14 May, 1973 – Skylab blasts off into orbit

The United States' first space station crashed back to Earth on July 11, 1979, four years ahead of schedule. In its six years of service, the laboratory was used for many biomedical and technological experiments.

15 May, 1928 – The first Mickey Mouse film is screened

The film Plane Crazy directed by Walt Disney shows Mickey trying to fly an airplane. Today, Mickey Mouse is one of the world's most recognised cartoon characters and the official mascot of the Walt Disney Company.

16 May, 1975 – Junko Tabei becomes the first woman to conquer Mount Everest

The ascent by the Japanese adventurer came 22 years after Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay became the first to reach the summit.

17 May, 1972 – Germany ratifies the Treaty of Warsaw

Chancellor Willy Brandt signed the treaty, by which Germany gives up any territorial claims and guarantees the Oder-Neisse line as the valid border to Poland.

18 May, 1804 – Napoleon Bonaparte is appointed as Emperor of the French

Even today, the French leader, a native of Corsica, is widely known for his successful military campaigns - and his final defeat at the Battle of Waterloo.

19 May, 1962 – Marilyn Monroe performs her famous rendition of Happy Birthday

Monroe gave her outstanding performance, which was to be her last, at a party for U.S. President John F. Kennedy. The two are believed to have been engaged in an affair.

20 May, 1927 – Charles Lindbergh takes off on the first solo non-stop transatlantic flight

He departed from Long Island in the United States and arrived in Paris, France at 22:22 on the next day.