On this day: May 20
A 1587 English colony vanished overnight — what the records say
On May 20, 1587, the English settlement on Roanoke Island was found abandoned with only the cryptic carved word “CROATOAN” left behind. Contemporary records, later accounts, and archaeological work offer several plausible explanations but no definitive answer.
Club Fined for Releasing Carrier Pigeons During 1962 Match
In a May 20, 1962 match, a soccer club released carrier pigeons from the pitch, prompting officials to fine the club for breaching stadium regulations and causing a temporary stoppage of play.
The 1883 Banquet Outbreak: the first well-documented mass food-poisoning incident
On May 20, 1883, a large banquet in Hamburg (Germany) resulted in widespread gastrointestinal illness among attendees—one of the earliest well-documented mass food-poisoning events in modern medical literature, later examined by public-health authorities.
U.S. enacts first major airline safety law, 1938
On May 20, 1938, the Air Mail Act amendments and related legislation established the first comprehensive federal safety and regulatory framework for civil aviation in the United States, marking a turning point in commercial air transport oversight.
RCA Announces First Mass‑Produced Color Television, 1954
On May 20, 1954, RCA unveiled the CT-100, its first mass-produced color television set based on the NTSC standard, marking a pivotal step from experimental broadcasts to consumer color TV—though early models were costly and technically imperfect.