On May 1, 1873, Scottish missionary David Livingstone went to meet the Lord whom he had faithfully served. After a bout with malaria, the body of Dr. Livinstone was found kneeling at by his bedside at about four o’clock in the morning with his head buried in his hands on the pillow in his frequent position of prayer.
Dr. Livingstone is credited with being the first man to cross Africa with the Gospel of Christ. Dr. Livingstone’s explorations of Africa became a matter of excitement both in England and in the United States. In 1871, Henry Stanley discovered Dr. Livingstone in Africa and allegedly made the now famous quote, "Dr. Livingstone, I presume." Henry Stanley had been sent on this expedition by Mr. J. G. Bennet of the New York Herald with the purpose to attain accurate information about Dr. Livingstone or to bring home his bones.
In addition to proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a needy land, Dr. Livingstone was also a physician, explorer, astronomer, linguist, geographer, zoologist, and emancipator among other things. He worked for the abolishment of the slave trade, including writing a letter to the New York Herald exactly one year before his death in which he concluded "All I can add in my loneliness, is, may Heaven’s rich blessing come down on every one, American, English or Turk, who will help to heal the open sore of the world." A statement that stands next to his grave in Westminster Abbey today. As an explorer, he famously tried to locate the source of the Nile River, but found the source of the Congo River instead.
For more information about Dr. Livingstone, consider these books.
Other events from May 1
Births
1852 - Calamity Jane (Martha Burke) - famous female gunslinger
1907 - Kate Smith - singer (her rendition of "God Bless America" thrilled Philadelphia Flyers
fan for years)
1925 - Chuck Bednarik - former NFL player known as "Concrete Charlie" (He played both offense and defense for the Philadelphia Eagles and was known for crushing tackles.)
Deaths
1451 - Thomas a Kempis - author of Imitation of Christ
1997 - Bebe the dolphin - played the role of TV’s "Flipper."
Holidays
May Day, Labor Day - in many places around the world
Law Day, U.S.A, and Loyalty Day
United States holidays put in place during the Presidential Administration of
General Dwight D. Eisenhower as an answer to the communist and socialist
emphasis associated with May Day.
Historical Events
1704 A Boston Newsletter publishes the first newspaper advertisement (Just think - Google adsense, pop-ups and infomercials started here )
1707 The United Kingdom formed by England, Scottland and Wales
1786 Mozart's Opera "Marriage of Figaro" debuts in Vienna
1844 Samuel Morse sends first telegraph message (The message - "What hath God wraught?" )
1863 The Battle of Chancellorsville begins during the American Civil War
1931 Empire State Building opens in New York City ("An Affair to Remember" would be forgettable without it! )
1933 Emporer Haile Selassie leaves Ethopia as Italian soldiers invade
1939 Batman begins - the comic books
1952 Mr. Potato Head is introduced
1956 The Polio Vaccine, developed by Dr. Jonas Salk, is made available to the public.
1961 Fidel Castro announces that there will be no more elections in Cuba
Sports Events
1883 Philadelphia Phillies play first game (The Fightin' Phillies are the oldest continuos one name, one city franchise in all of professional sports. )
1901 Herb McFarland hits first grand slam in American League history
1920 Babe Ruth hits his first home run as a New York Yankee
1920 Brooklyn Dodgers and Boston Braves play a 26-inning game (The game ended in a 1-1 tie)
1951 Mickey Mantle hits his first home run
1992 Ricky Henderson steals 1,000th base
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