What happened on May 31 - Interesting US History

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A Website Devoted to Interesting Events in U.S. History

ON THIS DAY IN UNITED STATES HISTORY

May 31, 1889

South Fork Dam Breaks, Flooding the
Town of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, USA

On this day in 1889, after several days of heavy rainfall, the South Fork Dam collapsed upstream of Johnstown, Pennsylvania.

The failure releasing 20 million tons of water into the town below killing over 2,200 people and causing $17 million in damage.

May 31, 1951

The First Univac I Computer is Delivered
to the United States Census Bureau

On this day in 1951 Remington Rand delivered the first Univac I computer to the U.S Census Bureau.

The Univac I was the first American commercial computer and was the first designed for business and administrative use (as opposed to scientific use).

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The Star Spangled Banner

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The Mayflower Beer Run

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Women in the Civil War

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The Gettysburg Address

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The First Submarine

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New York Dixie

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Our Founding Fathers

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The War of 1812

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Sherrod Bryant

Interesting History Myths

◦	Myth: George Washington was the First President of the United States
◦	Myth: Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone
◦	Myth: Daniel Boone wore a coonskin cap
◦	Myth: Betsy Ross designed the first American flag
◦	Myth: Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin
◦	Myth: Christopher Columbus discovered the earth is round
◦	Myth: Abraham Lincoln's childhood log cabin is on display in Hodgenville, Kentucky
◦	Myth: The Civil War was all about slavery
◦	Myth: In April of 1775, Paul Revere rode through the streets from Boston to Lexington yelling "The British Are Coming"
◦	Myth: The Pilgrims lived in log cabins
◦	Myth: During the Civil War, Lincoln once said about Grant's drinking: "If I knew what brand he used, I'd send every general a barrel"
◦	Myth: Charles Lindbergh was the first man to fly nonstop across the Atlantic
◦	Myth: George Washington fathered several children by his slaves
◦	Myth: The Battle of Bunker Hill was fought on Bunker Hill
◦	Myth: When Confederate president, Jefferson Davis was arrested after the Civil War, he was wearing his wife's clothes
◦	Myth: The Liberty Bell rang on July 4, 1776 in celebration of American independence
◦	Myth: The reason Germany got off to such a fast start in World War II was because of its pre-war preparations

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May 31, 1889

South Fork Dam Breaks, Flooding the Town of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, USA

May 31, 1951

The First Univac I Computer is Delivered to the United States Census Bureau

South Fork Dam Breaks, Flooding the
Town of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, USA

The First Univac I Computer is Delivered
to the United States Census Bureau