January 4 » Topsy, an elephant, is electrocuted by the owners of Luna Park, Coney Island. The Edison film company records the film Electrocuting an Elephant of Topsy's death.
February 23 » Cuba leases Guantánamo Bay to the United States "in perpetuity".
March 14 » Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge, the first national wildlife refuge in the US, is established by President Theodore Roosevelt.
April 19 » The Kishinev pogrom in Kishinev (Bessarabia) begins, forcing tens of thousands of Jews to later seek refuge in Palestine and the Western world.
November 18 » The Hay–Bunau-Varilla Treaty is signed by the United States and Panama, giving the United States exclusive rights over the Panama Canal Zone.
December 14 » The Wright brothers make their first attempt to fly with the Wright Flyer at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
Day of death May 31, 1974
The temperature on May 31, 1974 was between 7.2 °C and 11.9 °C and averaged 10.0 °C. There was 6.1 mm of rain during 2.2 hours. There was -0.1 hours of sunshine (0%). The almost completely overcast was. The average windspeed was 2 Bft (weak wind) and was prevailing from the northeast. Source: KNMI
In The Netherlands , there was from Friday, May 11, 1973 to Monday, December 19, 1977 the cabinet Den Uyl, with Drs. J.M. den Uyl (PvdA) as prime minister.
January 2 » United States President Richard Nixon signs a bill lowering the maximum U.S. speed limit to 55 MPH in order to conserve gasoline during an OPEC embargo.
January 5 » The warmest reliably measured temperature within the Antarctic Circle, of +59°F (+15°C), is recorded at Vanda Station.
April 6 » The Swedish pop band ABBA wins the Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Waterloo", launching their international career.
September 8 » Watergate scandal: US President Gerald Ford signs the pardon of Richard Nixon for any crimes Nixon may have committed while in office.
September 18 » Hurricane Fifi strikes Honduras with 110mph winds, killing 5,000 people.
December 8 » A plebiscite results in the abolition of monarchy in Greece.
When copying data from this family tree, please include a reference to the origin: F. van Dijk, "Family tree Van Dijk", database, Genealogy Online (https://www.genealogieonline.nl/stamboom_van_dijk/R31188.php : accessed March 3, 2026), "Engelbertus Theodorus Josephus Smolders (1903-1974)".
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