Moments in Time: Tom Petty
The History Channel
On May 19, 1536, Anne Boleyn, the unfortunate second wife of England's King Henry VIII, was beheaded at the Tower of London on charges including adultery, incest and conspiracy against the king, after just three years of marriage.
On May 20, 1992, in an attempt to end the blight of graffiti vandalism, the Chicago City Council passed an ordinance banning the retail sale of spray paint and large markers within city limits, describing them as "weapons of terror."
On May 21, 1758, 10-year-old Mary Campbell was abducted from her home in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, by members of the Lenape tribe and ended up becoming an icon of the French and Indian War. At age 16, she was returned to a European settlement in the captive release orchestrated by Colonel Henry Bouquet at the conclusion of Pontiac's War.
On May 22, 1802, Martha Dandridge Custis Washington, widow of President George Washington, died of a "severe fever" at her Mount Vernon home at the age of 70. Though she was a devoted wife, she did not entirely enjoy her role as "Lady Washington" and once confessed that she felt "more like a state prisoner than anything else."
On May 23, 1979, rocker Tom Petty declared bankruptcy in an effort to free himself from his contract with Shelter Records.
On May 24, 1964, a referee's call in the last minutes of a close soccer match between Peru and Argentina at the National Stadium in Lima, Peru, sparked a riot that resulted in the deaths of more than 300 fans. Another 500 people were injured.
On May 25, 2020, George Floyd was killed by Derek Chauvin, a white Minneapolis policeman who knelt on his neck for nearly 10 minutes. Floyd's death was recorded by bystanders and incited nationwide protests resulting in the imposition of curfews in more than 200 American cities and the activation of the National Guard throughout half the country. Chauvin was arrested on multiple charges and eventually sentenced to more than two decades in prison.
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