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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.
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)1926 - Ann B. Davis , American actress1927 - Pat Carroll , American actress1931 - Greg , Belgian comic-book writer (Achille Talon ) (d. 1999)1934 - Ace Cannon , American saxophonist1935 - 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 composer1937 - Johnnie Taylor , American singer (d. 2000)1938 - Michael Murphy , American actor1939 - Cesare Fiorio , Italian sporting director of various Formula One teams1940 - Lance Henriksen , American actor and painter1940 - Michael Lindsay-Hogg , American film director
1941 - Alexander Ragulin , Russian hockey player (d. 2004)1942 - Marc Alaimo , American actor1942 - Tammy Wynette , American musician (d. 1998)
1943 - Michael Palin , British writer, actor, and comedian1943 - Raphael , Spanish singer
1944 - Bo Larsson , Swedish footballer1944 - Jean-Pierre Léaud , French actor
1944 - John Rhys-Davies , Welsh actor
1945 - Kurt Loder , Entertainment reporter1948 - Bill Ward , British drummer (Black Sabbath )1950 - Googoosh , Faegheh Atashin (فائقه آتشین), Iranian, Persian Singer & actress1950 - Mary Hopkin , Welsh singer1952 - Campbell McComas , Australian impersonator and broadcaster (d. 2005)1954 - Dave Spector , American television personality and commentator1955 - Melinda Culea , American actress1956 - Robert Marien , Quebec actor, singer and songwriter1957 - Richard E. Grant , British actor1957 - 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 politician1962 - Jenifer McKitrick , American songwriter1963 - Simon Rimmer , English chef1963 - Heidi Kozak , American actress1963 - James LaBrie , Canadian singer (Dream Theater )
1964 - John Lee (placekicker) , Korean-born American football player1965 - Glenn Seton , Australian racing driver1966 - 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-personality1970 - 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 player1971 - Harold Miner , American basketball player
1971 - David Reilly , American singer (God Lives Underwater ) (d. 2005)
1972 - James Cracknell , British rowing champion, double Olympic gold medalist1972 - Devin Townsend , Canadian musician (Strapping Young Lad )
1972 - Brad Bombardir , Canadian ice hockey player
1973 - Tina Yothers , American actress1974 - Seiji Ara , Japanese racing driver1976 - Juan Pablo Sorín , Argentine footballer1976 - Jeremy Michael Ward , American Musician (d. 2003)1976 - Anastasios Pantos , Greek footballer
1977 - Choi Kang-hee , South Korean actress1978 - Santiago Cabrera , Chilean actor1978 - Bruno Cheyrou , French footballer
1978 - Morgan Pehme , American filmmaker and writer1979 - Vincent Kartheiser , American actor1980 - DerMarr Johnson , American basketball player1980 - Yossi Benayoun , Israeli Footballer
1981 - Danielle Fishel , American actress1981 - Marcelle Bittar , Brazilian supermodel
1981 - Chris Duncan , baseball player
1981 - Craig David , English singer
1982 - Jay Bothroyd , English footballer1982 - Wouter D'Haene , Belgian flatwater canoer
1982 - Randall Gay , National Football League player
1982 - Edyta Sliwinska , Polish ballroom dancer
1982 - Dieter Brummer , Australian TV Actor
1983 - Henry Cavill , English actor1983 - Scott Ware , American footballer
1984 - Wade MacNeil , Canadian guitarist (Alexisonfire )1984 - Eve Torres , American dancer and model
1985 - P. J. Tucker , American basketball player1985 - Shoko Nakagawa , Japanese actress, illustrator and singer
1985 - Terrence Wheatley , American Football player
1987 - Marija Šestić , Bosnian singer1988 - 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
Deaths
200 - Sun Ce , warlord of the Han Dynasty (b. 175)311 - Galerius , Roman Emperor 984 - Gerberga of Saxony , Queen of Western Francia1028 - King Alfonso V of Castile , León, and Galicia1194 - 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)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 publisher2001 - 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 - 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
in the Roman Catholic Church :
External links