On This Day: May 5 - Historical Events, Births & Deaths

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49 Events 147 Births 94 Deaths

2023 The World Health Organization declares the end of the COVID-19 pandemic as a global health emergency. ↗
2010 Mass protests in Greece erupt in response to austerity measures imposed by the government as a result of the Greek government-debt crisis. ↗
2007 Kenya Airways Flight 507 crashes after takeoff from Douala International Airport in Douala, Cameroon, killing all 114 aboard, making it the deadliest aircraft disaster in Cameroon. ↗
2006 The government of Sudan signs an accord with the Sudan Liberation Army. ↗
1994 The signing of the Bishkek Protocol between Armenia and Azerbaijan effectively freezes the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. ↗
1994 American teenager Michael P. Fay is caned in Singapore for theft and vandalism. ↗
1991 A riot breaks out in the Mt. Pleasant section of Washington, D.C. after police shoot a Salvadoran man. ↗
1987 Iran–Contra affair: Start of Congressional televised hearings in the United States of America ↗
1985 Ronald Reagan visits the military cemetery at Bitburg and the site of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, where he makes a speech. ↗
1981 Bobby Sands dies in the Long Kesh prison hospital after 66 days of hunger-striking, aged 27. ↗
1980 Operation Nimrod: The British Special Air Service storms the Iranian embassy in London after a six-day siege. ↗
1973 Secretariat wins the 1973 Kentucky Derby in 1:59.4, an as-yet-unbeaten record. ↗
1972 Alitalia Flight 112 crashes into Mount Longa near Palermo, Sicily, killing all 115 aboard, making it the deadliest single-aircraft disaster in Italy. ↗
1964 The Council of Europe declares May 5 as Europe Day. ↗
1961 Project Mercury: Alan Shepard becomes the first American to travel into outer space, on a sub-orbital flight. ↗
1955 The General Treaty, by which France, Britain and the United States recognize the sovereignty of West Germany, comes into effect. ↗
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. ↗
1945 World War II: The Prague uprising begins as an attempt by the Czech resistance to free the city from German occupation. ↗
1945 World War II: A Fu-Go balloon bomb launched by the Japanese Army kills six people near Bly, Oregon. ↗
1945 World War II: Battle of Castle Itter, one of only two battles in that war in which American and German troops fought cooperatively. ↗
1941 Emperor Haile Selassie returns to Addis Ababa; the country commemorates the date as Liberation Day or Patriots' Victory Day. ↗
1940 World War II: Norwegian campaign: Norwegian squads in Hegra Fortress and Vinjesvingen capitulate to German forces after all other Norwegian forces in southern Norway had laid down their arms. ↗
1936 Italian troops occupy Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. ↗
1930 The 1930 Bago earthquake, the former of two major earthquakes in southern Burma kills as many as 7,000 in Yangon and Bago. ↗
1920 Authorities arrest Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti for alleged robbery and murder. ↗
1912 The first issue of the Bolshevik newspaper Pravda was published. ↗
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. ↗
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. ↗
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. ↗
1887 The Peruvian Academy of Language is founded. ↗
1886 Workers marching for the Eight-hour day in Milwaukee, Wisconsin were shot at by Wisconsin National Guardsmen in what became known as the Bay View Massacre. ↗
1877 American Indian Wars: Sitting Bull leads his band of Lakota into Canada to avoid harassment by the United States Army under Colonel Nelson Miles. ↗
1866 Memorial Day first celebrated in United States at Waterloo, New York. ↗
1865 American Civil War: The Confederate government was declared dissolved at Washington, Georgia. ↗
1864 American Civil War: The Battle of the Wilderness begins in Spotsylvania County. ↗
1862 Cinco de Mayo: Troops led by Ignacio Zaragoza halt a French invasion in the Battle of Puebla in Mexico. ↗
1835 The first railway in continental Europe opens between Brussels and Mechelen. ↗
1821 Emperor Napoleon dies in exile on the island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean. ↗
1821 The first edition of The Manchester Guardian, now The Guardian, is published. ↗
1809 Mary Kies becomes the first woman awarded a U.S. patent, for a technique of weaving straw with silk and thread. ↗
1789 In France, the Estates-General convenes for the first time since 1614. ↗
1762 Russia and Prussia sign the Treaty of St. Petersburg. ↗
1654 Cromwell's Act of Grace, aimed at reconciliation with the Scots, proclaimed in Edinburgh. ↗
1640 King Charles I of England dissolves the Short Parliament. ↗
1609 Daimyō (Lord) Shimazu Tadatsune of the Satsuma Domain in southern Kyūshū, Japan, completes his successful invasion of the Ryūkyū Kingdom in Okinawa. ↗
1494 On his second voyage to the New World, Christopher Columbus sights Jamaica, landing at Discovery Bay and declares Jamaica the property of the Spanish crown. ↗
1260 Kublai Khan becomes ruler of the Mongol Empire. ↗
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. ↗
553 The Second Council of Constantinople begins. ↗

2004 Jenna Davis, American actress and YouTuber ↗
2004 Kirsty Muir, Scottish freestyle skier ↗
2003 Carlos Alcaraz, Spanish tennis player ↗
1999 Nathan Chen, American figure skater ↗
1999 Justin Kluivert, Dutch footballer ↗
1998 Aryna Sabalenka, Belarusian tennis player ↗
1997 Logan Gilbert, American baseball player ↗
1997 Mitch Marner, Canadian hockey player ↗
1996 Christopher Eubanks, American tennis player ↗
1996 Mayar Sherif, Egyptian tennis player ↗
1995 James Conner, American football player ↗
1994 Celeste, British singer ↗
1991 Raúl Jiménez, Mexican footballer ↗
1989 Chris Brown, American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actor ↗
1989 Agnes Knochenhauer, Swedish curler ↗
1988 Adele, English singer-songwriter ↗
1987 Graham Dorrans, Scottish footballer ↗
1985 Shoko Nakagawa, Japanese actress and singer ↗
1985 Emanuele Giaccherini, Italian footballer ↗
1985 P. J. Tucker, American basketball player ↗
1983 Henry Cavill, English actor ↗
1982 Vanessa Bryant, American philanthropist and model ↗
1982 Corey Parker, Australian rugby league footballer ↗
1981 Craig David, English singer-songwriter, musician and producer ↗
1981 Danielle Fishel, American actress ↗
1980 Yossi Benayoun, Israeli footballer ↗
1980 Hank Green, American entrepreneur, educator, and vlogger ↗
1979 Vincent Kartheiser, American actor ↗
1977 Tiffany Roberts, American footballer ↗
1976 Dieter Brummer, Australian actor (died 2021) ↗
1976 Juan Pablo Sorín, Argentinian footballer and sportscaster ↗
1975 Meb Keflezighi, American runner ↗
1972 James Cracknell, English rower ↗
1972 Žigmund Pálffy, Slovakian ice hockey player ↗
1972 Mikael Renberg, Swedish ice hockey player ↗
1971 Harold Miner, American basketball player ↗
1967 Adam Hughes, American author and illustrator ↗
1967 Charles Nagy, American baseball player ↗
1967 Alexis Sinduhije, Burundian journalist and politician ↗
1966 Shawn Drover, Canadian drummer ↗
1966 Sergei Stanishev, Bulgarian politician, 46th Prime Minister of Bulgaria ↗
1966 Josh Weinstein, American screenwriter and producer ↗
1964 Jean-François Copé, French politician, French Minister of Budget ↗
1964 Heike Henkel, German high jumper ↗
1964 Don Payne, American screenwriter and producer (died 2013) ↗
1964 Minami Takayama, Japanese voice actress and singer ↗
1963 James LaBrie, Canadian singer-songwriter ↗
1963 Simon Rimmer, English chef and author ↗
1963 Scott Westerfeld, American author and composer ↗
1961 Marg Downey, Australian actress ↗
1961 Hiroshi Hase, Japanese wrestler and politician ↗
1960 Doug Hawkins, Australian footballer and sportscaster ↗
1959 Bobby Ellsworth, American singer and bass player ↗
1959 Ian McCulloch, English singer-songwriter and guitarist ↗
1959 Brian Williams, American journalist ↗
1958 Robert DiPierdomenico, Australian footballer and sportscaster ↗
1957 Richard E. Grant, Swazi-English actor, director, and screenwriter ↗
1956 Steve Scott, American runner and coach ↗
1955 Jon Butcher, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and freelance multimedia producer ↗
1952 Ed Lee, American politician and attorney, 43rd Mayor of San Francisco (died 2017) ↗
1950 Maggie MacNeal, Dutch singer ↗
1948 Bill Ward, English drummer and songwriter ↗
1946 Jim Kelly, American actor, athlete, and martial artist (died 2013) ↗
1945 Kurt Loder, American journalist, author, and critic ↗
1944 Bo Larsson, Swedish footballer (died 2023) ↗
1944 John Rhys-Davies, Welsh actor and screenwriter ↗
1944 Roger Rees, Welsh-American actor and director (died 2015) ↗
1943 Michael Palin, English actor and screenwriter ↗
1943 Ignacio Ramonet, Spanish journalist and author ↗
1942 Jean Corston, Baroness Corston, English lawyer and politician ↗
1942 Tammy Wynette, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 1998) ↗
1940 Lance Henriksen, American actor ↗
1939 Ray Gosling, English journalist, author, and activist (died 2013) ↗
1938 Michael Murphy, American actor ↗
1937 Beryl Burton, English racing cyclist (died 1996) ↗
1937 Delia Derbyshire, English musician, arranger and composer (died 2001) ↗
1936 Sandy Baron, American actor and comedian (died 2001) ↗
1935 Eddie Linden, Scottish poet and magazine editor (died 2023) ↗
1935 Bernard Pivot, French journalist, talk show host, and producer (died 2024) ↗
1934 Henri Konan Bédié, Ivorian politician, 2nd President of Côte d'Ivoire (died 2023) ↗
1934 Victor Garland, Australian accountant and politician, 26th Australian Minister for Veterans' Affairs (died 2022) ↗
1933 Collie Smith, Jamaican cricketer (died 1959) ↗
1932 Stan Goldberg, American illustrator (died 2014) ↗
1929 Ilene Woods, American actress (died 2010) ↗
1927 Pat Carroll, American actress (died 2022) ↗
1925 Leo Ryan, American soldier, educator, and politician (died 1978) ↗
1923 William C. Campbell, American golfer (died 2013) ↗
1923 Cathleen Synge Morawetz, Canadian mathematician (died 2017) ↗
1922 Irene Gut Opdyke, Polish nurse and humanitarian (died 2003) ↗
1921 Arthur Leonard Schawlow, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1999) ↗
1919 Georgios Papadopoulos, Greek colonel and politician, 169th Prime Minister of Greece (died 1999) ↗
1916 Zail Singh, Indian politician, 7th President of India (died 1994) ↗
1915 Alice Faye, American actress and singer (died 1998) ↗
1914 Tyrone Power, American actor (died 1958) ↗
1913 Duane Carter, American race car driver (died 1993) ↗
1911 Andor Lilienthal, Russian-Hungarian chess player (died 2010) ↗
1911 Pritilata Waddedar, Indian educator and activist (died 1932) ↗
1910 Leo Lionni, American author and illustrator (died 1999) ↗
1907 Daryna Dmytrivna Polotniuk, Bukovinian (Ukrainian) journalist and author (died 1982) ↗
1905 Floyd Gottfredson, American author and illustrator (died 1986) ↗
1903 James Beard, American chef and author (died 1985) ↗
1901 Janne Mustonen, Finnish politician (died 1964) ↗
1900 Helen Redfield, American geneticist (died 1988) ↗
1899 Freeman Gosden, American actor and screenwriter (died 1982) ↗
1898 Elsie Eaves, American engineer (died 1983) ↗
1898 Blind Willie McTell, American Piedmont blues singer and guitar player (died 1959) ↗
1892 Dorothy Garrod, British archaeologist (died 1968) ↗
1890 Christopher Morley, American journalist and author (died 1957) ↗
1889 Herbie Taylor, South African cricketer and soldier (died 1973) ↗
1887 Mervyn S. Bennion, American captain, Medal of Honor recipient (died 1941) ↗
1885 Kingsley Fairbridge, South African-Australian scholar and politician (died 1924) ↗
1884 Chief Bender, American baseball player and coach (died 1954) ↗
1883 Archibald Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell, English general and politician, 43rd Governor-General of India (died 1950) ↗
1883 Anna Johnson Pell Wheeler, American mathematician (died 1966) ↗
1882 Sylvia Pankhurst, English women's suffrage movement leader and socialist activist (died 1960) ↗
1874 Thomas Bavin, New Zealand-Australian politician, 24th Premier of New South Wales (died 1941) ↗
1873 Leon Czolgosz, American assassin of William McKinley (died 1901) ↗
1869 Fabián de la Rosa, Filipino painter and educator (died 1937) ↗
1869 Hans Pfitzner, German composer and conductor (died 1949) ↗
1866 Thomas B. Thrige, Danish businessman (died 1938) ↗
1865 Helen Maud Merrill, American litterateur and poet (died 1943) ↗
1864 Nellie Bly, American journalist and author (died 1922) ↗
1859 Charles B. Hanford, American Shakespearean actor (died 1926) ↗
1858 John L. Leal, American physician (died 1914) ↗
1846 Henryk Sienkiewicz – Polish journalist and author, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1916) ↗
1843 William George Beers, Canadian dentist and patriot (died 1900) ↗
1834 Viktor Hartmann, Russian painter and architect (died 1873) ↗
1833 Ferdinand von Richthofen, German geographer and academic (died 1905) ↗
1832 Hubert Howe Bancroft, American ethnologist and historian (died 1918) ↗
1830 John Batterson Stetson, American businessman, founded the John B. Stetson Company (died 1906) ↗
1826 Eugénie de Montijo, French wife of Napoleon III (died 1920) ↗
1818 Karl Marx, German philosopher, sociologist, and journalist (died 1883) ↗
1813 Søren Kierkegaard, Danish philosopher and author (died 1855) ↗
1800 Louis Christophe François Hachette, French publisher (died 1864) ↗
1764 Robert Craufurd, Scottish general and politician (died 1812) ↗
1749 Jean-Frédéric Edelmann, French pianist and composer (died 1794) ↗
1747 Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor (died 1792) ↗
1684 Françoise Charlotte d'Aubigné, French wife of Adrien Maurice de Noailles (died 1739) ↗
1582 John Frederick, Duke of Württemberg (died 1628) ↗
1542 Thomas Cecil, 1st Earl of Exeter, English soldier and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Northamptonshire (died 1623) ↗
1530 Gabriel, comte de Montgomery, French nobleman (died 1574) ↗
1504 Stanislaus Hosius, Polish cardinal (died 1579) ↗
1479 Guru Amar Das, Indian 3rd Sikh Guru (died 1574) ↗
1352 Rupert of Germany, Count Palatine of the Rhine (died 1410) ↗
1310 Preczlaw of Pogarell, Cardinal and Bishop of Wrocław (died 1376) ↗
1282 Juan Manuel, Prince of Villena (died 1348) ↗
1210 Afonso III of Portugal (died 1279) ↗

2024 Jeannie Epper, American stuntwoman and actress (born 1941) ↗
2024 Bernard Hill, English actor (born 1944) ↗
2024 César Luis Menotti, Argentine footballer and manager (born 1938) ↗
2020 Millie Small, Jamaican singer-songwriter (born 1947) ↗
2017 Binyamin Elon, Israeli Orthodox rabbi and politician (born 1954) ↗
2017 Ely Ould Mohamed Vall, Mauritanian politician (born 1953) ↗
2015 Jobst Brandt, American cyclist, engineer, and author (born 1935) ↗
2015 Hans Jansen, Dutch linguist, academic, and politician (born 1942) ↗
2014 Michael Otedola, Nigerian journalist and politician, 9th Governor of Lagos State (born 1926) ↗
2013 Sarah Kirsch, German poet and author (born 1935) ↗
2013 Robert Ressler, American FBI agent and author (born 1937) ↗
2012 Surendranath, Indian cricketer (born 1937) ↗
2012 Carl Johan Bernadotte, Count of Wisborg (born 1916) ↗
2012 Aatos Erkko, Finnish journalist and publisher (born 1932) ↗
2012 George Knobel, Dutch footballer, coach, and manager (born 1922) ↗
2012 Roy Padayachie, South African lawyer and politician, South African Minister of Communications (born 1950) ↗
2011 Claude Choules, English-Australian soldier (born 1901) ↗
2011 Yosef Merimovich, Israeli footballer and manager (born 1924) ↗
2011 Dana Wynter, British actress (born 1931) ↗
2010 Giulietta Simionato, Italian soprano (born 1910) ↗
2010 Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, Nigerian academic and politician, 13th President of Nigeria (born 1951) ↗
2008 Irv Robbins, Canadian-American businessman, co-founded Baskin-Robbins (born 1917) ↗
2008 Jerry Wallace, American singer and guitarist (born 1928) ↗
2007 Theodore Harold Maiman, American-Canadian physicist and engineer, created the laser (born 1927) ↗
2006 Naushad Ali, Indian composer and producer (born 1919) ↗
2006 Atıf Yılmaz, Turkish director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1925) ↗
2003 Sam Bockarie, Sierra Leonean commander (born 1964) ↗
2003 Walter Sisulu, South African activist and politician (born 1912) ↗
2002 Hugo Banzer, Bolivian general and politician, 62nd President of Bolivia (born 1926) ↗
2002 Paul Wilbur Klipsch, American engineer, founded Klipsch Audio Technologies (born 1904) ↗
2002 George Sidney, American director and producer (born 1916) ↗
2002 Louis C. Wyman, American lawyer and politician (born 1917) ↗
2001 Morris Graves, American painter and educator (born 1910) ↗
2001 Clifton Hillegass, American publisher, created CliffsNotes (born 1918) ↗
2000 Gino Bartali, Italian cyclist (born 1914) ↗
2000 Bill Musselman, American basketball player and coach (born 1940) ↗
1999 Vasilis Diamantopoulos, Greek actor, director, and screenwriter (born 1920) ↗
1995 Mikhail Botvinnik – Russian chess player and coach (born 1911) ↗
1994 Mário Quintana, Brazilian poet and translator (born 1906) ↗
1993 Irving Howe, American literary and social critic (born 1920) ↗
1988 Michael Shaara, American author and academic (born 1928) ↗
1985 Donald Bailey, English engineer, designed the Bailey bridge (born 1901) ↗
1983 Horst Schumann, German physician (born 1901) ↗
1983 John Williams, English-American actor (born 1903) ↗
1981 Bobby Sands, PIRA volunteer and hunger striker (born 1954) ↗
1977 Ludwig Erhard, German economist and politician, Chancellor of Germany (born 1897) ↗
1973 Zekai Özger, Turkish poet and academic (born 1948) ↗
1971 Violet Jessop, Argentinean-English nurse (born 1887) ↗
1965 Nikos Gounaris, Greek tenor and composer (born 1915) ↗
1965 John Waters, American director and screenwriter (born 1893) ↗
1962 Ernest Tyldesley, English cricketer (born 1889) ↗
1959 Carlos Saavedra Lamas, Argentinian academic and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1878) ↗
1957 Leopold Löwenheim, German mathematician and logician (born 1878) ↗
1947 Ty LaForest, Canadian-American baseball player (born 1917) ↗
1942 Qemal Stafa, Albanian politician (born 1920) ↗
1941 Plato – Serbian Orthodox bishop (born 1874) ↗
1931 Glen Kidston, English pilot and race car driver (born 1899) ↗
1924 A. Sabapathy, Sri Lankan journalist and politician (born 1853) ↗
1921 Alfred Hermann Fried, Austrian journalist and publicist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1864) ↗
1916 John MacBride, Irish soldier and rebel (born 1865) ↗
1916 Maurice Raoul-Duval, French polo player (born 1866) ↗
1913 Henry Moret, French painter (born 1856) ↗
1907 Şeker Ahmed Pasha, Turkish soldier and painter (born 1841) ↗
1902 Bret Harte, American short story writer and poet (born 1836) ↗
1901 Mariano Ignacio Prado, Peruvian general, twice President of Peru (born 1825) ↗
1896 Silas Adams, American lawyer and politician (born 1839) ↗
1892 August Wilhelm von Hofmann, German chemist and academic (born 1818) ↗
1883 John O'Shanassy, Irish-Australian politician, 2nd Premier of Victoria (born 1818) ↗
1860 Jean-Charles Prince, Canadian bishop (born 1804) ↗
1859 Peter Gustav Lejeune Dirichlet, German mathematician and academic (born 1805) ↗
1855 Sir Robert Inglis, 2nd Baronet, English politician (born 1786) ↗
1833 Sophia Campbell, English-Australian painter (born 1777) ↗
1827 Frederick Augustus I of Saxony (born 1750) ↗
1821 Napoleon, French general and emperor (born 1769) ↗
1808 Pierre Jean George Cabanis, French physiologist and philosopher (born 1757) ↗
1766 Jean Astruc, French physician and scholar (born 1684) ↗
1760 Laurence Shirley, 4th Earl Ferrers, English politician (born 1720) ↗
1714 Nathaniel Lawrence, English politician (born c. 1627) ↗
1705 Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor (born 1640) ↗
1700 Angelo Italia, Italian architect (born 1628) ↗
1672 Samuel Cooper, English painter and linguist (born 1609) ↗
1671 Edward Montagu, 2nd Earl of Manchester, English general and politician, Lord Chamberlain of the United Kingdom (born 1602) ↗
1586 Henry Sidney, Irish politician, Lord Deputy of Ireland (born 1529) ↗
1582 Charlotte of Bourbon, Princess consort of Orange, married to William I of Orange (born 1547) ↗
1525 Frederick III, Elector of Saxony (born 1463) ↗
1432 Francesco Bussone da Carmagnola, Italian adventurer ↗
1380 Saint Philotheos, Coptic martyr ↗
1338 Prince Tsunenaga, son of the Japanese Emperor (born 1324) ↗
1316 Elizabeth of Rhuddlan, daughter of King Edward I of England (born 1282) ↗
1309 Charles II of Naples (born 1254) ↗
1306 Constantine Palaiologos, Byzantine general (born 1261) ↗
1243 Hubert de Burgh, 1st Earl of Kent, English justiciar (born c. 1160) ↗
1194 Casimir II the Just, Polish son of Bolesław III Wrymouth (born 1138) ↗
465 Gerontius, Archbishop of Milan ↗