On 16th May…

1620 - William Adams, the first Englishman to visit Japan died. Adams first arrived in Japan in 1600 on a ship that was originally headed for Indonesia but had been battered and blown off course by storms. Finding himself in Japan, he was summoned to Osaka where he was detained and questioned by the shogun or military leader, Tokugawa Ieyasu. The shogun was so impressed with Adam’s knowledge of ships and navigation that he released him and made him one of his confidantes. Adams was refused permission to return to his family in England, so he became permanently settled in Japan and raised a new family. He became known as Anjin (Pilot) and oversaw the construction of western style ships. He also officiated between the shogun and European traders who began to visit Japan.

On 17th May…

1590 - Anne of Denmark, the wife of King James VI of Scotland was crowned Queen of Scotland. Anne had married James VI in 1589 when she was just fourteen years old.

On 18th May…

1991 - Helen Sharman became the first British astronaut. She participated in a Soviet mission to the space station Mir which lasted nearly eight days. Whilst in space she conducted medical and agricultural tests.

On 19th May…

On 20th May…

685 - Battle of Nechtansmere or Battle of Dun Nechtain was fought between the Picts of Scotland and the Anglo-Saxon Northumbrians. The Picts were led to victory by King Brude MacBile, killing the Northumbrian King Ecgfrith and regaining the lands that they had lost in previous years. This decisive battle secured the boundaries of the lands of the Picts which some scholars now believe may have led to the foundation of Scotland.

On 21st May…

1927 - Charles Lindbergh landed in France after completing the first non-stop solo flight across the Atlantic. The flight took 33 and a half hours.

On 22nd May…