The Transcontinental Railroad was the first continuous railroad line across the United States and opened for through traffic on May 10, 1869 when Central Pacific Railroad President Leland Stanford ceremonially drove the gold "Last Spike" at Promontory Summit. Railroads would remain the main form of moving people and goods throughout the United States at least until the advent of the airlines that usurped the bulk of personal travel.
In the years since the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) made its debut on May 26, 1896, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) has been quoted in news broadcasts, newspapers, and journals as an indicator of financial markets and economic conditions in the United States. Surprisingly, however, although the DJIA is perhaps the best known, it was not the first of the Dow indexes.
In the May 1955 issue of Fortune Magazine, a new type of article debuted with the publication of the inaugural Fortune 500 list.
Black educator and suffragette Nannie Helen Burroughs founded the business skills school National Trade and Professional School for Women and Girls in Washington, D.C.
On May 8, 1886, the world’s first Coca-Cola the creation of Dr. John Pemberton, was served at Jacobs’ Pharmacy in Atlanta, Georgia.
In May 1886, labor groups and anarchists gathered at Haymarket Square in Chicago to protest for an 8 hour work day and better working conditions, but after a gunshot was heard events deteriorated with several people killed and many of the protests leaders jailed or executed.
