Moments in Time: Anti-spitting law
The History Channel
On May 12, 1896, New York City passed America's first anti-spitting law in an effort to combat tuberculosis, imposing fines and even jail time on unruly protesters who demonstrated their discontent by expectorating on anti-spitting signs. By 1910, more than 2,500 arrests had been made.
On May 13, 1846, in response to a request by President James Polk, the U.S. Congress declared war on Mexico. The conflict, which ended two years later with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, eventually cost the lives of 11,300 American soldiers and resulted in the annexation of lands that became parts of Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, California, Utah and Colorado.
On May 14, 1998, legendary crooner, actor and show business icon Frank Sinatra died of a heart attack in Los Angeles at the age of 82. A heartthrob who married four times and divorced three, Sinatra's career spanned more than five decades, including a notable comeback in the 1950s.
On May 15, 1948, 3-year-old June Devaney of Blackburn, England, was abducted from the hospital where she was recuperating from pneumonia. After her body was found two hours later, the detective inspector assigned to the case ordered the fingerprinting of the more than 40,000 men residing in Blackburn, which took nearly three months but eventually led to the killer, who was convicted and executed later that year.
On May 16, 1975, Junko Tabei of Japan became the first woman to summit Mount Everest. She later gained further fame as the first woman to scale all Seven Summits, the tallest mountains on each continent.
On May 17, 2000, the final episode of "Beverly Hills, 90210" aired after 10 seasons.
On May 18, 2012, Facebook held its initial public offering (IPO) and raised $16 billion. It was the largest technology IPO in American history at the time and third-largest IPO in the United States, after those of Visa and General Motors. When it went public, the social network was valued at $104 billion and boasted some 900 million registered users around the world.
(c) 2025 King Features Synd., Inc.