May 1 (UPI) -- On this date in history: In 1884, construction began on the world's first skyscraper -- the 10-story Home Insurance Co. building in Chicago. In 1893, U.S. President Grover Cleveland opened the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. In 1898, during the Spanish-American war, forces under U.S. Navy Adm. George Dewey routed the Spanish fleet in the Philippines. In 1931, the Empire State Building was dedicated in New York City. At 102 stories, it was the world's tallest building for