May 5 is the 125th day of the year (126th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 240 days remaining until the end of the year. [edit] Events - 553 – The Second Council of Constantinople begins.
- 1215 – Rebel barons renounce their allegiance to King John of England — 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.
- 1866 – Memorial Day first celebrated in United States at Waterloo, New York.
- 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 into a crowd of protesters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, killing seven.
- 1891 – The Music Hall in New York City (later 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 – authorities arrest Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti for alleged robbery and murder.
- 1921 – Coco Chanel introduces Chanel No. 5
- 1925 – Scopes Trial: serving of an arrest warrant on John T. Scopes 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: Norwegian refugees form a government-in-exile in London
- 1941 – Emperor Haile Selassie returns to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; the country commemorates the date as Liberation Day or Patriots' Victory Day.
- 1945 – World War II: Canadian and UK troops liberate the Netherlands and Denmark from Nazi occupation when Wehrmacht 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
- 1973 – Sunderland A.F.C. win the F.A. Cup Final at Wembley with a 1-0 victory over Leeds United.
- 1980 – Operation Nimrod: The British Special Air Service storms the Iranian embassy in London after a six-day siege.
- 1981 – Bobby Sands dies in the Long Kesh prison hospital after 66 days of hunger-striking, aged 27.
- 1987 – Iran-Contra affair: start of Congressional televised hearings in the United States of America
- 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.
[edit] 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)
- 1684 – Françoise Charlotte d'Aubigné, niece of Madame de Maintenon and ancestress of the Heir to the Belgian throne (d. 1739)
- 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)
- 1911 – Andor Lilienthal, Hungarian chess grandmaster
- 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)
- 1932 – Will Hutchins, American actor
- 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, English-born Welsh actor
- 1944 – Roger Rees, Welsh-American actor
- 1945 – Kurt Loder, entertainment reporter
- 1948 – Bill Ward, British drummer
- 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, Québécois 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 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 – Soheil Ayari, French racer
- 1970 – Kyan Douglas, American TV-personality
- 1970 – LaPhonso Ellis, American basketball player
- 1970 – Naomi Klein, Canadian author and activist
- 1970 – Todd Newton, American TV-personality, two-time game-show host
- 1971 – Gary Johnson, British record-producer
- 1971 – Harold Miner, American basketball player
- 1971 – Mike Redmond, American baseball player
- 1971 – David Reilly, American singer (God Lives Underwater) (d. 2005)
- 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
- 1979 – Charmane Star, Filipino-American adult film actress
- 1980 – Yossi Benayoun, Israeli footballer
- 1980 – DerMarr Johnson, American basketball player
- 1981 – Marcelle Bittar, Brazilian model
- 1981 – Craig David, English singer
- 1981 – Chris Duncan, American baseball-player
- 1981 – Danielle Fishel, American actress
- 1982 – Jay Bothroyd, English footballer
- 1982 – Wouter D'Haene, Belgian flatwater-canoeist
- 1982 – Randall Gay, American football player
- 1983 – Henry Cavill, Jersey actor
- 1983 – Scott Ware, American football player
- 1984 – Wade MacNeil, Canadian guitarist (Alexisonfire)
- 1985 – Shoko Nakagawa, Japanese actress, illustrator and singer
- 1985 – Terrence Wheatley, American football player
- 1987 – Marija Šestić, Bosnian singer
- 1988 – Adele, English singer
- 1988 – Brooke Hogan, American singer and television personality
- 1988 – Skye Sweetnam, Canadian singer and songwriter
- 1989 – Chris Brown, American singer and actor
- 1989 – Larissa Wilson, English actress
[edit] 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)
- 1994 – Mario Quintana, Brazilian Poet.
- 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)
- 2000 – Bill Musselman, American basketball head coach (d. 2000)
- 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)
- 2005 – Edgar Ponce, Mexican actor and dancer (b. 1974)
- 2005 – Elisabeth Fraser, American television, film, and stage actress (b. 1920)
- 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)
[edit] Holidays and observances in the Roman Catholic Church: [edit] External links
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