On May 9
On May 9, the Human Saga records one pivotal event: FDA approves the oral contraceptive pill (1960).
On this day
On 9 May 1960 the US Food and Drug Administration approved Enovid, manufactured by G.D. Searle, as the first oral contraceptive, and it reached the market in June 1960.
Also this week in history (May 6 – May 12)
On 8 May 1980 the World Health Assembly officially declared that smallpox had been eradicated, the first and so far only human disease to be eliminated worldwide through deliberate effort.
On 11 May 330 CE Constantine formally dedicated the rebuilt Greek city of Byzantium as Constantinople, his 'New Rome', after years of construction on a strategic site commanding the Bosporus between Europe and Asia.
Dated to 11 May 868 by its own colophon, the Chinese Diamond Sutra is the earliest complete, dated printed book known to survive, produced by woodblock printing during the late Tang dynasty.
On 6 May 1682 King Louis XIV formally established the seat of the French monarchy at the Palace of Versailles, transforming his father's hunting lodge into the most magnificent royal residence in Europe and the operational centre of the…
On 7 May 1824 Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, received its first performance at the Theater am Kärntnertor in Vienna.