A closer look at key historic events that took place on May 15:
PRI96 – 19910703 – PARIS, PARIS, FRANCE : (files) File photo dated 03 February 1991 at the Elysee Palace shows former French Prime Minister Edith Cresson (R) with former Foregn Affairs Minister Roland Dumas, charged with corruption. The French daily Le Monde alleged 23 February 2000 that a company set up by Cresson received 3 million francs from a Swiss subsidiary of the oil giant Elf in connetion with the buy-out by Elf of the then-East German petrol refinery Leuna.
EPA PHOTO AFP-ARCHIVES/MICHEL GANGNE/MAS/lc/w
In 1948, the Arab-Israeli War begins
A day after Israel declared its independence, Egypt, Syria, Transjordan (now Jordan), and Iraq, along with other Arab states, invaded the country. The conflict arose due to competing claims over territory and the establishment of the State of Israel, which was seen as illegitimate by many Arab states and Palestinians. It lasted nearly 10 months and caused thousands of casualties on both sides.
Yitzhak Rabin (with cap) as an officer together with Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion and commander of the southern front Yigal Allon during the war in 1948. David Ben Gurion 1948
By Unknown /IDF.
License: CC BY NC 2.0
In 1940, the first McDonald’s restaurant opens
It was a BBQ restaurant called “McDonald’s Bar-B-Q” in San Bernardino, California, founded by Richard and Maurice McDonald. They later restructured and reopened as a burger-focused restaurant in 1948, which eventually led to the birth of the fast food concept that McDonald’s is now famous for.
SAN BERNARDINO, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES – 3 November 2022: First Original McDonald’s Museum in San Bernardino USA. Shutterstock
In 1940, Nylon stockings go on sale
They were an instant success and American stores sold out in days.
DuPont advertisement for nylon, from the May 16, 1949 issue of Life magazine. Flickr
In 1930, the first flight attendant goes on duty
Ellen Church convinced Boeing Air Transport (now United Airlines) to hire her and seven other nurses as flight attendants. Flight attendants were initially required to be registered nurses and were responsible for ensuring passenger safety and comfort during flights. Church and her team served snacks on a United Airlines flight from Oakland to Chicago on May 15.
Boeing Air Transport air hostess uniform. Photo taken at Flight Path Museum at the south end of Los Angeles International Airport, covering the history of aviation, especially as it pertains to LAX. Wikimedia Commons
In 1928, the first Mickey Mouse film debuts
It was a 6-minute film called “Plane Crazy”, directed by Walt Disney and shows Mickey trying to fly an airplane.
Flickr
In 1918, the first regular airmail route in the United States opens
It operated between New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. The first flight on this route was flown on May 15 by Army pilots under the direction of the U.S. Post Office Department.
A circa 1920s airmail pilot flight suit at the American Airlines C.R. Smith Museum in Fort Worth, Texas (United States). Wikimedia Commons
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