May
What historic events happened in May?
May
May 1, 1898
Admiral George Dewey, native of Montpelier, Vermont, won the Battle of Manila Bay by destroying the Spanish fleet. When Dewey returned to America, he was greeted by the nation as the greatest living naval hero.
May 10, 1775
Fort Ticonderoga is captured by the Green Mountain Boys under the leadership of Ethan Allen.
May 11, 1846
Henry Denison, legal advisor to several Japanese emperors, is born on this day in Guildhall.
May 17, 1886
John Deere, a native of Rutland, developer of the self-scouring steel plow and founder of a farm machinery empire, dies in Moline, Illinois. His invention was known as the "plow that broke the plains," because it was used by farmers on the Great Plains.
May 23, 1796
Historian and naturalist Zadock Thompson is born in Bridgewater. He wrote history books and sold them cheaply so that all Vermonters could read them.
May 31, 1778
Ethan Allen returns to Vermont after being held prisoner by the British for nearly three years. Allen was caught when he tried unsuccessfully to capture Montreal.
May 31, 2003
ECHO, The Leahy Center for Lake Champlain opened at the Burlington Waterfront. ECHO stands for The Ecology, Culture, History, and Opportunities Center. Senator Patrick Leahy helped open ECHO. The center helps people learn about life in and near Lake Champlain.