31st May 1981: Jaffna Public Library in Sri Lanka burnt down during a violent attack
31/05/2026
The Jaffna Public Library in Sri Lanka was burnt down during a violent rampage by an organised mob of ethnic ...
30th May 1431: Joan of Arc executed in the French city of Rouen for heresy
30/05/2026
Joan was accused of being a witch and a heretic due to the voices she heard and visions she witnessed, but the crime that condemned her to death was that of wearing men’s ...
29th May 1854: Paddington Station opens as the London terminus of the Great Western Railway
29/05/2026
The completed station was formally opened for use on 29 May 1854 to link London with the west of England and South Wales, reflecting the broader growth of rail transport during the mid-nineteenth ...
28th May 1987: Mathias Rust, an 18-year-old amateur pilot from West Germany, illegally landed a private aircraft near Moscow’s Red Square
28/05/2026
Rust approached Moscow in the early evening and, after passing the city's ‘Ring of Steel’ anti-aircraft defences, touched down on a bridge next to St Basil’s Cathedral and taxied his aircraft into Red ...
27th May 1199: King John of England crowned at Westminster Abbey in London
27/05/2026
John ruled for seventeen years before contracting dysentery while in Kings Lynn, an illness from which he later ...
The 'on this day in history' podcast, with a new episode every single day. Featuring historical events that range from the Roman Empire to the World Wide Web, HistoryPod proves that there is always something to be remembered 'on this day'. Written and presented by Scott Allsop, creator of the award-winning www.mrallsophistory.com
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