May 5

May 5 in recent years

2024 (Sunday)

2023 (Friday)

2022 (Thursday)

2021 (Wednesday)

2020 (Tuesday)

2019 (Sunday)

2018 (Saturday)

2017 (Friday)

2016 (Thursday)

2015 (Tuesday)

May 5 is the 125th day of the year (126th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 240 days remain until the end of the year.

Events

• 553 – The Second Council of Constantinople begins.
• 1215 – Rebel barons renounce their allegiance to King John — part of a chain of events leading to the signing of the Magna Carta
• 1260 – Kublai Khan becomes ruler of the Mongol Empire.
• 1494 – Christopher Columbus lands on the island of Jamaica and claims it for Spain.
• 1640 – King Charles I of England dissolves the Short Parliament.
• 1762 – Russia and Prussia sign the Treaty of St. Petersburg.
• 1789 – In France, the Estates-General convenes for the first time since 1614.
• 1809 – Mary Kies becomes the first woman awarded a U.S. patent, for a technique of weaving straw with silk and thread.
• 1809 – The Swiss canton of Aargau denies citizenship to Jews.
• 1821 – Emperor Napoleon I dies in exile on the island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean.
• 1835 – In Belgium, the first railway in continental Europe opens between Brussels and Mechelen.
• 1862 – Cinco de Mayo in Mexico: troops led by Ignacio Zaragoza halt a French invasion in the Battle of Puebla.
• 1864 – American Civil War: The Battle of the Wilderness begins in Spotsylvania County, Virginia.
• 1865 – In North Bend, Ohio (a suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio), the first train robbery in the United States takes place.
• 1877 – Indian Wars: Sitting Bull leads his band of Lakota into Canada to avoid harassment by the United States Army under Colonel Nelson Miles.
• 1886 – The Bay View Tragedy: A militia fires upon a crowd of protesters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin killing seven.
• 1891 – The Music Hall in New York City (now known as Carnegie Hall) has its grand opening and first public performance, with Tchaikovsky as the guest conductor.
• 1904 – Pitching against the Philadelphia Athletics at the Huntington Avenue Grounds, Cy Young of the Boston Americans throws the first perfect game in the modern era of baseball.
• 1916 – U.S. marines invade the Dominican Republic.
• 1920 – Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti are arrested for alleged robbery and murder.
• 1921 – Coco Chanel introduces Chanel No. 5
• 1925 – Scopes Trial: John T. Scopes is served an arrest warrant for teaching evolution in violation of the Butler Act.
• 1925 – The government of South Africa declares Afrikaans an official language
• 1936 – Italian troops occupy Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
• 1940 – World War II: a Norwegian government-in-exile is formed in London
• 1941 – Emperor Haile Selassie returns to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; the date is commemorated as Liberation Day.
• 1945 – World War II: Canadian and British troops liberate the Netherlands and Denmark from Nazi occupation when German troops capitulate.
• 1945 – World War II: Prague uprising against German occupying forces in Czechoslovakia
• 1945 – World War II: US Army troops liberate the Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria
• 1945 – World War II: Admiral Karl Dönitz, President of Germany after Hitler's death, orders all German U-boats to cease offensive operations and return to their bases.
• 1949 – The Treaty of London establishes the Council of Europe in Strasbourg as the first European institution working for European integration.
• 1950 – Bhumibol Adulyadej crowns himself King Rama IX of Thailand.
• 1955 – West Germany gains full sovereignty.
• 1961 – The Mercury program: Mercury-Redstone 3 – Alan Shepard becomes the first American to travel into outer space, making a sub-orbital flight of 15 minutes.
• 1964 – The Council of Europe declares May 5 as Europe Day
• 1980 – Operation Nimrod: The British Special Air Service storms the Iranian embassy in London after a six day siege.
• 1980 – Constantine Karamanlis wins election for the first time to become President of Greece.
• 1987 – Iran-Contra affair: Start of Congressional televised hearings.
• 1991 – A riot breaks out in the Mt. Pleasant section of Washington, D.C. after police shoot a Salvadoran man.
• 1992 – Ratification by Alabama brings into effect the 27th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
• 1994 – The signing of the Bishkek Protocol between Armenia and Azerbaijan effectively freezes the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
• 2005 – A United Kingdom general election results in the re-election of Tony Blair's Labour Party for a third consecutive term.
• 2006 – The government of Sudan signs an accord with the Sudan Liberation Army.
• 2007 – Kenya Airways Flight KQ 507 crashes in Cameroon.

Births

• 867 – Uda, Emperor of Japan (d. 931)
• 1210 – King Afonso III of Portugal (d. 1279)
• 1479 – Guru Amar Das, third Sikh Guru (d. 1574)
• 1546 – Thomas Cecil, 1st Earl of Exeter, English politician (d. 1623)
• 1747 – Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1792)
• 1764 – Robert Craufurd, British general (d. 1812)
• 1800 – Louis Christophe François Hachette, French publisher (d. 1864)
• 1813 – Søren Kierkegaard, Danish philosopher (d. 1855)
• 1818 – Karl Marx, German political philosopher (d. 1883)
• 1826 – Empress Eugenie of France, wife of Napoleon III (d. 1920)
• 1830 – John Batterson Stetson, American hat manufacturer (d. 1906)
• 1832 – H.H. Bancroft, American historian and publisher (d. 1918)
• 1833 – Ferdinand von Richthofen, German geographer (d. 1905)
• 1834 – Viktor Hartmann, Russian architect and painter (d. 1873)
• 1846 – Henryk Sienkiewicz, Polish author, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1916)
• 1864 – Nellie Bly, American journalist and writer (d. 1922)
• 1866 – Thomas B. Thrige, Danish industrialist (d. 1938)
• 1869 – Hans Pfitzner, Russian-born composer (d. 1949)
• 1883 – Archibald Wavell, British general (d. 1950)
• 1887 – Geoffrey Fisher, Archbishop of Canterbury (d. 1972)
• 1889 – Herbie Taylor, South African cricketer, Wisden COY 1925 (d. 1973)
• 1890 – Christopher Morley, American writer (d. 1957)
• 1899 – Freeman Gosden, American radio comedian (Amos-Amos 'n' Andy) (d. 1982)
• 1901 – Blind Willie McTell, American singer (d. 1959)
• 1903 – James Beard, American chef and cookbook writer (d. 1985)
• 1908 – Kurt Böhme, German bass (d. 1989)
• 1914 – Tyrone Power, American actor (d. 1958)
• 1915 – Alice Faye, American actress (d. 1998)
• 1916 – Zail Singh, President of India (d. 1994)
• 1919 – Georgios Papadopoulos, Greek dictator (d. 1999)
• 1921 – Arthur Leonard Schawlow, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1999)
• 1923 – Richard Wollheim, British philosopher (d. 2003)
• 1925 – Leo Ryan, United States Congressman (d. 1978)
• 1927 – Pat Carroll, American actress
• 1931 – Greg, Belgian comic-book writer (Achille Talon) (d. 1999)
• 1934 – Ace Cannon, American saxophonist
• 1935 – Douglas Marland, American television writer (d. 1993)
• 1935 – Bernard Pivot, French journalist and television host
• 1935 – Robert Rehme, American film producer
• 1936 – Patrick Gowers, British composer
• 1937 – Johnnie Taylor, American singer (d. 2000)
• 1937 – Delia Derbyshire, British Electronic Music composer (d. 2001)
• 1938 – Michael Murphy, American actor
• 1939 – Cesare Fiorio, Italian sporting director of various Formula One teams
• 1940 – Lance Henriksen, American actor and painter
• 1940 – Michael Lindsay-Hogg, American film director
• 1941 – Alexander Ragulin, Russian hockey player (d. 2004)
• 1942 – Marc Alaimo, American actor
• 1942 – Tammy Wynette, American musician (d. 1998)
• 1943 – Michael Palin, British writer, actor, and comedian
• 1943 – Raphael, Spanish singer
• 1944 – Bo Larsson, Swedish footballer
• 1944 – Jean-Pierre Léaud, French actor
• 1944 – John Rhys-Davies, Welsh actor
• 1944 – Roger Rees, Welsh American actor
• 1945 – Kurt Loder, Entertainment reporter
• 1948 – Bill Ward, British drummer (Black Sabbath)
• 1950 – Googoosh, Faegheh Atashin (فائقه آتشین), Iranian, Persian Singer & actress
• 1950 – Mary Hopkin, Welsh singer
• 1952 – Campbell McComas, Australian impersonator and broadcaster (d. 2005)
• 1954 – Dave Spector, American television personality and commentator
• 1955 – Melinda Culea, American actress
• 1956 – Robert Marien, Quebec actor, singer and songwriter
• 1957 – Richard E. Grant, British actor
• 1957 – Peter Howitt, British actor and film director
• 1958 – Ron Arad, Israeli aircraft navigator missing in action.
• 1959 – Ian McCulloch, English singer of Echo & the Bunnymen
• 1959 – Brian Phelps, American disk jockey and actor
• 1959 – Brian Williams, American news anchor
• 1961 – Hiroshi Hase, Japanese professional wrestler and politician
• 1962 – Jenifer McKitrick, American songwriter
• 1963 – Simon Rimmer, English chef
• 1963 – Heidi Kozak, American actress
• 1963 – James LaBrie, Canadian singer (Dream Theater)
• 1964 – John Lee (placekicker), Korean-born American football player
• 1965 – Glenn Seton, Australian racing driver
• 1966 – Shawn Drover, Canadian drummer (Megadeth)
• 1966 – Josh Weinstein, American writer
• 1967 – Takehito Koyasu, Japanese seiyu (voice actor)
• 1967 – Maro Mavri, Greek fashion model and actress
• 1970 – Kyan Douglas, American TV-personality
• 1970 – Juan Acevedo, baseball player
• 1970 – LaPhonso Ellis, American basketball player
• 1970 – Naomi Klein, Canadian author and activist
• 1970 – Soheil Ayari, French racer
• 1971 – Mike Redmond, American baseball player
• 1971 – Harold Miner, American basketball player
• 1971 – David Reilly, American singer (God Lives Underwater) (d. 2005)
• 1971 – Gary Johnson, British record producer
• 1972 – Brad Bombardir, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1972 – James Cracknell, British rower
• 1972 – Devin Townsend, Canadian musician (Strapping Young Lad)
• 1973 – Casino Versus Japan, American composer
• 1973 – Tina Yothers, American actress
• 1974 – Seiji Ara, Japanese racing driver
• 1976 – Dieter Brummer, Australian actor
• 1976 – Anastasios Pantos, Greek footballer
• 1976 – Juan Pablo Sorín, Argentine footballer
• 1976 – Jeremy Michael Ward, American musician (d. 2003)
• 1977 – Choi Kang-hee, South Korean actress
• 1978 – Santiago Cabrera, Chilean actor
• 1978 – Bruno Cheyrou, French footballer
• 1978 – Morgan Pehme, American filmmaker and writer
• 1978 – Noam Zylberman, Israeli/Canadian voice actor
• 1979 – Vincent Kartheiser, American actor
• 1980 – Yossi Benayoun, Israeli footballer
• 1980 – DerMarr Johnson, American basketball player
• 1981 – Marcelle Bittar, Brazilian model
• 1981 – Chris Duncan, American baseball player
• 1981 – Craig David, English singer
• 1981 – Danielle Fishel, American actress
• 1982 – Jay Bothroyd, English footballer
• 1982 – Wouter D'Haene, Belgian flatwater canoer
• 1982 – Randall Gay, American football player
• 1983 – Henry Cavill, Jersey actor
• 1983 – Scott Ware, American football player
• 1984 – Wade MacNeil, Canadian guitarist (Alexisonfire)
• 1984 – Eve Torres, American dancer and model
• 1985 – Shoko Nakagawa, Japanese actress, illustrator and singer
• 1985 – P. J. Tucker, American basketball player
• 1985 – Terrence Wheatley, American football player
• 1987 – Marija Šestić, Bosnian singer
• 1988 – Adele, English singer
• 1988 – Jessica Dubroff, American aviator (d. 1996)
• 1988 – Brooke Hogan, American singer
• 1988 – Skye Sweetnam, Canadian singer and songwriter
• 1989 – Chris Brown, American singer and actor
• 1989 – Larissa Wilson, English actress
• 1990 – Taylor Ann Hasselhoff, American actress

Deaths

• 200 – Sun Ce, warlord of the Han Dynasty (b. 175)
• 311 – Galerius, Roman Emperor
• 984 – Gerberga of Saxony, Queen of Western Francia
• 1028 – King Alfonso V of Castile, León, and Galicia (b. 994)
• 1194 – King Casimir II of Poland (b. 1138)
• 1219 – King Leo II of Armenia (b. 1150)
• 1309 – King Charles II of Naples (b. 1254)
• 1525 – Frederick III of Saxony (b. 1463)
• 1586 – Henry Sidney, Lord Deputy of Ireland (b. 1529)
• 1604 – Claudio Merulo, Italian composer (b. 1533)
• 1671 – Edward Montagu, 2nd Earl of Manchester, English politician (b. 1602)
• 1672 – Samuel Cooper, English painter (b. 1609)
• 1705 – Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1640)
• 1760 – Laurence Shirley, 4th Earl Ferrers, English murderer (hanged) (b. 1720)
• 1766 – Jean Astruc, French physician and scholar (b. 1684)
• 1808 – Pierre Jean George Cabanis, French physiologist (b. 1757)
• 1811 – Robert Mylne, Scottish architect (b. 1734)
• 1821 – Napoleon I of France (b. 1769)
• 1827 – Frederick Augustus I of Saxony (b. 1750)
• 1833 – Sophia Campbell, Australian artist (b. 1777)
• 1855 – Sir Robert Inglis, Bt, English politician (b. 1786)
• 1859 – Peter Gustav Dirichlet, German mathematician (b. 1805)
• 1892 – August Wilhelm von Hofmann, German chemist (b. 1818)
• 1896 – Silas Adams, American lawyer and politician (b. 1839)
• 1900 – Ivan Aivazovsky, Russian painter (b. 1817)
• 1921 – Alfred Hermann Fried, Austrian writer and pacifist, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1864)
• 1931 – Glen Kidston, British aviator and racing driver (b. 1899)
• 1941 – Natalija Obrenović, Queen of Serbia (b. 1859)
• 1942 – Qemal Stafa, Albanian politician (b. 1920)
• 1945 – Peter Van Pels, Jewish Refugee (b. 1926)
• 1947 – Ty LaForest, Canadian baseball player (b. 1917)
• 1959 – Carlos Saavedra Lamas, Argentine politician, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1878)
• 1962 – Ernest Tyldesley, English cricketer (b. 1889)
• 1971 – Violet Jessop, Titanic survivor (b. 1887)
• 1977 – Ludwig Erhard, German politician (CDU) and Chancellor of Germany from 1963 until 1966 (b. 1897)
• 1981 – Bobby Sands, Irish activist (b. 1954)
• 1983 – Horst Schumann, Nazi physician (b. 1901)
• 1985 – Sir Donald Bailey, British civil engineer (b. 1901)
• 1988 – Michael Shaara, American author (b. 1928)
• 1992 – Jean-Claude Pascal, French singer (b. 1927)
• 1995 – Mikhail Botvinnik, Russian chess player, grandmaster and world champion. (b. 1911)
• 1997 – Walter Gotell, German actor (b. 1924)
• 2000 – Gino Bartali, Italian cyclist (b. 1914)
• 2001 – Clifton Hillegass, American writer and publisher (b. 1918)
• 2001 – Raymond Kessler, American midget wrestler
• 2002 – Hugo Banzer, Bolivian dictator (b. 1926)
• 2002 – Paul Klipsch, American engineer, noted for his loudspeaker designs. (b. 1904)
• 2002 – George Sidney, American film director (b. 1916)
• 2003 – Sam Bockarie, RUF Rebel Commander (b. 1964)
• 2003 – Walter Sisulu, South African activist (b. 1912)
• 2004 – Ritsuko Okazaki, Japanese singer-songwriter (b. 1959)
• 2006 – Naushad Ali, Indian composer (b. 1919)
• 2007 – Theodore Harold Maiman, Inventor, noted for making the first working laser. (b. 1927)
• 2008 – Irv Robbins, Canadian-American entrepreneur (b. 1917)

Holidays and observances

• International Midwives' Day.
• Albania: Martyrs' Day.
• Council of Europe: Europe Day.
• CPLP – Community of Portuguese-speaking countries: Lusophone Culture Day.
• Denmark: Liberation Day (1945).
• Ethiopia: Patriots' Victory Day (1941).
• Guyana: Indian Arrival Day (1838).
• Japan: Tango no Sekku (Boy's Day) or Kodomo no hi (Children's Day).
• Kyrgyzstan: Constitution Day.
• Kiribati: Tomato Harvest Day (traditional non-productive).
• Mexico: Cinco de Mayo (1862).
• Netherlands: Liberation Day (1945).
• Palau: Senior Citizens Day.
• Palestinian people: Feast of Saint George.
• South Korea: Children's Day.
• Thailand: Coronation Day of King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
• United States: National Cartoonists Day

in the Roman Catholic Church:

• Saint Angelus of Jerusalem (d. 1222)
• Saint Aventinus (d. 1189)
• Saint Gerontius (d. 472)
• Saint Nicetus of Vienne
• Saint Hilary of Arles (d. 449)
• Saint Pius V (1505-1572)
• Blessed Edmund Ignatius Rice

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada

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