09 May History
- 1502 - Christopher Columbus leaves Spain on his final trip to New World.
- 1754 - The first newspaper cartoon in America appears.
- 1813 - U.S. troops under William Henry Harrison take Fort Meigs from British and Canadian troops.
- 1864 - Union General John Sedgwick is shot and killed by a Confederate sharpshooter during fighting at Spotsylvania. His last words are: "They couldn't hit an elephant at this dist–"
- 1859 - Threatened by the advancing French army, the Austrian army retreats across the River Sesia in Italy.
- 1915 - German and French forces fight the Battle of Artois.
- 1926 - Explorer Richard Byrd and Floyd Bennett make the first flight over the North Pole.
- 1936 - Fascist Italy captures the city of Addis Abba, Ethiopia and annexes the country.
- 1941 - The German submarine U-110 is captured at sea along with its Enigma machine by the Royal Navy.
- 1946 - King Victor Emmanuel II of Italy abdicates his throne and is replaced by Umberto.
- 1962 - A laser beam is successfully bounced off the moon for the first time.
- 1974 - The House Judiciary Committee begins formal hearings on Nixon impeachment.
09 May Birthdays
- 1800 - John Brown, abolitionist.
- 1844 - Belle Boyd, Confederate spy.
- 1860 - James Mathew Barrie, writer (Peter Pan, The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up).
- 1873 - Howard Carter, British archaeologist.
- 1882 - Henry J. Kaiser, shipbuilder.
- 1906 - Eleanor Estes, children's author.
- 1921 - Mona van Duyn, American poet laureate.
- 1934 - Alan Bennett, British playwright and screenwriter (The Madness of King George III).
- 1936 - Albert Finney, British actor (Murder on the Orient Express, Tom Jones).