What happened on May 5? There are more than 249 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 5

May 5 In HistoryMay 5 is the 126th day of the year 2024. There are 240 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Sunday. This day falls under the 18th week of the year 2024.

On this day in Oakfield, Wisconsin 53065 sunrise will occur at 05:38 AM and sunset will occur at 08:03 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 269 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year (January 29, 2025).

Birthday curiousity Is your birthday coming up in two days? Are you not curious to find out who is sharing your special day? Discover all the March 31 famous birthdays. There are fun facts about that day that you must know. (Sponsored link)

Historical Events For May 5

  • 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.
  • 1811
    In the second day of fighting at the Peninsular War Battle of Fuentes de Onoro the French army, under Marshall Massena, drive in the Duke of Wellington’s overextended right flank, but French frontal assaults fail to take the town of Fuentes de Onoro and the Anglo-Portugese army holds the field at the end of the day.
  • 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.
  • 1860
    Giuseppe Garibaldi sets sail from Genoa, leading the expedition of the Thousand to conquer the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and giving birth to the Kingdom of Italy.
  • 1862
    Cinco de Mayo: troops led by Ignacio Zaragoza halt a French invasion in the Battle of Puebla in Mexico.
  • 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.
  • 1905
    The trial in the Stratton Brothers case begins in London, England; it marks the first time that fingerprint evidence is used to gain a conviction for murder.
  • 1920
    Authorities arrest Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti for alleged robbery and murder.
  • 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 Campaign – Norwegian squads in Hegra Fortress and Vinjesvingen capitulate to the Nazis after all other Norwegian forces in southern Norway had laid down their arms.
  • 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.
  • 1944
    German troops execute 216 civilians in the village of Kleisoura in Greece
  • 1945
    World War II: Canadian and UK troops liberate the Netherlands and Denmark from Nazi occupation when Wehrmacht troops capitulate.
  • 1946
    The International Military Tribunal for the Far East begins in Tokyo with twenty-eight Japanese military and government officials accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
  • 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.
  • 1972
    Alitalia Flight 112 crashes into Mount Longa near Palermo, Sicily, killing all 115 aboard, making it the deadliest single-aircraft disaster in Italy.
  • 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.
  • 1994
    American teenager Michael P. Fay is caned in Singapore for theft and vandalism, a punishment that many in the United States deemed to be excessive for a teenager committing a non-violent crime. However, significant numbers of Americans were also in favor of it.
  • 1994
    The signing of the Bishkek Protocol between Armenia and Azerbaijan effectively freezes the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
  • 2006
    The government of Sudan signs an accord with the Sudan Liberation Army.
  • 2007
    All 114 aboard Kenya Airways Flight 507 die when the pilots lose control of the plane and it crashes in Douala, Cameroon.
  • 2010
    Mass protests in Greece erupt in response to austerity measures imposed by the government as a result of the Greek debt crisis.

Who Were Born On May 5?

  • 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 Eugénie de Montijo 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, German composer (d. 1949)
  • 1883
    Agustín Barrios, Paraguayan guitarist and composer (d. 1944)
  • 1883
    Archibald Wavell, British general (d. 1950)
  • 1887
    Geoffrey Fisher, Archbishop of Canterbury (d. 1972)
  • 1889
    Herbie Taylor, South African cricketer (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)
  • 1909
    Miklós Radnóti, Hungarian poet (d. 1944)
  • 1911
    Andor Lilienthal, Hungarian chess grandmaster (d. 2010)
  • 1914
    Tyrone Power, American actor (d. 1958)
  • 1915
    Alice Faye, American actress (d. 1998)
  • 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 actress
  • 1927
    Pat Carroll, American actress
  • 1928
    Nora Denney, American actress (d. 2005)
  • 1931
    Michel Regnier, Belgian comic-book writer (Achille Talon) (d. 1999)
  • 1932
    Will Hutchins, American actor
  • 1934
    Ace Cannon, American saxophonist
  • 1935
    Bernard Pivot, French journalist and television host
  • 1935
    Douglas Marland, American television writer (d. 1993)
  • 1935
    Robert Rehme, American film producer
  • 1936
    Ervin Lázár, Hungarian writer (d. 2006)
  • 1936
    Patrick Gowers, British composer
  • 1937
    Delia Derbyshire, British electronic music composer (d. 2001)
  • 1937
    Johnnie Taylor, American singer (d. 2000)
  • 1938
    Michael Murphy, American actor
  • 1939
    Cesare Fiorio, Italian sporting director of various Formula One teams
  • 1940
    Lance Henriksen, American actor and painter
  • 1940
    Lasse Åberg, Swedish artist, actor and musician
  • 1940
    Michael Lindsay-Hogg, American film director
  • 1941
    Alexander Ragulin, Russian hockey player (d. 2004)
  • 1942
    István Bujtor, Hungarian actor (d. 2009)
  • 1942
    Marc Alaimo, American actor
  • 1942
    Tammy Wynette, American musician (d. 1998)
  • 1943
    Michael Palin, British writer, actor, and comedian
  • 1944
    Bo Larsson, Swedish footballer
  • 1944
    John Rhys-Davies, English-born Welsh actor
  • 1944
    Roger Rees, Welsh-American actor
  • 1948
    Bill Ward, British drummer
  • 1951
    Rudolf Finsterer, German rugby player and coach
  • 1952
    Campbell McComas, Australian impersonator and broadcaster (d. 2005)
  • 1954
    Dave Spector, American television personality and commentator
  • 1955
    Lisa Jane Persky, American actress
  • 1955
    Melinda Culea, American actress
  • 1956
    Robert Marien, Québécois actor, singer and songwriter
  • 1957
    Peter Howitt, British actor and film director
  • 1957
    Richard E. Grant, British actor
  • 1958
    Robert DiPierdomenico, Australian rules footballer
  • 1958
    Ron Arad, Israeli aircraft navigator missing in action
  • 1959
    Brian Williams, American news anchor
  • 1959
    Ian McCulloch, English singer (Echo & the Bunnymen)
  • 1959
    Johann Gajda, German footballer
  • 1961
    Hiroshi Hase, Japanese professional wrestler and politician
  • 1962
    Jenifer McKitrick, American songwriter
  • 1963
    Heidi Kozak, American actress
  • 1963
    James LaBrie, Canadian singer (Dream Theater)
  • 1963
    Simon Rimmer, English chef
  • 1964
    John Lee, Korean-born American football player
  • 1965
    Glenn Seton, Australian racing driver
  • 1966
    Josh Weinstein, American writer
  • 1966
    Shawn Drover, Canadian drummer (Megadeth)
  • 1967
    Maro Mavri, Greek fashion-model and actress
  • 1967
    Takehito Koyasu, Japanese seiyu (voice actor)
  • 1970
    Kyan Douglas, American TV-personality
  • 1970
    LaPhonso Ellis, American basketball player
  • 1970
    Soheil Ayari, French racer
  • 1970
    Todd Newton, American TV-personality, two-time game-show host
  • 1971
    Harold Miner, American basketball player
  • 1971
    Mike Redmond, American baseball player
  • 1972
    Žigmund Pálffy, Slovak ice-hockey player
  • 1972
    Brad Bombardir, Canadian ice-hockey player
  • 1972
    Devin Townsend, Canadian musician (Strapping Young Lad)
  • 1972
    James Cracknell, British rower
  • 1972
    Mikael Renberg, Swedish ice-hockey player
  • 1973
    Casino Versus Japan, American composer
  • 1973
    Tina Yothers, American actress
  • 1974
    Seiji Ara, Japanese racing driver
  • 1976
    Anastasios Pantos, Greek footballer
  • 1976
    Dieter Brummer, Australian actor
  • 1976
    Juan Pablo Sorín, Argentine footballer
  • 1977
    Choi Kang-hee, South Korean actress
  • 1978
    Bruno Cheyrou, French footballer
  • 1978
    John Wilshere, Papua New Guinean rugby league footballer
  • 1978
    Morgan Pehme, American filmmaker and writer
  • 1978
    Santiago Cabrera, Chilean actor
  • 1979
    Vincent Kartheiser, American actor
  • 1980
    DerMarr Johnson, American basketball player
  • 1980
    Hank Green, Musician, video blogger and founder of ecogeek.org
  • 1980
    Yossi Benayoun, Israeli footballer
  • 1981
    Chris Duncan, American baseball player
  • 1981
    Craig David, English singer
  • 1981
    Danielle Fishel, American actress
  • 1981
    Marcelle Bittar, Brazilian model
  • 1982
    Jay Bothroyd, English footballer
  • 1982
    Randall Gay, American football player
  • 1982
    Wouter D'Haene, Belgian flatwater-canoeist
  • 1983
    Henry Cavill, Jersey actor
  • 1983
    Scott Ware, American football player
  • 1984
    Wade MacNeil, Canadian guitarist (Alexisonfire)
  • 1985
    Emanuele Giaccherini, Italian footballer
  • 1985
    Marcos Rogério, Brazilian footballer
  • 1985
    Shoko Nakagawa, Japanese actress, illustrator and singer
  • 1985
    Terrence Wheatley, American football player
  • 1987
    Jessie Cave, English actress
  • 1987
    Marija Šestić, Bosnian singer
  • 1988
    Adele, English singer
  • 1988
    Brooke Hogan, American singer and television personality
  • 1988
    Jessica Dubroff, American pilot trainee (d. 1996)
  • 1989
    Chris Brown, American singer and actor
  • 1989
    Larissa Wilson, English actress
  • 1991
    Xenofon Fetsis, Greek footballer
  • 1999
    Nathan Chen, American figure skater

Who Died On May 5?

  • 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)
  • 1426
    Ephraim of Nea Makri, Greek Orthodox saint (b. 1384)
  • 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 (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 Bonaparte (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)
  • 1916
    John MacBride, Irish Nationalist and member of the Easter Rising (b. 1865)
  • 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)
  • 1965
    Nikos Gounaris, Greek tenor (b. 1915)
  • 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 (b. 1906)
  • 1995
    Mikhail Botvinnik, Russian chess player, grandmaster and world champion (b. 1911)
  • 1997
    Walter Gotell, German actor (b. 1924)
  • 1999
    Vasilis Diamantopoulos, Greek actor (b. 1920)
  • 2000
    Bill Musselman, American basketball head coach (b. 1940)
  • 2000
    Gino Bartali, Italian cyclist (b. 1914)
  • 2001
    Clifton Hillegass, American writer and publisher (b. 1918)
  • 2001
    Raymond Kessler, American midget wrestler
  • 2002
    George Sidney, American film director (b. 1916)
  • 2002
    Hugo Banzer, Bolivian dictator (b. 1926)
  • 2002
    Paul Klipsch, American engineer, noted for his loudspeaker designs (b. 1904)
  • 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, American physicist, noted for making the first working laser (b. 1927)
  • 2008
    Irv Robbins, Canadian-American entrepreneur (b. 1917)
  • 2010
    Giulietta Simionato, Italian mezzo-soprano (b. 1910)
  • 2010
    Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, 12th president of Nigeria (b. 1951)
  • 2011
    Claude Choules, last surviving World War I veteran (b. 1901)
  • 2011
    Yosef Merimovich, Israeli football player and manager (b. 1924)

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