionaries on May 10 during the siege of Aquileia.^[9] Of Thracian origin and born around 173, Maximinus ascended through military ranks as the first emperor of entirely low-born extraction, without prior senatorial status, maintaining power via donatives to troops amid campaigns against Germanic tribes.^[9] The soldiers, frustrated by the stalled siege, supply shortages, and unfulfilled promises of booty, killed Maximinus and his son Maximus in their tent; the emperor's decapitated head was paraded on a spear and sent to Rome to appease the Senate.^[10] This abrupt end created a leadership vacuum, sparking the Year of the Six Emperors—marked by rapid successions, civil wars, and provincial revolts—that accelerated the empire's descent into the Crisis of the Third Century, with weakened central authority and economic strain from constant military upheavals.^[11] 1403: Katherine Swynford, Duchess of Lancaster by marriage to John of Gaunt, died on May 10 in Lincoln at about age 53, likely from natural causes associated with advanced age.^[12] Born around 1350 as Katherine de Roet, she served as governess to Gaunt's children before becoming his mistress circa 1370, bearing four Beaufort children whose 1397 legitimation by royal ordinance integrated them into the nobility.^[13] Widowed from her first husband Hugh Swynford in 1375, she wed Gaunt in 1396 following his second wife's death, elevating her status amid court scrutiny. Her passing, four years after Gaunt's in 1399, prompted no immediate succession crisis, as her Beaufort offspring—already embedded in Lancastrian networks—preserved familial influence; descendants like John Beaufort's line later bolstered Henry Tudor's claim, merging Yorkist and Lancastrian houses to end the Wars of the Roses.^[12] Burial occurred in Lincoln Cathedral, where a chantry established posthumously by daughter Joan Beaufort ensured liturgical continuity for her legacy.^[14]

1601–1900

George Vancouver, a British naval officer and explorer who charted much of the Pacific Northwest coast of North America during his 1791–1795 expedition, died on May 10, 1798, at age 40 in Petersham, England, likely from complications of malaria contracted earlier in his career.^[15] His surveys provided foundational maps for British claims in the region, emphasizing precise hydrographic work over speculative territorial assertions.^[15] Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau, the French general who commanded 5,500 troops in support of the American Continental Army during the Yorktown campaign of 1781, died on May 10, 1807, at age 81 in Thoré, France.^[16] Rochambeau's coordination with George Washington demonstrated effective allied logistics and siege tactics, prioritizing operational success amid limited resources rather than expansive ideological commitments.^[16] Paul Revere, an American silversmith, engraver, and patriot known for his midnight ride on April 18, 1775, to warn of British troop movements toward Lexington and Concord, died on May 10, 1818, at age 83 in Boston, Massachusetts.^[17] Beyond his role in alerting colonial militias—facilitating decentralized resistance through rapid communication—Revere advanced early American manufacturing by establishing one of the nation's first copper rolling mills in 1801.^{[17] [18]} Thomas Young, an English polymath physician and physicist who experimentally demonstrated the wave theory of light via the double-slit interference pattern in 1801 and contributed to the decipherment of Egyptian hieroglyphs, died on May 10, 1829, at age 55 in London.^[19] Young's modulus, quantifying elastic deformation in materials, remains a fundamental metric in engineering, derived from empirical stress-strain observations without reliance on unverified theoretical assumptions.^[19] Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, a Confederate general renowned for his rapid valley campaign maneuvers in 1862 that tied down superior Union forces and his flanking attack at Chancellorsville on May 2, 1863, died on May 10, 1863, at age 39 from pneumonia following amputation of his left arm, wounded by friendly fire eight days earlier.^[20] Jackson's tactical acumen, emphasizing surprise and concentration of force, disrupted Union advances despite broader Confederate strategic constraints, though his absence contributed to subsequent operational setbacks in the Virginia theater.^[20][21]

1901–present

• 1904: Henry Morton Stanley, the Welsh-American explorer renowned for locating David Livingstone in 1871 and leading expeditions that mapped the Congo River, died at age 63 from complications of pleural pneumonia. His efforts, while advancing European imperial claims in Africa, yielded detailed geographic data that informed subsequent colonial administration and resource extraction.^[22]
• 1977: Joan Crawford, American actress who rose from a chorus dancer to a Hollywood icon through roles in films like Mildred Pierce (1945), earning an Academy Award, died at age 71 or 73 (disputed due to her adjusted birth year) from a heart attack. Her career highlighted individual talent-driven success in the studio system, though marked by personal scandals including rivalries and family estrangements detailed in her adopted daughter Christina's 1978 memoir Mommie Dearest, which alleged abusive behavior.^[23]
• 1994: John Wayne Gacy, American serial killer convicted in 1980 of murdering at least 33 boys and young men between 1972 and 1978, many of whom he lured to his home under the guise of employment, was executed by lethal injection at age 52. The case underscored failures in early investigative responses and contributed to policy shifts, including Illinois' expansion of background checks for contractors, as Gacy operated a construction business.
• 2023: Rolf Harris, Australian-born entertainer, musician, and artist who gained fame in the UK for television shows and hits like "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport" (1960), died at age 93 from neck cancer and old age. Convicted in 2014 of indecently assaulting four girls aged 7 to 15 between 1968 and 1986, he served nearly three years of a five-year-nine-month sentence; the trials revealed a pattern of exploitation enabled by celebrity status, prompting UK inquiries into institutional safeguarding failures in entertainment prior to heightened public awareness post-2010s scandals.^[24][25]

Births

Pre-1600

238: Gaius Julius Verus Maximinus, known as Maximinus Thrax, the Roman emperor who ruled from 235 to 238, was assassinated by mutinous legionaries on May 10 during the siege of Aquileia.^[9] Of Thracian origin and born around 173, Maximinus ascended through military ranks as the first emperor of entirely low-born extraction, without prior senatorial status, maintaining power via donatives to troops amid campaigns against Germanic tribes.^[9] The soldiers, frustrated by the stalled siege, supply shortages, and unfulfilled promises of booty, killed Maximinus and his son Maximus in their tent; the emperor's decapitated head was paraded on a spear and sent to Rome to appease the Senate.^[10] This abrupt end created a leadership vacuum, sparking the Year of the Six Emperors—marked by rapid successions, civil wars, and provincial revolts—that accelerated the empire's descent into the Crisis of the Third Century, with weakened central authority and economic strain from constant military upheavals.^[11] 1403: Katherine Swynford, Duchess of Lancaster by marriage to John of Gaunt, died on May 10 in Lincoln at about age 53, likely from natural causes associated with advanced age.^[12] Born around 1350 as Katherine de Roet, she served as governess to Gaunt's children before becoming his mistress circa 1370, bearing four Beaufort children whose 1397 legitimation by royal ordinance integrated them into the nobility.^[13] Widowed from her first husband Hugh Swynford in 1375, she wed Gaunt in 1396 following his second wife's death, elevating her status amid court scrutiny. Her passing, four years after Gaunt's in 1399, prompted no immediate succession crisis, as her Beaufort offspring—already embedded in Lancastrian networks—preserved familial influence; descendants like John Beaufort's line later bolstered Henry Tudor's claim, merging Yorkist and Lancastrian houses to end the Wars of the Roses.^[12] Burial occurred in Lincoln Cathedral, where a chantry established posthumously by daughter Joan Beaufort ensured liturgical continuity for her legacy.^[14]

1601–1900

George Vancouver, a British naval officer and explorer who charted much of the Pacific Northwest coast of North America during his 1791–1795 expedition, died on May 10, 1798, at age 40 in Petersham, England, likely from complications of malaria contracted earlier in his career.^[15] His surveys provided foundational maps for British claims in the region, emphasizing precise hydrographic work over speculative territorial assertions.^[15] Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau, the French general who commanded 5,500 troops in support of the American Continental Army during the Yorktown campaign of 1781, died on May 10, 1807, at age 81 in Thoré, France.^[16] Rochambeau's coordination with George Washington demonstrated effective allied logistics and siege tactics, prioritizing operational success amid limited resources rather than expansive ideological commitments.^[16] Paul Revere, an American silversmith, engraver, and patriot known for his midnight ride on April 18, 1775, to warn of British troop movements toward Lexington and Concord, died on May 10, 1818, at age 83 in Boston, Massachusetts.^[17] Beyond his role in alerting colonial militias—facilitating decentralized resistance through rapid communication—Revere advanced early American manufacturing by establishing one of the nation's first copper rolling mills in 1801.^{[17] [18]} Thomas Young, an English polymath physician and physicist who experimentally demonstrated the wave theory of light via the double-slit interference pattern in 1801 and contributed to the decipherment of Egyptian hieroglyphs, died on May 10, 1829, at age 55 in London.^[19] Young's modulus, quantifying elastic deformation in materials, remains a fundamental metric in engineering, derived from empirical stress-strain observations without reliance on unverified theoretical assumptions.^[19] Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, a Confederate general renowned for his rapid valley campaign maneuvers in 1862 that tied down superior Union forces and his flanking attack at Chancellorsville on May 2, 1863, died on May 10, 1863, at age 39 from pneumonia following amputation of his left arm, wounded by friendly fire eight days earlier.^[20] Jackson's tactical acumen, emphasizing surprise and concentration of force, disrupted Union advances despite broader Confederate strategic constraints, though his absence contributed to subsequent operational setbacks in the Virginia theater.^[20][21]

1901–present

• 1904: Henry Morton Stanley, the Welsh-American explorer renowned for locating David Livingstone in 1871 and leading expeditions that mapped the Congo River, died at age 63 from complications of pleural pneumonia. His efforts, while advancing European imperial claims in Africa, yielded detailed geographic data that informed subsequent colonial administration and resource extraction.^[22]
• 1977: Joan Crawford, American actress who rose from a chorus dancer to a Hollywood icon through roles in films like Mildred Pierce (1945), earning an Academy Award, died at age 71 or 73 (disputed due to her adjusted birth year) from a heart attack. Her career highlighted individual talent-driven success in the studio system, though marked by personal scandals including rivalries and family estrangements detailed in her adopted daughter Christina's 1978 memoir Mommie Dearest, which alleged abusive behavior.^[23]
• 1994: John Wayne Gacy, American serial killer convicted in 1980 of murdering at least 33 boys and young men between 1972 and 1978, many of whom he lured to his home under the guise of employment, was executed by lethal injection at age 52. The case underscored failures in early investigative responses and contributed to policy shifts, including Illinois' expansion of background checks for contractors, as Gacy operated a construction business.
• 2023: Rolf Harris, Australian-born entertainer, musician, and artist who gained fame in the UK for television shows and hits like "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport" (1960), died at age 93 from neck cancer and old age. Convicted in 2014 of indecently assaulting four girls aged 7 to 15 between 1968 and 1986, he served nearly three years of a five-year-nine-month sentence; the trials revealed a pattern of exploitation enabled by celebrity status, prompting UK inquiries into institutional safeguarding failures in entertainment prior to heightened public awareness post-2010s scandals.^[24][25]

Deaths

Pre-1600

238: Gaius Julius Verus Maximinus, known as Maximinus Thrax, the Roman emperor who ruled from 235 to 238, was assassinated by mutinous legionaries on May 10 during the siege of Aquileia.^[9] Of Thracian origin and born around 173, Maximinus ascended through military ranks as the first emperor of entirely low-born extraction, without prior senatorial status, maintaining power via donatives to troops amid campaigns against Germanic tribes.^[9] The soldiers, frustrated by the stalled siege, supply shortages, and unfulfilled promises of booty, killed Maximinus and his son Maximus in their tent; the emperor's decapitated head was paraded on a spear and sent to Rome to appease the Senate.^[10] This abrupt end created a leadership vacuum, sparking the Year of the Six Emperors—marked by rapid successions, civil wars, and provincial revolts—that accelerated the empire's descent into the Crisis of the Third Century, with weakened central authority and economic strain from constant military upheavals.^[11] 1403: Katherine Swynford, Duchess of Lancaster by marriage to John of Gaunt, died on May 10 in Lincoln at about age 53, likely from natural causes associated with advanced age.^[12] Born around 1350 as Katherine de Roet, she served as governess to Gaunt's children before becoming his mistress circa 1370, bearing four Beaufort children whose 1397 legitimation by royal ordinance integrated them into the nobility.^[13] Widowed from her first husband Hugh Swynford in 1375, she wed Gaunt in 1396 following his second wife's death, elevating her status amid court scrutiny. Her passing, four years after Gaunt's in 1399, prompted no immediate succession crisis, as her Beaufort offspring—already embedded in Lancastrian networks—preserved familial influence; descendants like John Beaufort's line later bolstered Henry Tudor's claim, merging Yorkist and Lancastrian houses to end the Wars of the Roses.^[12] Burial occurred in Lincoln Cathedral, where a chantry established posthumously by daughter Joan Beaufort ensured liturgical continuity for her legacy.^[14]

1601–1900

George Vancouver, a British naval officer and explorer who charted much of the Pacific Northwest coast of North America during his 1791–1795 expedition, died on May 10, 1798, at age 40 in Petersham, England, likely from complications of malaria contracted earlier in his career.^[15] His surveys provided foundational maps for British claims in the region, emphasizing precise hydrographic work over speculative territorial assertions.^[15] Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau, the French general who commanded 5,500 troops in support of the American Continental Army during the Yorktown campaign of 1781, died on May 10, 1807, at age 81 in Thoré, France.^[16] Rochambeau's coordination with George Washington demonstrated effective allied logistics and siege tactics, prioritizing operational success amid limited resources rather than expansive ideological commitments.^[16] Paul Revere, an American silversmith, engraver, and patriot known for his midnight ride on April 18, 1775, to warn of British troop movements toward Lexington and Concord, died on May 10, 1818, at age 83 in Boston, Massachusetts.^[17] Beyond his role in alerting colonial militias—facilitating decentralized resistance through rapid communication—Revere advanced early American manufacturing by establishing one of the nation's first copper rolling mills in 1801.^{[17] [18]} Thomas Young, an English polymath physician and physicist who experimentally demonstrated the wave theory of light via the double-slit interference pattern in 1801 and contributed to the decipherment of Egyptian hieroglyphs, died on May 10, 1829, at age 55 in London.^[19] Young's modulus, quantifying elastic deformation in materials, remains a fundamental metric in engineering, derived from empirical stress-strain observations without reliance on unverified theoretical assumptions.^[19] Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, a Confederate general renowned for his rapid valley campaign maneuvers in 1862 that tied down superior Union forces and his flanking attack at Chancellorsville on May 2, 1863, died on May 10, 1863, at age 39 from pneumonia following amputation of his left arm, wounded by friendly fire eight days earlier.^[20] Jackson's tactical acumen, emphasizing surprise and concentration of force, disrupted Union advances despite broader Confederate strategic constraints, though his absence contributed to subsequent operational setbacks in the Virginia theater.^[20][21]

1901–present

• 1904: Henry Morton Stanley, the Welsh-American explorer renowned for locating David Livingstone in 1871 and leading expeditions that mapped the Congo River, died at age 63 from complications of pleural pneumonia. His efforts, while advancing European imperial claims in Africa, yielded detailed geographic data that informed subsequent colonial administration and resource extraction.^[22]
• 1977: Joan Crawford, American actress who rose from a chorus dancer to a Hollywood icon through roles in films like Mildred Pierce (1945), earning an Academy Award, died at age 71 or 73 (disputed due to her adjusted birth year) from a heart attack. Her career highlighted individual talent-driven success in the studio system, though marked by personal scandals including rivalries and family estrangements detailed in her adopted daughter Christina's 1978 memoir Mommie Dearest, which alleged abusive behavior.^[23]
• 1994: John Wayne Gacy, American serial killer convicted in 1980 of murdering at least 33 boys and young men between 1972 and 1978, many of whom he lured to his home under the guise of employment, was executed by lethal injection at age 52. The case underscored failures in early investigative responses and contributed to policy shifts, including Illinois' expansion of background checks for contractors, as Gacy operated a construction business.
• 2023: Rolf Harris, Australian-born entertainer, musician, and artist who gained fame in the UK for television shows and hits like "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport" (1960), died at age 93 from neck cancer and old age. Convicted in 2014 of indecently assaulting four girls aged 7 to 15 between 1968 and 1986, he served nearly three years of a five-year-nine-month sentence; the trials revealed a pattern of exploitation enabled by celebrity status, prompting UK inquiries into institutional safeguarding failures in entertainment prior to heightened public awareness post-2010s scandals.^[24][25]

Holidays and observances

Religious observances

In the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar, May 10 is the optional memorial of Saint John of Ávila, a Spanish priest (1499–1569) canonized in 1970 and named a Doctor of the Church in 2012 for his theological writings on spiritual formation and apostolic mission. Ávila's empirical influence is evident in his direction of clergy and laity, including precursors to the Society of Jesus, through treatises like Audi, filia, which advocated disciplined prayer, mortification, and evangelical preaching to foster personal conversion amid 16th-century Counter-Reformation challenges.^[26][27] The same date also commemorates Saint Damien of Molokai (Joseph de Veuster, 1840–1889), a Belgian-born priest of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts who volunteered in 1873 to serve the Hawaiian leper colony on Kalaupapa, where he constructed chapels, homes, and a water system, baptized over 600 individuals, and administered sacraments until contracting Hansen's disease himself, demonstrating causal efficacy in sustaining community morale and hygiene practices that reduced mortality rates before antibiotics. Canonized in 2009, his feast underscores missionary self-sacrifice grounded in Thomistic virtue ethics rather than modern humanitarianism.^[28][29] Older hagiographical traditions, preserved in martyrologies, mark May 10 as the feast of Saint Comgall (c. 520–602), an Irish abbot who founded Bangor Abbey in County Down, establishing a monastery that housed up to 3,000 monks under a strict rule emphasizing manual labor, scriptural study, and psalmody, which propagated Celtic monasticism across Europe via disciples like Columbanus.^[30] Additional minor commemorations include martyrs like Saint Gordianus and Saints Quartus and Quintus, executed in Rome during the 3rd-century persecutions under Emperor Valerian, highlighting early Church resilience against imperial edicts.^[26] No major movable feasts in the Christian calendar fixedly align with May 10, as events like Ascension Thursday occur 39 days after Easter Sunday per the computus algorithm, varying annually between April 30 and May 26 in the Gregorian system. Eastern Orthodox observance of May 10 (Gregorian) corresponds to April 27 (Julian), featuring saints like Hieromartyr Simeon of Emesa, but lacks universal prominence outside Old Calendar jurisdictions.^[31]

National and regional holidays

In North Carolina and South Carolina, May 10 is designated as Confederate Memorial Day, a state holiday commemorating the death of Confederate General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson on May 10, 1863, from wounds sustained at the Battle of Chancellorsville.^[32][33] Established in North Carolina since 1866 and formalized in South Carolina by Act 80 in 1896, the observance honors Confederate soldiers killed in the American Civil War and underscores historical debates over states' rights and Southern heritage preservation.^[34][35] State government offices close, allowing public ceremonies at memorials focused on military service and wartime sacrifices rather than broader ideological reinterpretations.^[36] In the Federated States of Micronesia, May 10 is Constitution Day, a national public holiday marking the ratification of the FSM Constitution on May 10, 1979, which provided the legal foundation for sovereignty after U.S. administration as a Trust Territory and enabled a federal system distributing powers among its four states.^[37] This framework has supported political stability and economic compacts with the U.S., including aid tied to defense provisions, fostering self-governance amid Pacific island challenges.^[8] In the Maldives, May 10 is National Children's Day (Kudakudhinge Dhuvas), a government-declared holiday promoting child welfare and rights through school events, community programs, and policy emphasis on education and health amid the nation's young demographic, where over 25% of the population is under 15.^[38][39] The observance aligns with national strategies addressing population growth and family planning impacts on child development in a densely populated archipelago.^[40]

Secular and cultural observances

World Lupus Day, observed annually on May 10, raises awareness of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a chronic autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks healthy tissues, leading to inflammation and damage in organs like the skin, joints, kidneys, and brain.^[41] Initiated in 2004 by lupus organizations from 13 countries at the 7th International Congress on Lupus and Related Diseases in New York City, the day unites global efforts to highlight the disease's impact, which disproportionately affects women (90% of cases) and shows higher prevalence among those of African, Caribbean, and Asian descent compared to Europeans.^{[42] [43]} Globally, SLE prevalence stands at 61.08 per 100,000 adults, equating to roughly 3.17 million cases, while in the United States, over 200,000 individuals are diagnosed.^{[43] [41]} Recent research advancements include identification of molecular defects in immune responses, such as imbalances in mediators that drive pathologic autoimmunity, and targeted biologics like belimumab, an anti-BAFF antibody approved for reducing flares in active SLE.^{[44] [45]} These developments stem from rigorous clinical trials and preclinical models, offering potential for more precise treatments beyond broad immunosuppressants, though long-term efficacy data remains under evaluation.^[46] In the United States, National Shrimp Day on May 10 promotes consumption of shrimp, the most popular seafood, with per capita intake reaching 5.9 pounds annually as of recent data—surpassing tuna, salmon, and other species combined for 38% of total seafood volume.^{[47] [48]} This unofficial observance, tracked by seafood industry calendars, aligns with promotional efforts by fisheries and retailers to boost demand for a high-protein, low-fat crustacean sourced largely from aquaculture and wild harvests, though sustainability concerns persist regarding bycatch and habitat impacts in unregulated fisheries.^[49] National Clean Up Your Room Day, also on May 10, encourages tidying personal spaces as a behavioral prompt rooted in spring cleaning traditions dating to the 19th century, when seasonal deep cleans addressed accumulated dust from wood-heated homes.^[50] Its precise origins are undocumented, likely emerging from informal parental initiatives or calendar promoters rather than formalized campaigns, with no empirical studies demonstrating widespread participation or lasting effects on habits like reducing clutter-linked stress.^{[51] [52]} Mother Ocean Day, established on May 10 in 2013 by the South Florida Kayak Fishing Club—a recreational group advocating for marine access—seeks to foster appreciation for oceans as providers of over 50% of Earth's oxygen via phytoplankton and habitats for millions of species.^{[53] [54]} Proponents emphasize threats like plastic pollution, estimated at 17 million metric tons entering oceans in 2021, yet comprehensive metrics such as the Ocean Health Index score global conditions at sustainable levels (around 70-80 across goals like biodiversity and fisheries), reflecting managed recoveries in fish stocks and resilience in vast ecosystems despite localized degradation.^{[55] [56]} This contrasts with unsubstantiated narratives of imminent collapse, as evidenced by stable or rebounding populations in regulated fisheries and natural carbon sequestration capacities exceeding annual emissions.^[57]