08 May, 1886 – Coca-Cola is invented

Dr John Styth Pemberton, an Atlanta pharmacist, produced the syrup in a brass pot in his backyard. It was first intended as a patent medicine. Today, Coca-Cola is one of the world's most popular soft drinks and one of the most recognised trademarks.

09 May, 1960 – The first birth control pill is approved

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that it would add birth control as a new indication for the drug “Enovid”.

10 May, 1994 – Nelson Mandela becomes South Africa's first black president

Mandela's inauguration came after more than 300 years of white rule. Before becoming president, he was a pivotal figure in the fight against the racist apartheid regime and was incarcerated for 27 years.

11 May, 1985 – 56 football fans died in a stadium fire

During a match, the wooden stands at Valley Parade football ground went up in flames. The exits were locked. A burning cigarette thrown into a waste bin has been determined as the probable cause of the disaster.

12 May, 1941 – The world's first programmable computer is presented

The Z3 was designed by German inventor, Konrad Zuse. The original machine was destroyed in an air raid. A replica can be seen at the Deutsches Museum in Munich.

13 May, 1950 – The first Formula One World Championship season kicks off

Giuseppe Farina won the first FIA World Championship of Drivers for the Alfa Romeo team.

14 May, 1796 – The first smallpox vaccination is administered

The British physician, Edward Jenner, successfully inoculated an eight-year-old smallpox patient using material from a cowpox lesion. The word “vaccine” is derived from the Latin word for cow (vacca).