May 6 is the 126th day of the year (127th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 239 days remaining until the end of the year. [edit] Events - 1937 – Hindenburg disaster: The German zeppelin Hindenburg catches fire and is destroyed within a minute while attempting to dock at Lakehurst, New Jersey. Thirty-six people are killed.
- 1940 – John Steinbeck is awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his novel The Grapes of Wrath.
- 1941 – At California's March Field, Bob Hope performs his first USO show.
- 1942 – World War II: On Corregidor, the last American forces in the Philippines surrender to the Japanese.
- 1945 – World War II: Axis Sally delivers her last propaganda broadcast to Allied troops (first was on December 11, 1941).
- 1945 – World War II: The Prague Offensive, the last major battle of the Eastern Front, begins.
- 1954 – Roger Bannister becomes the first person to run the mile in under four minutes.
- 1960 – More than 20 million viewers watch the first televised royal wedding when Princess Margaret marries Anthony Armstrong-Jones at Westminster Abbey.
- 1962 – St. Martín de Porres is canonized by Pope John XXIII.
- 1966 – Myra Hindley and Ian Brady are sentenced to life imprisonment for the Moors Murders in England.
- 1972 – Deniz Gezmiş, Yusuf Aslan and Hüseyin İnan are executed in Ankara for attempting to overthrow the Constitutional order.
- 1976 – An earthquake strikes Friuli, causing 989 deaths and the destruction of entire villages.
- 1981 – A jury of architects and sculptors unanimously selects Maya Ying Lin's design for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial from 1,421 other entries.
- 1983 – The Hitler diaries are revealed as a hoax after examination by experts.
- 1988 – An airplane flying from Namsos to Brønnøysund in Norway crashes into the side of the Torghatten mountain, killing all 36 passengers and crew.
- 1989 – Cedar Point opens Magnum XL-200, the first roller coaster to break the 200 ft height barrier, therefore spawning what is considered to be the coaster wars.
- 1994 – Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and French President François Mitterrand officiate at the opening of the Channel Tunnel.
- 1994 – Former Arkansas state worker Paula Jones files suit against President Bill Clinton, alleging that he had sexually harassed her in 1991.
- 1996 – The body of former CIA director William Colby is found washed up on a riverbank in southern Maryland, eight days after he disappeared.
- 1997 – The Bank of England is given independence from political control, the most significant change in the bank's 300-year history.
- 1998 – Kerry Wood strikes out 20 Houston Astros to tie the major league record held by Roger Clemens. He threw a one-hitter and did not walk a batter in his 5th career start.
- 1999 – First elections to the devolved Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly held.
- 2001 – During a trip to Syria, Pope John Paul II becomes the first pope to enter a mosque.
- 2002 – Dutch politician Pim Fortuyn is assassinated by an animal rights activist.
- 2008 – Chaiten Volcano erupts in Chile, forcing the evacuation of more than 4,500 people.
[edit] Births - 1397 – Sejong the Great of Joseon, ruler of Korea (d. 1450)
- 1501 – Pope Marcellus II (d. 1555)
- 1574 – Pope Innocent X (d. 1655)
- 1638 – Henry Capell, 1st Baron Capell, First Lord of the British Admiralty (d. 1696)
- 1713 – Charles Batteux, French philosopher (d. 1780)
- 1758 – André Masséna, French marshal (d. 1817)
- 1758 – Maximilien Robespierre, French Revolutionary (d. 1794)
- 1769 – Ferdinand III, Grand Duke of Tuscany (d. 1824)
- 1769 – Jean Nicolas Pierre Hachette, French mathematician (d. 1834)
- 1797 – Joseph Brackett, American religious leader and composer (d. 1882)
- 1800 – Roman Sanguszko, Polish aristocrat and general (d. 1881)
- 1856 – Sigmund Freud, Austrian psychiatrist (d. 1939)
- 1856 – Robert Peary, American explorer (d. 1920)
- 1861 – Motilal Nehru, Indian freedom fighter (d. 1931)
- 1868 – Gaston Leroux, French writer (d. 1927)
- 1871 – Victor Grignard, French chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1935)
- 1871 – Christian Morgenstern, German author (d. 1914)
- 1872 – Willem de Sitter, Dutch scientist (d. 1934)
- 1879 – Bedrich Hrozny, Czech orientalist (d. 1952)
- 1880 – Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, German painter (d. 1938)
- 1882 – Crown Prince Wilhelm of Germany (d. 1951)
- 1895 – Fidél Pálffy, Hungarian Nazi (d. 1946)
- 1895 – Júlio César de Mello e Souza, Brazilian writer (d. 1974)
- 1895 – Rudolph Valentino, Italian actor (d. 1926)
- 1897 – Paul Alverdes, German writer (d. 1979)
- 1898 – Konrad Henlein, pro-Nazi Czechoslovakian politician (d. 1945)
- 1899 – Billy Cotton, British entertainer (d. 1969)
- 1902 – Harry Golden, American journalist (d. 1981)
- 1902 – Max Ophüls, German-born director (d. 1957)
- 1903 – Toots Shor, New York restaurateur (d. 1977)
- 1904 – Raymond Bailey, American actor (d. 1980)
- 1904 – Moshe Feldenkrais, Ukrainian-born founder of the Feldenkrais method (d. 1984)
- 1904 – Harry Martinson, Swedish author and poet Nobel laureate (d. 1978)
- 1906 – Enrique Laguerre, Puerto Rican writer (d. 2005)
- 1907 – Weeb Ewbank, American football coach (d. 1998)
- 1909 – Loyd Sigmon, American amateur ("ham") radio broadcastor (d. 2004)
- 1913 – Carmen Cavallaro, American pianist (d. 1989)
- 1913 – Stewart Granger, English film actor (d. 1993)
- 1915 – Orson Welles, American film director and actor (d. 1985)
- 1915 – Theodore White, American writer (d. 1986)
- 1916 – Robert H. Dicke, American physicist (d. 1997)
- 1916 – Sif Ruud, Swedish actress
- 1917 – Kal Mann, American lyricist (d. 2001)
- 1920 – Ross Hunter, American film producer (d. 1996)
- 1920 – Kamisese Mara, 1st Prime Minister of Fiji and President of Fiji (d. 2004)
- 1920 – Martha Beck, American convicted murderer (d. 1951)
- 1921 – Erich Fried, German author (d. 1988)
- 1922 – Camille Laurin, Quebec psychiatrist and politician (d. 1999)
- 1922 – Otmar Suitner, Austrian conductor
- 1923 – Vladimir Etush, Russian actor
- 1924 – Denny Wright, British guitarist (d. 1992)
- 1924 – Patricia Kennedy Lawford, American socialite (d. 2006)
- 1926 – Gilles Grégoire, Quebec politician, co-founder of the Parti Québécois (d. 2006)
- 1928 – Robert Poujade, French politician
- 1929 – Paul Lauterbur, American chemist, Nobel laureate (d. 2007)
- 1931 – Willie Mays, American baseball player
- 1934 – Richard Shelby, American politician
- 1936 – Bernard Lemaire, French Canadian businessman (Cascades)
- 1937 – Rubin Carter, American boxer
- 1938 – Jean Garon, Quebec economist and politician
- 1938 – Larry Gogan, Irish radio personality
- 1942 – Rin Kaiho, professional Go player
- 1943 – Andreas Baader, member of the German terrorist organization Red Army Faction (d. 1977)
- 1944 – Anton Furst, American production designer (d. 1991)
- 1944 – Masanori Murakami, First Japanese baseball player in major leagues
- 1945 – Jimmie Dale Gilmore, American musician
- 1945 – Bob Seger, American singer/songwriter
- 1947 – Martha Nussbaum, American philosopher
- 1947 – Alan Dale, New Zealand actor
- 1948 – Mary MacGregor, American singer
- 1951 – Samuel Doe, President of Liberia (d. 1990)
- 1952 – Christian Clavier, French actor
- 1952 – Gregg Henry, American actor and country musician
- 1952 – Michael O'Hare, American actor
- 1953 – Tony Blair, former British prime minister
- 1953 – Michelle Courchesne, Quebec politician
- 1953 – Graeme Souness, Scottish footballer/manager
- 1953 – Lynn Whitfield, American actress
- 1954 – Dora Bakoyannis, Greek politician
- 1955 – Tom Bergeron, American game show host
- 1956 – Lakis Lazopoulos, Greek comedian and script writer
- 1958 – Lolita Flores, Spanish singer and actress
- 1960 – Roma Downey, Northern Irish actress
- 1960 – John Flansburgh, American musician (They Might Be Giants)
- 1960 – Anne Parillaud, French actress
- 1960 – Phyllis Treigle, American soprano
- 1961 – George Clooney, American actor
- 1961 – Gina Riley, Australian actress, writer, singer and comedian
- 1962 – Adam Yellin, American record producer
- 1964 – Dana Hill, American actress (d. 1996)
- 1965 – Leslie Hope, Canadian actress
- 1968 – Lætitia Sadier, French singer (Stereolab)
- 1969 – Jim Magilton, Northern Irish footballer
- 1970 – Roland Kun, Nauruan politician
- 1970 – Kavan Smith, Canadian actor
- 1970 – Tristán Ulloa, Spanish actor
- 1971 – Chris Shiflett, Guitarist for Foo Fighters
- 1972 – Martin Brodeur, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1972 – Naoko Takahashi, Japanese long-distance runner
- 1977 – Christophe Brandt, Belgian cyclist
- 1977 – Marc Chouinard, French Canadian ice hockey player
- 1977 – Mark Eaton, American ice hockey player
- 1978 – John Abraham, American football player
- 1978 – Fredrick Federley, Swedish politician
- 1978 – Aleksandr Fyodorov, Russian bodybuilder
- 1979 – Kerry Ellis, West End actress
- 1979 – Nikki Hayes, Irish radio personality
- 1979 – Gerd Kanter, Estonian discus thrower
- 1980 – Scott Colton, American professional wrestler
- 1980 – Ricardo Oliveira, Brazilian footballer
- 1980 – Taebin, Korean singer (1TYM)
- 1980 – Kelly van der Veer, Dutch reality TV star
- 1980 – Nicole Brunner, American actress
- 1981 – Mark O'Connell, American drummer (Taking Back Sunday)
- 1981 – Matthew Leone, American bassist of Madina Lake
- 1981 – Nathan Leone, American lead singer of Madina Lake
- 1981 – Nicholas Setta, American Canadian football player (Hamilton Tiger-Cats)
- 1981 – Edyta Sliwinska, Polish dancer
- 1983 – Dani Alves, Brazillian footballer
- 1983 – Adrianne Palicki, American actress
- 1984 – Anton Babchuk, Ukrainian ice hockey player
- 1985 – Chris Paul, American basketball player
- 1986 – Tyler Hynes, Canadian actor
- 1987 – Moon Geun-young, South Korean actress
- 1989 – Dominika Cibulkova, Slovakian tennis player
- 1996 – Dominic Scott Kay, American actor
[edit] Deaths - 680 – Muawiyah I, caliph (b. 602)
- 1502 – James Tyrrell, alleged murderer of the Princes in the Tower (executed)
- 1596 – Giaches de Wert, Flemish composer (b. 1535)
- 1620 – Hayyim ben Joseph Vital, Palestinian-born Kabbalist (b. 1543)
- 1631 – Robert Bruce Cotton, English politician (b. 1570)
- 1638 – Cornelius Jansen, French bishop and religious reformer (b. 1585)
- 1708 – François de Laval, first bishop of New France (b. 1623)
- 1757 – Maximilian Ulysses Count Browne, Austrian field marshal (b. 1705)
- 1757 – Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton, British politician (b. 1683)
- 1757 – Kurt Christoph Graf von Schwerin, Prussian field marshal (b. 1684)
- 1840 – Francisco de Paula Santander, Colombian president and independence leader (b. 1792)
- 1859 – Alexander von Humboldt, German naturalist and explorer (b. 1769)
- 1862 – Henry David Thoreau, American author and philosopher (b. 1817)
- 1877 – Johan Ludvig Runeberg, Finnish poet (b. 1804)
- 1882 – Thomas Henry Burke, civil servant (b. 1829)
- 1882 – Lord Frederick Cavendish, British politician (b. 1836)
- 1902 – Bret Harte, American author (b. 1836)
- 1910 – King Edward VII of the United Kingdom (b. 1841)
- 1919 – L. Frank Baum, American writer (b. 1856)
- 1939 – Konstantin Somov, Russian writer (b. 1869)
- 1949 – Maurice Maeterlinck, Belgian writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1862)
- 1951 – Élie Cartan, French mathematician (b. 1869)
- 1952 – Maria Montessori, Italian educator (b. 1870)
- 1961 – Lucian Blaga, Romanian poet, playwright, and philosopher (b. 1895)
- 1963 – Theodore von Kármán, Hungarian-born physicist (b. 1881)
- 1963 – Monty Woolley, American actor (b. 1888)
- 1967 – Zhou Zuoren, Chinese writer (b. 1885)
- 1970 – Aleksandr Rodzyanko, Russian general (b. 1879)
- 1972 – Deniz Gezmiş, Turkish Left-wing Political Activist (b. 1947)
- 1973 – Ernest MacMillan, Canadian orchestra conductor and composer (b. 1893)
- 1975 – József Mindszenty, Hungarian Catholic Cardinal (b. 1892)
- 1983 – Kai Winding, American trombonist and jazz composer (b. 1922)
- 1984 – Bonner Pink, Conservative Party politician (b. 1912)
- 1984 – Mary Cain, Mississippi newspaper editor and politician (b. 1904)
- 1985 – Julie Vega, Filipino child actress and singer (b. 1968)
- 1987 – William Casey, American Central Intelligence Agency director (b. 1913)
- 1989 – Earl Blaik, Former American football coach (b. 1897)
- 1990 – Charles Farrell, American actor (b. 1901)
- 1991 – Wilfrid Hyde-White, English actor (b. 1903)
- 1992 – Marlene Dietrich, German actress (b. 1901)
- 1992 – Gaston Reiff, Belgian athlete (b. 1921)
- 1992 – Jilly Rizzo, restaurateur (b. 1917)
- 1993 – Ann Todd, English actress (b. 1909)
- 1995 – Noel Brotherston, Northern Irish footballer (b. 1956)
- 1995 – Hilda Toledano, self-styled Duchess of Braganza (b. 1907)
- 2002 – Otis Blackwell, American pianist, singer and songwriter (b. 1932)
- 2002 – Pim Fortuyn, Dutch politician (b. 1948)
- 2003 – Art Houtteman, baseball player (b. 1927)
- 2004 – Philip Kapleau, American Zen teacher (b. 1912)
- 2004 – Barney Kessel, American jazz guitarist (b. 1923)
- 2006 – Lillian Asplund, last American RMS Titanic survivor (b. 1906)
- 2006 – Shigeru Kayano, Japanese Ainu activist (b. 1926)
- 2006 – Grant McLennan, co-founder of Australian band The Go-Betweens (b. 1958)
- 2006 – Lorne Saxberg, Canadian television journalist (b. 1958)
- 2007 – Enéas Carneiro, Brazilian politician (b. 1938)
- 2007 – Curtis Harrington, American film director (b. 1926)
- 2007 – Đorđe Novković, Croatian songwriter (b. 1943)
- 2009 – Kevin Grubb, former NASCAR driver (b. 1978)
[edit] Holidays and observances Roman Catholic Church [edit] External links
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