Important Events From This day in History – 15 May

Today in History

• 1948 Egypt, Syria, Transjordan, and Iraq invade Israel

  The day before the invasion, Israel declared independence, which triggered the First Arab-Israeli War. It lasted nearly ten months and resulted in thousands of deaths on both sides.

• 1940 The first McDonald’s fast food restaurant opens

  In San Bernardino, Maurice “Mac” and Richard “Dick” McDonald established McDonald’s Bar-B-Q. McDonald’s is now the world’s largest fast-food corporation.

• 1930 The first airline stewardess goes on duty

  On a United Airlines flight from Oakland to Chicago, Ellen Church, and her team served snacks. Flight attendants were also in charge of refueling the plane, handling luggage, and checking tickets.

• 1928 The first Mickey Mouse film is screened

  Walt Disney’s 6-minute film “Plane Crazy” depicts Mickey attempting to fly an airplane in homage to Charles Lindbergh. Today, Mickey Mouse is one of the world’s most recognizable cartoon characters and the Walt Disney Company’s official mascot.

• 1718 The world’s first machine gun is patented

  James Puckle, a British lawyer, invented the 25.4 mm caliber “Puckle Gun” for use on ships. It was intended for two types of bullets: round bullets for Christians and (more dangerous) square bullets for Turks.