History Today

Today in History — May 15

1940

15 May 1940: First McDonald\x27s Restaurant Opens in San Bernardino, California

On May 15, 1940, the first McDonald's restaurant opened its doors in San Bernardino, California, beginning what would become one of the most remarkable business success stories in American history. Brothers Maurice Mac and Richard…

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More from the Archive

1948

14 May 1948: David Ben-Gurion Proclaims the Establishment of the State of Israel

On May 14, 1948, David Ben-Gurion stood in the Tel Aviv Museum and proclaimed the establishment of the State of Israel, fulfilling a two-thousand-year dream of the Jewish people to return to their ancestral homeland.…

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1607

13 May 1607: English Colonists Establish Jamestown, First Permanent Settlement in America

On May 13, 1607, a group of approximately one hundred English colonists stepped ashore on the banks of the James River in Virginia, establishing Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in North America. This moment…

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