Today marks the anniversary of a pivotal and tragic event in American history: the Tulsa Race Massacre, which began on May 31, 1921. This event saw white mobs looting and burning the affluent Black district of Greenwood in Tulsa, Oklahoma, following reports of an alleged assault by a Black man on a white woman in an elevator. The violence resulted in the deaths of as many as 300 Black residents, though the exact number remains unknown.
Other Historical Events on May 31
In addition to the Tulsa Race Massacre, several other significant events occurred on this date throughout history. In 1790, President George Washington signed the first U.S. copyright act into law, marking a foundational moment for intellectual property rights in the United States.
The Johnstown Flood of 1889 was another tragic event, where the collapse of the South Fork Dam in Pennsylvania led to the deaths of over 2,200 people as 20 million tons of water devastated the town of Johnstown.
In 1949, Alger Hiss, a former State Department official, went on trial in New York for perjury related to accusations of being a Soviet spy. Although the initial trial ended with a hung jury, Hiss was later convicted in a second trial.
On May 31, 1970, a devastating earthquake struck the Ancash region of Peru, leading to a landslide that killed an estimated 67,000 people. This natural disaster remains one of the deadliest in the history of the Americas.
The completion of the Trans-Alaska oil pipeline in 1977 marked a significant achievement in engineering and energy infrastructure, spanning 800 miles across Alaska after three years of construction.
In 2005, the identity of the Watergate scandal informant known as “Deep Throat” was revealed as former FBI official W. Mark Felt, as confirmed by Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein.
Millvina Dean, the last survivor of the RMS Titanic sinking in 1912, passed away in 2009 at the age of 97, marking the end of a direct human connection to that maritime disaster.
The release of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl in 2014, the only American soldier held prisoner in Afghanistan, was a notable event. He was exchanged for five Afghan detainees from Guantanamo Bay, though he later faced legal consequences for his actions in Afghanistan.
In 2019, a tragic shooting occurred in Virginia Beach, Virginia, when a city employee opened fire in a municipal building, killing 12 people before being shot by police. The shooter had resigned via email hours before the attack.
Original reporting: Texarkana Gazette — read the source article.
