09 May, 2012 – The brand-new Sukhoi Superjet 100 plane crashed

The regional jet was the first airliner produced in Russia since the end of the USSR. The doomed flight was a demonstration tour carrying customers. All 45 people on board perished in the crash, caused by pilot error.

10 May, 1994 – Nelson Mandela became 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, 1981 – The musical Cats was premiered

The piece sparked a musical craze around the world and catapulted the composer Andrew Lloyd Webber to stardom.

12 May, 1941 – The world's first programmable, fully automatic computer was 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 kicked off

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

14 May, 1973 – Skylab blasted off into the 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 technological experiments.

15 May, 1928 The first Mickey Mouse film was screened

The six-minute 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.