What happened on May 6? There are more than 255 events that were made this day in history. Here are the important historical events, facts, and some myths about this day.
Interesting Facts & Myths About May 6
May 6 is the 127th day of the year 2024. There are 239 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Monday. This day falls under the 19th week of the year 2024.
On this day in Le Mars, Iowa 51031 sunrise will occur at 06:09 AM and sunset will occur at 08:32 PM (local time).
The zodiac sign of a person born on this day is Taurus. The modern birthstone for this month is Emerald while the mystical birthstone is Sapphire.
According to the Chinese calendar, there are 268 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year (January 29, 2025).
Is your birthday coming up in two days? Are you not curious to find out who is sharing your special day? Discover all the April 22 famous birthdays. There are fun facts about that day that you must know. (Sponsored link)
Historical Events For May 6
- 1527Spanish and German troops sack Rome; some consider this the end of the Renaissance. 147 Swiss Guards, including their commander, die fighting the forces of Charles V in order to allow Pope Clement VII to escape into Castel Sant'Angelo.
- 1536King Henry VIII orders English language Bibles be placed in every church.
- 1542Francis Xavier reaches Old Goa, the capital of Portuguese India at the time.
- 1659English Restoration: A faction of the British Army removes Richard Cromwell as Lord Protector of the Commonwealth and reinstalls the Rump Parliament.
- 1682Louis XIV of France moves his court to the Palace of Versailles.
- 1757Battle of Prague – A Prussian army fights an Austrian army in Prague during the Seven Years’ War.
- 1757English poet Christopher Smart is admitted into St Luke’s Hospital for Lunatics in London, beginning his six-year confinement to mental asylums.
- 1801Captain Thomas Cochrane in the 14-gun HMS Speedy captures the 32-gun Spanish frigate El Gamo.
- 1816The American Bible Society is founded in New York City.
- 1835James Gordon Bennett, Sr. publishes the first issue of the New York Herald.
- 1840The Penny Black postage stamp becomes valid for use in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
- 1844The Glaciarium, the world’s first mechanically frozen ice rink, opens.
- 1857The British East India Company disbands the 34th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry whose sepoy Mangal Pandey had earlier revolted against the British and is considered to be the First Martyr in the War of Indian Independence.
- 1861American Civil War: Arkansas secedes from the Union.
- 1861American Civil War: Richmond, Virginia is declared the new capital of the Confederate States of America.
- 1863American Civil War: The Battle of Chancellorsville ends with the defeat of the Army of the Potomac by Confederate troops.
- 1877Chief Crazy Horse of the Oglala Sioux surrenders to United States troops in Nebraska.
- 1882The United States Congress passes the Chinese Exclusion Act.
- 1882Thomas Henry Burke and Lord Frederick Cavendish are stabbed and killed during the Phoenix Park Murders in Dublin.
- 1889The Eiffel Tower is officially opened to the public at the Universal Exposition in Paris.
- 1910George V becomes King of the United Kingdom upon the death of his father, Edward VII.
- 1935New Deal: Executive Order 7034 creates the Works Progress Administration.
- 1935The first flight of the Curtiss P-36 Hawk.
- 1937Hindenburg 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.
- 1940John Steinbeck is awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his novel The Grapes of Wrath.
- 1941At California’s March Field, Bob Hope performs his first USO show.
- 1941The first flight of the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt.
- 1942World War II: On Corregidor, the last American forces in the Philippines surrender to the Japanese.
- 1945World War II: Axis Sally delivers her last propaganda broadcast to Allied troops.
- 1945World War II: The Prague Offensive, the last major battle of the Eastern Front, begins.
- 1954Roger Bannister becomes the first person to run the mile in under four minutes.
- 1960More than 20 million viewers watch the first televised royal wedding when Princess Margaret marries Anthony Armstrong-Jones at Westminster Abbey.
- 1962St. Martín de Porres is canonized by Pope John XXIII.
- 1966Myra Hindley and Ian Brady are sentenced to life imprisonment for the Moors Murders in England.
- 1972Deniz Gezmiş, Yusuf Aslan and Hüseyin İnan are executed in Ankara for attempting to overthrow the Constitutional order.
- 1976An earthquake strikes Friuli, causing 989 deaths and the destruction of entire villages.
- 1981A jury of architects and sculptors unanimously selects Maya Ying Lin’s design for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial from 1,421 other entries.
- 1983The Hitler diaries are revealed as a hoax after examination by experts.
- 1984103 Korean Martyrs are canonized by Pope John Paul II in Seoul
- 1989Cedar 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”.
- 1994Former Arkansas state worker Paula Jones files a lawsuit against President Bill Clinton, alleging that he had sexually harassed her in 1991.
- 1994Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and French President François Mitterrand officiate at the opening of the Channel Tunnel.
- 1996The body of former CIA director William Colby is found washed up on a riverbank in southern Maryland, eight days after he disappeared.
- 1997The Bank of England is given independence from political control, the most significant change in the bank’s 300-year history.
- 1998Kerry 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.
- 1999First elections to the devolved Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly held.
- 2001During a trip to Syria, Pope John Paul II becomes the first pope to enter a mosque.
- 2002Dutch politician Pim Fortuyn is assassinated by an animal rights activist.
- 2004Aslan Abashidze, leader of Georgia’s autonomous republic of Adjara resigns after public protests and months of stalemate with the central authorities.
- 2010The second largest intraday point swing in Dow Jones Industrial Average history occurs.
Who Were Born On May 6?
- 1405George Kastrioti Skanderbeg, Albanian hero (d. 1468)
- 1501Pope Marcellus II (d. 1555)
- 1574Pope Innocent X (d. 1655)
- 1638Henry Capell, 1st Baron Capell, First Lord of the British Admiralty (d. 1696)
- 1713Charles Batteux, French philosopher (d. 1780)
- 1758André Masséna, French marshal (d. 1817)
- 1758Maximilien Robespierre, French Revolutionary (d. 1794)
- 1769Ferdinand III, Grand Duke of Tuscany (d. 1824)
- 1769Jean Nicolas Pierre Hachette, French mathematician (d. 1834)
- 1797Joseph Brackett, American religious leader and composer (d. 1882)
- 1800Roman Sanguszko, Polish aristocrat and general (d. 1881)
- 1856Robert Peary, American explorer (d. 1920)
- 1856Sigmund Freud, Austrian psychiatrist (d. 1939)
- 1861Motilal Nehru, Indian freedom fighter (d. 1931)
- 1868Gaston Leroux, French writer (d. 1927)
- 1871Christian Morgenstern, German author (d. 1914)
- 1871Victor Grignard, French chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1935)
- 1872Willem de Sitter, Dutch scientist (d. 1934)
- 1879Bedřich Hrozný, Czech orientalist (d. 1952)
- 1880Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, German painter (d. 1938)
- 1880William J. Simmons, American Ku Klux Klan leader (d. 1945)
- 1880Winifred Brunton, British-born South African painter (d. 1959)
- 1882Crown Prince Wilhelm of Germany (d. 1951)
- 1895Fidél Pálffy, Hungarian Nazi (d. 1946)
- 1895Júlio César de Mello e Souza, Brazilian writer (d. 1974)
- 1895Rudolph Valentino, Italian actor (d. 1926)
- 1897Paul Alverdes, German writer (d. 1979)
- 1898Konrad Henlein, Czechoslovakian politician (d. 1945)
- 1899Billy Cotton, British entertainer (d. 1969)
- 1902Harry Golden, American journalist (d. 1981)
- 1902Max Ophüls, German-born director (d. 1957)
- 1903Toots Shor, American restaurateur (d. 1977)
- 1904Harry Martinson, Swedish author and poet Nobel laureate (d. 1978)
- 1904Moshe Feldenkrais, Ukrainian-born founder of the Feldenkrais method (d. 1984)
- 1904Raymond Bailey, American actor (d. 1980)
- 1906André Weil, French mathematician (d. 1998)
- 1906Enrique Laguerre, Puerto Rican writer (d. 2005)
- 1907Weeb Ewbank, American football coach (d. 1998)
- 1909Loyd Sigmon, American amateur radio broadcaster (d. 2004)
- 1911Frank Nelson, American actor (d. 1986)
- 1913Carmen Cavallaro, American pianist (d. 1989)
- 1913Stewart Granger, English film actor (d. 1993)
- 1915Orson Welles, American film director and actor (d. 1985)
- 1915Theodore White, American writer (d. 1986)
- 1916Robert H. Dicke, American physicist (d. 1997)
- 1916Sif Ruud, Swedish actress
- 1917Kal Mann, American lyricist (d. 2001)
- 1920Martha Beck, American convicted murderer (d. 1951)
- 1920Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, Fijian statesman (d. 2004)
- 1920Ross Hunter, American film producer (d. 1996)
- 1921Erich Fried, German author (d. 1988)
- 1922Camille Laurin, Quebec psychiatrist and politician (d. 1999)
- 1922Vladimir Etush, Russian actor
- 1924Denny Wright, British guitarist (d. 1992)
- 1924Patricia Kennedy Lawford, American socialite (d. 2006)
- 1926Gilles Grégoire, Quebec politician, co-founder of the Parti Québécois (d. 2006)
- 1928Robert Poujade, French politician
- 1929Paul Lauterbur, American chemist, Nobel laureate (d. 2007)
- 1931Willie Mays, American baseball player
- 1934Richard Shelby, American politician
- 1936Bernard Lemaire, French Canadian businessman (Cascades)
- 1937Rubin Carter, American boxer
- 1938Jean Garon, Quebec economist and politician
- 1938Larry Gogan, Irish radio personality
- 1942Rin Kaiho, professional go player
- 1943Andreas Baader, member of the German terrorist organization Red Army Faction (d. 1977)
- 1944Anton Furst, American production designer (d. 1991)
- 1944Masanori Murakami, first Japanese baseball player in major leagues
- 1945Bob Seger, American singer/songwriter
- 1945Jimmie Dale Gilmore, American musician
- 1945Richard Eyer, American actor
- 1947Alan Dale, New Zealand actor
- 1947Martha Nussbaum, American philosopher
- 1948Mary MacGregor, American singer
- 1949Ross Bagdasarian, Jr., American voice actor and cartoonist
- 1951Samuel Doe, President of Liberia (d. 1990)
- 1952Christian Clavier, French actor
- 1952Gerrit Zalm, Dutch politician and CEO (ABN AMRO)
- 1952Gregg Henry, American actor and country musician
- 1952Michael O'Hare, American actor
- 1953Graeme Souness, Scottish footballer/manager
- 1953Lynn Whitfield, American actress
- 1953Michelle Courchesne, Quebec politician
- 1953Tony Blair, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, 1997–2007
- 1954Dora Bakoyannis, Greek politician
- 1954Tom Abernethy, American basketball player
- 1955Tom Bergeron, American game show host
- 1956Lakis Lazopoulos, Greek comedian and scriptwriter
- 1958Lolita Flores, Spanish singer and actress
- 1960Anne Parillaud, French actress
- 1960John Flansburgh, American musician (They Might Be Giants)
- 1960Phyllis Treigle, American soprano
- 1960Roma Downey, Northern Irish actress
- 1961George Clooney, American actor
- 1961Gina Riley, Australian actress, writer, singer and comedian
- 1962Adam Yellin, American record producer
- 1964Dana Hill, American actress (d. 1996)
- 1964Tony Scalzo, American musician (Fastball)
- 1965Leslie Hope, Canadian actress
- 1968Lætitia Sadier, French singer (Stereolab)
- 1969Jim Magilton, Northern Irish footballer
- 1970Kavan Smith, Canadian actor
- 1970Roland Kun, Nauruan politician
- 1970Tristán Ulloa, Spanish actor
- 1971Chris Shiflett, American guitarist (Foo Fighters)
- 1972Martin Brodeur, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1972Naoko Takahashi, Japanese long-distance runner
- 1974Faruk Namdar, Turkish footballer
- 1977Christophe Brandt, Belgian cyclist
- 1977Marc Chouinard, French Canadian ice hockey player
- 1977Mark Eaton, American ice hockey player
- 1978Aleksandr Fyodorov, Russian bodybuilder
- 1978Fredrick Federley, Swedish politician
- 1978John Abraham, American football player
- 1979Gerd Kanter, Estonian discus thrower
- 1979Kerry Ellis, West End actress / singer
- 1979Nikki Hayes, Irish radio personality
- 1979Stefanos Kotsolis, Greek footballer
- 1980Dimitris Diamantidis, Greek basketball player
- 1980Kelly van der Veer, Dutch reality TV star
- 1980Mark Ladwig, American figure skater
- 1980Nicole Brunner, American actress
- 1980Ricardo Oliveira, Brazilian footballer
- 1980Scott Colton, American professional wrestler
- 1980Taebin, Korean singer (1TYM)
- 1981Edyta Śliwińska, Polish dancer
- 1981Matt Drake, British vocalist/guitarist (Evile)
- 1981Nicholas Setta, American Canadian football player (Hamilton Tiger-Cats)
- 1983Adrianne Palicki, American actress
- 1983Dani Alves, Brazilian footballer
- 1983Gabourey Sidibe, American actress
- 1983Raquel Zimmermann, Brazilian model
- 1983Trinley Thaye Dorje, Tibetan religious figure, the 17th Karmapa Lama (supported by the Chinese government)
- 1984Anton Babchuk, Ukrainian ice hockey player
- 1985Chris Paul, American basketball player
- 1985Tanerau Latimer, New Zealand All Black rugby player
- 1986Roman Kreuziger, Czech Astana pro cyclist
- 1986Tyler Hynes, Canadian actor
- 1987Moon Geun Young, South Korean actress
- 1989Dominika Cibulková, Slovakian tennis player
- 1990Caitlin Yankowskas, American figure skater
- 1991Tyler, The Creator, American Rapper
- 1991Valerio Frasca, Italian footballer
- 1996Dominic Scott Kay, American actor
Who Died On May 6?
- 680Muawiyah I, Caliph of Umayyad (b. 602)
- 1475Dieric Bouts, Flemish painter (b. c. 1415)
- 1502James Tyrrell, alleged murderer of Edward V of England and the Duke of York (b. c. 1450)
- 1596Giaches de Wert, Flemish composer (b. 1535)
- 1620Hayyim ben Joseph Vital, Palestinian-born Kabbalist (b. 1543)
- 1631Sir Robert Bruce Cotton, English politician (b. 1570)
- 1638Cornelius Jansen, French bishop and religious reformer (b. 1585)
- 1708François de Laval, French bishop (b. 1623)
- 1757Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton, British politician (b. 1683)
- 1757Kurt Christoph Graf von Schwerin, Prussian field marshal (b. 1684)
- 1757Maximilian Ulysses Count Browne, Austrian field marshal (b. 1705)
- 1840Francisco de Paula Santander, Colombian politician (b. 1792)
- 1859Alexander von Humboldt, German naturalist and explorer (b. 1769)
- 1862Henry David Thoreau, American author and philosopher (b. 1817)
- 1877Johan Ludvig Runeberg, Finnish poet (b. 1804)
- 1882Lord Frederick Cavendish, British politician (b. 1836)
- 1882Thomas Henry Burke, civil servant (b. 1829)
- 1902Bret Harte, American author (b. 1836)
- 1910King Edward VII of the United Kingdom (b. 1841)
- 1913Alexandros Schinas, Greek assassin of King George I (b. 1870)
- 1919L. Frank Baum, American writer (b. 1856)
- 1939Konstantin Somov, Russian writer (b. 1869)
- 1949Maurice Maeterlinck, Belgian writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1862)
- 1951Élie Cartan, French mathematician (b. 1869)
- 1952Maria Montessori, Italian educator (b. 1870)
- 1961Lucian Blaga, Romanian poet, playwright, and philosopher (b. 1895)
- 1963Monty Woolley, American actor (b. 1888)
- 1963Theodore von Kármán, Hungarian-born physicist (b. 1881)
- 1967Zhou Zuoren, Chinese writer (b. 1885)
- 1970Aleksandr Rodzyanko, Russian general (b. 1879)
- 1972Deniz Gezmiş, Turkish political activist (b. 1947)
- 1973Ernest MacMillan, Canadian orchestra conductor and composer (b. 1893)
- 1975József Mindszenty, Hungarian Catholic Cardinal (b. 1892)
- 1983Kai Winding, American trombonist and jazz composer (b. 1922)
- 1984Bonner Pink, British Conservative Party politician (b. 1912)
- 1984Mary Cain, Mississippi newspaper editor and politician (b. 1904)
- 1985Julie Vega, Filipino child actress and singer (b. 1968)
- 1987William Casey, American Central Intelligence Agency director (b. 1913)
- 1989Earl Blaik, former American football coach (b. 1897)
- 1990Charles Farrell, American actor (b. 1901)
- 1991Wilfrid Hyde-White, English actor (b. 1903)
- 1992Gaston Reiff, Belgian athlete (b. 1921)
- 1992Jilly Rizzo, restaurateur (b. 1917)
- 1992Marlene Dietrich, German actress (b. 1901)
- 1993Ann Todd, English actress (b. 1909)
- 1995Maria Pia de Saxe-Coburgo e Bragança, Portuguese claimant to the throne of Portugal (b. 1907)
- 1995Noel Brotherston, Northern Irish footballer (b. 1956)
- 2002Otis Blackwell, American pianist, singer and songwriter (b. 1932)
- 2002Pim Fortuyn, Dutch politician (b. 1948)
- 2003Art Houtteman, baseball player (b. 1927)
- 2004Barney Kessel, American jazz guitarist (b. 1923)
- 2004Philip Kapleau, American Zen teacher (b. 1912)
- 2006Grant McLennan, Australian singer, songwriter (The Go-Betweens) (b. 1958)
- 2006Lillian Asplund, last American RMS Titanic survivor (b. 1906)
- 2006Lorne Saxberg, Canadian television journalist (b. 1958)
- 2006Shigeru Kayano, Japanese Ainu activist (b. 1926)
- 2007Đorđe Novković, Croatian songwriter (b. 1943)
- 2007Curtis Harrington, American film director (b. 1926)
- 2007Enéas Carneiro, Brazilian politician (b. 1938)
- 2009Kevin Grubb, American NASCAR driver (b. 1978)
- 2010Robin Roberts, American baseball player (b. 1926)
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