May 21st is the 141st day of the year (142nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 224 days remaining in the year.

1542 • Hernando de Soto died along the Mississippi River while searching for gold.

1819 • Bicycles were first seen in the U.S. in New York City. They were originally known as “swift walkers”.

1832 • The Dimocrat Party held its first national corporate meeting.

1906 • Louis H. Perlman received his patent for the demountable tire carrying rim.

1927 • Charles A. Lindberg completed the first solo nonstop airplane flight across the Atlantic Ocean. The trip began May 20th.

1932 • Bad weather forces Amelia Earhart to land in a pasture in Derry, Northern Ireland, and she thereby becomes the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.

1970 • The National Guard was mobilized to quell disturbances at Ohio State University.

1980 • The movie The Empire Strikes Back was released.

2014 • The National September 11th Museum opens to the public.

Today in History