On this day…

May 24: Independence Day in Eritrea; Saints Cyril and Methodius Day in Bulgaria and the Republic of Macedonia

• 1883 – New York City’s Brooklyn Bridge, at the time the longest suspension bridge in the world, was opened.
• 1948 – Arab–Israeli War: After five days of fighting, Egyptian forces finally captured the Israeli kibbutz Yad Mordechai after the defenders had abandoned it.
• 1960 – Cordón Caulle in the Andes of Ranco Province, Chile, began to erupt, less than two days after the Valdivia earthquake struck the region.
• 1970 – On the Kola Peninsula in Russia, drilling began on the Kola Superdeep Borehole, eventually reaching 12,262 metres (40,230 ft), making it the deepest hole ever drilled and the deepest artificial point on the earth.
• 1976 – In a wine competition in Paris, French judges shocked the wine industry by rating California wines higher than French ones (bottle of winning vintage pictured).