Famous Americans

Sally Ride was born on May 26, 1951, in Encino, Los Angeles, California.  In 1983, she became the first American woman in space, and the third woman overall, after two Soviet cosmonauts.

Reverend Theodore Martin Hesburgh was born on May 25, 1917, in Syracuse, New York.  He served as president Notre Dame University for 35 years, transforming it into one of the best colleges in America.

Glenn Hammond Curtiss was born on May 21, 1878, in Hammondsport, New York.  He designed the planes flown by most American WWI pilots, which were also used to carry the first airmail deliveries.

Johns Hopkins was born on May 19, 1795, in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. A successful businessman, he donated $7 million for the creation of schools and hospitals, the largest philanthropic gift in America up to that time.

William Henry Seward was born on May 16, 1801 in Florida, New York. Seward served as Abraham Lincoln’s secretary of state during the Civil War and later acquired Alaska for the United States.

On May 7, 1861, President Abraham Lincoln accepted the “honor of citizenship” from San Marino. It was one of the earliest instances of US and San Marino relations, which wouldn’t be formally established for decades. 

On May 5, 1961, Alan Shepard became the first American to travel into space when he successfully took a sub-orbital flight aboard Freedom 7.

Eugenie “Genie” Clark was born on May 4, 1922, in New York, New York.  Nicknamed “The Shark Lady,” she was a world-renowned marine biologist best known for her work with sharks and trailblazing in the field of scuba diving for marine research.

On May 2, 1863, Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson was mortally wounded at the battle of Chancellorsville. Regarded as a gifted tactical commander, his death was a major blow to the confederacy.