10 Odd But True Facts From May 7

What do Joan of Arc, Ludwig van Beethoven and Herod the Great have in common? All three share an important anniversary on May 7th.

1429 – Joan of Arc ends the Siege of Orléans, pulling an arrow from her own shoulder and returning wounded to the battle to successfully lead the final charge. Her victory marks a turning point in the Hundred Years' War.

1824 – The world premiere of Ludwig van Beethoven's Ninth Symphony occurs in Vienna, Austria.

1846 – The Cambridge Chronicle, America's oldest surviving weekly newspaper, is published for the first time in Cambridge, Massachusetts

1847 – The American Medical Association is founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

1895 – In Saint Petersburg, Russian scientist Alexander Stepanovich Popov demonstrates to the Russian Physical and Chemical Society his invention, the Popov lightning detector — a primitive radio receiver. In parts of the former Soviet Union the event is celebrated as Radio Day.

1915 – The German submarine U-20 sinks RMS Lusitania, killing 1,198 people including 128 Americans. Public reaction to the sinking turns many formerly pro-Germany citizens in the United States against the German Empire

1946 – Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering (later renamed Sony) is founded with around 20 employees.

1952 – The concept of the integrated circuit, the basis for all modern computers, is first published by Geoffrey W.A. Dummer.

1998 – Mercedes-Benz buys Chrysler for $40 billion and forms DaimlerChrysler in the largest industrial merger in history.     

2007 – Israeli archaeologists discover the tomb of Herod the Great south of Jerusalem.

Thank you for reading 10 Odd But True Facts From May 7.