May 18. 1895: Birth of Augusto Sandino, hero of Nicaraguan independence. 1958: An American B-26 is shot down by Indonesia while bombing Sumatra. U.S. dismisses the pilot as a "soldier of fortune," but he is eventually unmasked as a CIA employee. The U.S.-backed coup in 1964 that eventually unseats Sukarno, replacing him with Suharto, is one of the bloodiest massacres in the 20th century. 1970: Black protesters occupy administration offices at Seattle Univ.

May 19. 1862: Homestead Act becomes law, provides cheap land for white settlement of West; 160 acres to be sold to settlers for $200, or $1.25 an acre. 1920: The Battle of Matewan. Despite efforts by Matewan, WV, police chief (and former miner) Sid Hatfield & Mayor Testerman to protect coal miners from interference in their union drive, Baldwin-Felts detectives hired by the local mining company arrive to evict miners and their families from the Stone Mountain Mine camp. A gun battle ensues, leaving seven detectives, Mayor Testerman, and two miners dead. Baldwin-Felts detectives assassinate Sid Hatfield 15 months later, sparking off an armed rebellion of 10,000 West Virginia coal miners at "The Battle of Blair Mountain."

May 20. 1776: Mohawks, under Joseph Brandt, defeat Americans at the Battle of the Cedars. 1972: 21,000 acres in Gifford Pinchot National Forest are returned to Yakama tribe.

May 21. 1971: Members of American Indian Movement occupy Naval Air Station near Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 1993: Kyrgystan announces plans to dismantle its army.

May 22. 1955: Cops in Bridgeport, Conn. cancel a scheduled dance headlined by Fats Domino, because, authorities say, "rock and roll dances might be featured." They justify their action noting "a recent near riot at the New Haven Arena," where rock and roll dances were featured. 1998: After 33 years of terror, U.S.-backed Gen. Suharto is "eased" out of power in Indonesia by weeks of student protests culminating in riots (some instigated by the Army) in Jakarta and other major cities.

May 23. 1430: Joan of Arc captured by the Burgundians, who sell her to the English. 1827: First nursery school in the U.S. established in New York City. Developed "to relieve parents of the laboring classes from the care of their children ... offering the children protection from weather, from idleness and contamination of evil example." 1838: Beginning of second "Trail of Tears" forced march by U.S. Army, leading to the deaths of over 4,000 relocated Cherokee.

May 24. 1943: March against anti-Semitism leads to stop in Jewish deportations, Bulgaria. 1950: "Sweetwater" (Nat) Clifton's contract purchased by the N.Y. Knicks. Played for the Harlem Globetrotters; the first black player in the NBA. 1968: Pinnacle of French general strike; perhaps 10 million are involved. City of Nantes and surrounding area is completely controlled by workers for a week, with farmers setting up roadblocks to the area in solidarity.