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De Soto and his men reach the Mississippi; no gold, no passage to China in sight

The Spanish expedition, pushing deep into uncharted North America, stands at the edge of a vast river with no map for what lies beyond.

In 1541, Hernando de Soto's quest for gold and a passage to China led him to the Mississippi River. This moment marked a pivotal point in his perilous journey, fraught with danger and the unknown. The stakes were high as de Soto and his men faced the vast, uncharted wilderness of North America…

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Coddington founds Newport; a new settlement opens on Aquidneck Island for those driven out by the Antinomian Controversy

The colony takes shape as Coddington plants a settlement built around the promise of religious freedom in Rhode Island.

1846

Taylor's army beats a Mexican force north of the Rio Grande; a war is now underway

American troops hold their ground in the first major engagement of the border dispute, with the armies still in the field and the outcome of the wider conflict far from settled.

1976

Six Flags opens the world's first modern looping coaster; the Great American Revolution launches at Magic Mountain

The ride debuts in the park's Bicentennial summer, sending riders through a complete vertical loop for the first time on a modern steel coaster.

19421776 Club

Carrier aircraft do all the fighting as Allied forces move to block a Japanese thrust into the South Pacific.

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Read the full May 8 edition →Everything that happened on May 8 →

Aboard the Mayflower, 41 passengers bind themselves into a "civil Body Politick"

Storms have blown the ship off its course for Virginia, and some aboard are saying that no one has the power to command them.

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De Soto and his men reach the Mississippi; no gold, no passage to China in sight

This story is held for members.

Coddington founds Newport; a new settlement opens on Aquidneck Island for those driven out by the Antinomian Controversy

Taylor's army beats a Mexican force north of the Rio Grande; a war is now underway

Six Flags opens the world's first modern looping coaster; the Great American Revolution launches at Magic Mountain

U.S. and Japanese fleets trade blows in the Coral Sea; neither side ever sees the other

Congress bans British trade; twelve colonies sign the Continental Association

The Congress breaks up; the colonies now have a boycott and a date to reconvene

William Penn steps ashore at Philadelphia, a city that exists only on paper

Aboard the Mayflower, 41 passengers bind themselves into a "civil Body Politick"

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