The Week in History: Hindenburg Disaster, First American in Space

May 1, 1931 The Empire State Building officially opens as the world's tallest building.

May 3, 1802 The city of Washington, D.C., is incorporated, with an elected council and a mayor appointed by the president.

May 5, 1961 Alan Shepard, piloting the Freedom 7 capsule, becomes the first American in space.

May 6, 1937 The German airship Hindenburg bursts into flames over Lakehurst, N.J.

May 7, 1789 President George Washington attends the first U.S. inaugural ball, in New York City.

• Check out a roundup of this month's best political cartoons.
• Follow the money in Congress.
• See a slide show of the 10 best cities to find a job.
• Get the latest Washington news delivered to your inbox.

Reader Comments

Add Your Thoughts

Comment Name State Select One AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE DC FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY International Email

Please enter the two words below into the text field underneath the image.

Incorrect please try again

Enter the words above: Enter the numbers you hear:

Your comment will be posted immediately, unless it is spam or contains profanity. For more information, please see our Comments FAQ.