May 26th

Congress passed a four-year extension of post-Sept. 11 powers contained in the Patriot Act to search records and conduct roving wiretaps in pursuit of terrorists.

California's Supreme Court upheld the Proposition 8 gay marriage ban but said the 18,000 same-sex weddings that had taken place before the prohibition passed were still valid.

The United States Army veteran Terry Nichols is found guilty of 161 state murder charges for helping carry out the Oklahoma City bombing.

Rwandans voted to approve a new constitution that instituted a balance of power between Hutu and Tutsi.

The Supreme Court ruled that Ellis Island - historic gateway for millions of immigrants - is mainly in New Jersey, not New York.

Pop star Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley were married in the Dominican Republic.

The first legal casino to be operated in the United States outside of Nevada was opened in Atlantic City.

George Willig, "the human fly," scaled the World Trade Center in New York City by attaching himself to the window washer mechanism and walking straight up until falling into police custody when he reached the top. It took Willig three and a half hours to make the climb, and $1.10 in fines—a penny per floor.

President Richard M. Nixon and Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev signed the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty in Moscow.

The Tupolev Tu-144 becomes the first commercial transport to exceed Mach 2. The Russian plane, sometimes nicknamed Concordski, first took to the skies in 1968, two months before the Concorde.

Apollo 10 returned to Earth after a mission that served as a dress rehearsal for the first moon landing.

Pittsburgh Pirates’ Harvey Haddix pitched 12 perfect innings against the Milwaukee Braves before losing, 1–0, in the 13th.

South Africa elects a nationalist government under D. F. Malan with an apartheid policy.

Allied troops began the massive naval evacuation of troops from Dunkirk, France, during World War II.

Henry Ford and the Ford Motor Company produce the last (and 15th million) Model T Ford / Tin Lizzie.

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is held for the first time. Only three competitors completed the race in 1923. The winners were André Lagarde and Albert Leonard of France, who covered 2210 kilometers in 24 hours.

The first major oil strike in the Middle East took place as engineers working for British entrepreneur William Knox D'Arcy hit a gusher in Masjid-i-Suleiman in present-day Iran.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was first published. The average price of the 11 initial stocks was 40.94.

The impeachment trial of President Andrew Johnson ended with his acquittal as the Senate fell one vote short of the two-thirds majority required for conviction.

Napoleon Bonaparte was crowned king of Italy.

England, France & Netherlands sign Drievoudig Covenant against Spain.

Martin Luther was declared an outlaw and his writings were banned by the Edict of Worms.