Today May 5th in history click read more below to view detail events, deaths, births, Holidays and observances, and video clips in hisotry. Please comments, last database updated: Jan 17th, 2009
Events
553 – The Second Council of Constantinople begins.
1215 – Rebel Barons renounce their allegiance to King John of England. This was part of a chain of events leading to the Magna Carta signing.
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 in 150 years.
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 occurs, as militia fire 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 Pyotr Ilyich 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 – American marines invade the Dominican Republic.
1920 – Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti are arrested, accused of robbery and murder.
1921 – Chanel No. 5 is released.
1925 – Scopes Trial: John T. Scopes is served an arrest warrant for teaching evolution in violation of the Butler Act.
1925 – Afrikaans is established as an official language in South Africa.
1936 – Italian troops occupy Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
1940 – World War II: In London, a Norwegian government-in-exile is formed.
1941 – Emperor Haile Selassie returns to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; this date has been since commemorated as Liberation Day.
1945 – World War II: German troops in the Netherlands and Denmark capitulate to Canadian and British forces, liberating these countries from Nazi occupation.
1945 – World War II: Prague uprising against the Nazis.
1945 – World War II: The Mauthausen concentration camp is liberated.
1945 – World War II: Admiral Karl Dönitz, leader of Germany after Hitler s death, orders all U-boats to cease offensive operations and return to their bases.
1949 – The Council of Europe in Strasbourg is founded through the Treaty of London as the first European institution working for European integration. Since 1964, May 5 has been designated Europe Day by the Council of Europe and is celebrated since then to commemorate its founding on May 5, 1949.
1950 – Bhumibol Adulyadej is crowned as 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 – May 5 is declared Europe Day on the 15th anniversary of the Council of Europe.
1980 – Operation Nimrod: The Special Air Service storm the Iranian embassy in London after a six day siege.
1980 – Constantine Karamanlis is elected for the first time 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 a Salvadoran man is shot by police.
1992 – The 27th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is ratified.
2005 – The United Kingdom general election takes place, in which Tony Blair s Labour Party is re-elected for a third, consecutive term.
2006 – The government of Sudan signs an accord with the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA).
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)
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
1945 – Kurt Loder, Entertainment reporter
1948 – Bill Ward, British drummer (Black Sabbath)
1950 – Googoosh, Faegheh Atashin (????? ?????), 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 – Will Arnett, Canadian-American actor
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)
1972 – James Cracknell, British rowing champion, double Olympic gold medalist
1972 – Devin Townsend, Canadian musician (Strapping Young Lad)
1972 – Brad Bombardir, Canadian ice hockey player
1973 – Tina Yothers, American actress
1973 – Erik Kowalski, American IDM composer behind Casino Versus Japan
1974 – Seiji Ara, Japanese racing driver
1976 – Juan Pablo Sorín, Argentine footballer
1976 – Jeremy Michael Ward, American Musician (d. 2003)
1976 – Anastasios Pantos, Greek footballer
1976 – Dieter Brummer, Australian TV Actor
1977 – Choi Kang-hee, South Korean actress
1978 – Santiago Cabrera, Chilean actor
1978 – Bruno Cheyrou, French footballer
1978 – Morgan Pehme, American filmmaker and writer
1979 – Vincent Kartheiser, American actor
1980 – DerMarr Johnson, American basketball player
1980 – Yossi Benayoun, Israeli Footballer
1981 – Danielle Fishel, American actress
1981 – Marcelle Bittar, Brazilian supermodel
1981 – Chris Duncan, baseball player
1981 – Craig David, English singer
1982 – Jay Bothroyd, English footballer
1982 – Wouter D Haene, Belgian flatwater canoer
1982 – Randall Gay, National Football League player
1982 – Edyta Sliwinska, Polish ballroom dancer
1983 – Henry Cavill, English actor
1983 – Scott Ware, American footballer
1984 – Wade MacNeil, Canadian guitarist (Alexisonfire)
1984 – Eve Torres, American dancer and model
1985 – P. J. Tucker, American basketball player
1985 – Shoko Nakagawa, Japanese actress, illustrator and singer
1985 – Terrence Wheatley, American Football player
1987 – Marija Šestic, Bosnian singer
1988 – Jessica Dubroff, American aviator (d. 1996)
1988 – Brooke Hogan, American singer
1988 – Skye Sweetnam, Canadian singer and songwriter
1988 – Adele, English singer
1989 – Chris Brown, American singer and actor
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
1194 – King Casimir II of Poland (b. 1138)
1219 – King Leo II of Armenia (b. 1150)
1309 – King Charles II of Naples
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 Obrenovic, 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
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
Mexico: Cinco de Mayo (1862).
International Midwives Day.
Council of Europe: Europe Day.
CPLP – Community of Portuguese-speaking countries: Day of the Lusophone.
Albania: Martyrs Day (Albania).
Denmark: Liberation Day (1945).
Ethiopia: Liberation Day (1941).
Guyana: Indian Arrival Day (1838).
Hong Kong, Macau, South Korea and Taiwan (2006): Buddha s Birthday.
Japan: Tango no Sekku (Boy s Day) or Kodomo no hi (Children s Day).
The Netherlands: Liberation Day (1945).
Northern Territory, Australia: May Day.
South Korea: Children s Day.
Thailand: Coronation Day of King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
