On This Day in History – May 10: What Happened on May 10?

On this day in history, May 10 carries events that shaped the architecture of nations and the course of war.

What happened on May 10 in history includes the founding of the first transcontinental railroad in the United States, Winston Churchill becoming British Prime Minister in 1940, and the opening of the Confederacy’s last government meeting.

Today in history, May 10 also marks the opening of the first session of the Continental Congress and Nelson Mandela’s presidential inauguration in 1994.

Famous birthdays on May 10 include Fred Astaire, Bono, and novelist Judy Blume.

National days on May 10 include National Shrimp Day in the U.S. This day in history, May 10 fun facts reveal a date of railroad spikes, wartime appointments, and cinematic firsts.

May 10 on the Calendar

May 10 is the 130th day of the year in standard years and the 131st day in leap years. There are 235 days remaining in the year.

The zodiac sign is Taurus (April 20 – May 20). In the Northern Hemisphere, May 10th sits in mid-spring, with average high temperatures in the U.S. Midwest reaching approximately 68°F (20°C) and daylight hours extending to roughly 14 hours and 20 minutes at 40°N latitude.

10th May Calendar Facts

Major Historical Events on May 10

May 10 holds a distinct record across transportation, politics, warfare, and civil rights milestones.

The following events represent documented turning points drawn from the 1700s through the 2000s.

1775 — The Second Continental Congress convenes in Philadelphia at the Pennsylvania State House, later known as Independence Hall. This body would go on to adopt the Declaration of Independence in July 1776 and oversee the American Revolutionary War.

1775 — Fort Ticonderoga on Lake Champlain is captured from British forces by Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys, along with Benedict Arnold, in a surprise predawn raid. The fort’s cannons were later transported to Boston by Henry Knox and positioned on Dorchester Heights, forcing the British evacuation of the city.

1775 — The same day, Benedict Arnold and a small force capture the British garrison at Crown Point, New York, securing control of the upper Lake Champlain corridor for Continental forces.

1837 — A financial crisis known as the Panic of 1837 reached its peak as banks in New York City suspended specie payments, refusing to exchange paper currency for gold or silver coins. The panic triggered a 5-year economic depression, one of the most severe in early American history.

1869 — The Golden Spike is driven at Promontory Summit, Utah, completing the First Transcontinental Railroad. The Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads met here, linking the Atlantic to the Pacific by rail for the first time. The event was telegraphed to the nation and celebrated with bell-ringing and cannon fire from coast to coast.

1924 — J. Edgar Hoover is appointed director of the Bureau of Investigation, later renamed the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in 1935. Hoover served until he died in 1972, a 48-year tenure making him the longest-serving director of any major federal agency in U.S. history.

1933 — Nazi students and officials burn approximately 25,000 books in public bonfires across Germany, targeting works by Jewish authors, political dissidents, and those deemed contrary to Nazi ideology. The most notable burning occurred at Bebelplatz in Berlin. American poet Heinrich Heine had written in 1820, “Where they burn books, they will ultimately burn people also.”

1940 — Winston Churchill is appointed Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, replacing Neville Chamberlain, who resigned after a parliamentary vote of no confidence over the failed Norway Campaign. On the same day, Germany launched its invasion of France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg — Operation Fall Gelb (Case Yellow).

1994 — Nelson Mandela is inaugurated as the first Black president of South Africa in Pretoria, 27 years after his imprisonment on Robben Island. The ceremony was attended by 140 world leaders and broadcast to an estimated global audience of 1 billion people. Mandela served one term, retiring in 1999.

2000 — A catastrophic fire in Cerro Grande, New Mexico, burns out of control from a National Park Service prescribed burn and destroys approximately 235 structures in Los Alamos, home of the Los Alamos National Laboratory. The fire forced the evacuation of 18,000 residents and burned 48,000 acres.

2010 — The European Union and International Monetary Fund announce a €750 billion emergency loan package for eurozone member states threatened by sovereign debt default following Greece’s fiscal crisis. The package created the European Financial Stability Facility, the first eurozone-wide financial backstop mechanism.

What’s Happening on May 10, 2026?

Mother’s Day (United States and many countries): May 10, 2026, is the second Sunday of May, making it Mother’s Day in the United States, Canada, Australia, and approximately 40 other countries. Retail spending on Mother’s Day in the U.S. reached $35.7 billion in 2024, according to the National Retail Federation, with flowers, dining, and jewelry among the top gift categories.

Golden Spike Anniversary: May 10, 2026, marks the 157th anniversary of the completion of the First Transcontinental Railroad at Promontory Summit, Utah. The Golden Spike National Historical Park typically holds commemorative events and ceremonial spike re-enactments.

Ongoing legislative sessions: The U.S. Congress and UK Parliament are both in session, with May 2026 expected to see continued debate over AI regulation, housing policy, and international trade frameworks.

National Shrimp Day (U.S.): Food industry publications, restaurants, and recipe platforms highlight shrimp-focused content. The U.S. shrimp industry, centered in the Gulf of Mexico states, lands approximately 200 million pounds of shrimp annually.

Holidays on May 10, 2026

May 10, 2026, is a Sunday characterized by major family celebrations, national observances, and international awareness days.

Most notably, it is Mother’s Day in the United States and dozens of other countries.

Major International and National Observances

Regional and Cultural Holidays

Fun and Awareness Days

Religious Observances

Because May 10, 2026, falls on the second Sunday of May, it is dominated by Mother’s Day celebrations across much of the globe.

It also serves as a day for health awareness with World Lupus Day and National Lipid Day.

Famous Birthdays on May 10

Fred Astaire (1899–1987, American) — Dancer, actor, and choreographer whose partnership with Ginger Rogers in a series of RKO musical films from 1933 to 1939 defined the Hollywood golden age of the musical. He is widely regarded as the most influential male dancer in cinema history.

Bono (born 1960, Irish) — Lead vocalist of U2, the rock band that has sold over 170 million albums worldwide. Born Paul David Hewson in Dublin, he is also a prominent humanitarian activist, co-founding the ONE Campaign and the Product RED initiative targeting global poverty and AIDS.

Judy Blume (born 1938, American) — Novelist whose young adult books include Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret (1970) and Forever (1975) addressed puberty, sexuality, and adolescence in ways that were groundbreaking for the genre. Her books have collectively sold over 85 million copies and remain among the most frequently challenged books in U.S. libraries.

Donovan (born 1946, Scottish) — Singer-songwriter and guitarist who charted 14 top-40 singles in the United States during the 1960s, including “Sunshine Superman” (1966) and “Mellow Yellow” (1966). He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012.

Gary Owens (1934–2015, American) — Radio personality and voice actor best known as the announcer on Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In (1968–1973) and as the voice of Space Ghost in Hanna-Barbera animated productions.

David O. Selznick (1902–1965, American) — Film producer responsible for Gone with the Wind (1939) and Rebecca (1940), both of which won the Academy Award for Best Picture. He remains the only producer to win consecutive Best Picture awards.

Sid Vicious (1957–1979, British) — Bassist of the punk rock band the Sex Pistols, whose album Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols (1977) reached No. 1 in the UK charts. He died of a heroin overdose at age 21 while awaiting trial for the death of his girlfriend, Nancy Spungen.

Missy Franklin (born 1995, American) — Competitive swimmer who won 4 gold medals and 1 bronze at the 2012 London Olympics at age 17, becoming one of the most decorated athletes at those Games. She was named Swimming World Magazine’s American Swimmer of the Year four times.

Notable Deaths on May 10

Joan of Arc (1412–1431, French) — Military leader and national heroine of France who led French forces to several key victories during the Hundred Years’ War at the age of 17–18. She was captured, tried for heresy, and burned at the stake in Rouen on May 30, 1431. She was canonized by the Catholic Church in 1920.

Henry Stanley (1841–1904, British-American) — Explorer and journalist who found the missing missionary David Livingstone in 1871 in present-day Tanzania, reportedly greeting him with “Dr. Livingstone, I presume?” He later led expeditions that mapped the Congo River basin and contributed to Belgian colonization of the Congo Free State.

Karl Barth (1886–1968, Swiss) — One of the most influential Protestant theologians of the 20th century, author of the 13-volume Church Dogmatics and a leader of the Confessing Church that opposed Nazi influence in German Protestantism during the 1930s.

Tadeusz Kościuszko (1746–1817, Polish) — Military engineer and national hero of both Poland and the United States who served in the Continental Army during the American Revolution. He designed the fortifications at West Point and Saratoga, the latter of which played a crucial role in the American victory at the Battle of Saratoga in 1777.

Nancy Astor (1879–1964, American-British) — The first woman to take a seat in the British House of Commons, serving as MP for Plymouth Sutton from 1919 to 1945. Her political career spanned 26 years and advocated for women’s suffrage, temperance, and nursery school education.

National Days & Holidays on May 10

Mother’s Day (U.S., Canada, Australia, and approximately 40 other countries): Observed on the second Sunday of May, Mother’s Day was officially established as a U.S. national holiday by President Woodrow Wilson in 1914. Its founder, Anna Jarvis, later campaigned against its commercialization, calling the holiday a “Hallmark holiday.”

National Shrimp Day (U.S.): An informal food observance recognizing shrimp as one of the most consumed seafood items in the United States. According to NOAA Fisheries data, Americans consume an average of 4.6 pounds of shrimp per person annually — more than any other seafood.

Golden Spike Day (informal, U.S.): Commemorated annually in Utah and by railroad history enthusiasts, this date marks the 1869 completion of the transcontinental railroad. The original Golden Spike is housed at Stanford University’s Cantor Arts Center.

Fiesta de la Comunidad de Madrid (Spain): May 2 is the official Madrid community holiday, but regional events and cultural programming continue through May 10, particularly in Madrid’s barrios hosting street fairs and municipal concerts.

International Observances on May 10

World Lupus Day is observed on May 10 each year, coordinated by Lupus International and recognized by the World Health Organization. Lupus is a systemic autoimmune disease affecting approximately 5 million people worldwide, with women of childbearing age comprising over 90% of diagnosed cases.

Migratory Bird Day observances continue across the Western Hemisphere, with birdwatching events coordinated through Partners in Flight, a coalition of government and non-government organizations tracking neotropical migratory bird populations.

Fun & Weird Facts About May 10

The Golden Spike is not actually gold. The ceremonial spike driven at Promontory Summit on May 10, 1869, was made of 17.6-karat gold and weighed approximately 14.35 ounces. It was presented by David Hewes, a San Francisco businessman, and was wired to the telegraph line so the hammer blows would transmit the signal. The spike now resides at Stanford University.

Winston Churchill became Prime Minister on the worst day of World War II to that point. On May 10, 1940, the same day Churchill replaced Chamberlain, Germany launched its full-scale invasion of Western Europe. Churchill reportedly told his bodyguard that evening that he felt his “whole life had been but a preparation for this hour.”

The Nazi book burnings of May 10, 1933, targeted 94 specific authors. The list included Sigmund Freud, Karl Marx, Bertolt Brecht, Ernest Hemingway, and H.G. Wells. The burning at Berlin’s Bebelplatz was staged as a public spectacle by the German Student Union, with approximately 40,000 people in attendance.

J. Edgar Hoover was 29 years old when appointed FBI director. His appointment on May 10, 1924, made him one of the youngest heads of a major federal law enforcement agency. He remained in the post through eight presidential administrations, from Calvin Coolidge through Richard Nixon.

Nelson Mandela wore a Springboks rugby jersey at the 1995 Rugby World Cup final, held in Johannesburg — just one year after his inauguration on May 10, 1994. The gesture of wearing the jersey of a team historically associated with white South African identity became one of the defining moments of post-apartheid reconciliation.

FAQ – May 10 in History