On This Day in History — May 5

Highlights of May 5

• 2023 — The World Health Organization declared the end of COVID-19 as a global health emergency. Read more
• 2020 — Philippine broadcast network ABS-CBN was forced to go off-air by the National Telecommunications Commission after Congress failed to renew its franchise granted in 1995. Read more
• 2007 — Kenya Airways Flight 507 crashed immediately after takeoff from Douala International Airport in Cameroon, resulting in the deaths of all 114 people aboard. Read more
• 1994 — American teenager Michael P. Fay was caned in Singapore for theft and vandalism, a punishment that the United States deemed to be excessive for a teenager committing a non-violent crime. Read more
• 1992 — The Twenty-seventh Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified, 202 years after it was first proposed. Read more
• 1991 — Riots broke out in Washington, D.C., after a rookie police officer shot a Salvadoran man in the chest. Read more
• 1981 — After a 66-day hunger strike, Irish republican Bobby Sands died of starvation in HM Prison Maze. Read more
• 1980 — The British Special Air Service recaptured the Iranian embassy in London following a six-day siege after Iranian Arab separatists had seized it. Read more
• 1961 — Project Mercury: American astronaut Alan Shepard made a sub-orbital spaceflight on board Freedom 7, becoming the second person to travel into outer space. Read more
• 1960 — The Netherlands Carillon was inaugurated in Arlington, Virginia, on the 15th anniversary of Dutch Liberation Day. Read more
• 1945 — World War II: American and German troops fought side-by-side at the Battle for Castle Itter, defending a prison against Waffen-SS forces. Read more
• 1945 — World War II: The citizens of Prague spontaneously rose up against the city's German occupiers. Read more
• 1945 — The Mauthausen and Gusen concentration camps were liberated by the United States Army. Read more
• 1940 — World War II: A squad of 250 Norwegian volunteers defending Hegra Fortress surrendered to a superior Nazi force after a 25-day siege. Read more
• 1936 — Second Italo-Ethiopian War: Italian troops (pictured) captured the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa unopposed. Read more
• 1904 — Pitching for the Boston Americans, Cy Young threw the first perfect game in modern professional baseball. Read more
• 1891 — Carnegie Hall (interior pictured) in New York City, built by the philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, officially opened with a concert conducted by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Read more
• 1864 — American Civil War: Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Overland Campaign in Virginia began with the inconclusive Battle of the Wilderness in Spotsylvania County. Read more
• 1860 — Led by Italian general Giuseppe Garibaldi, the volunteer Expedition of the Thousand set sail from Genoa on a campaign to conquer the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, a crucial event of the unification of Italy. Read more
• 1654 — Cromwell's Act of Grace, which pardoned the people of Scotland for any crimes committed during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, was proclaimed in Edinburgh. Read more
• 1646 — First English Civil War: Charles I surrendered himself to Scottish Covenanter leader David Leslie near Newark, England. Read more

Events

• 2023 — The World Health Organization declares the end of the COVID-19 pandemic as a global health emergency. Read more
• 2010 — Mass protests in Greece erupt in response to austerity measures imposed by the government as a result of the Greek government-debt crisis. Read more
• 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. Read more
• 2006 — The government of Sudan signs an accord with the Sudan Liberation Army. Read more
• 1994 — The signing of the Bishkek Protocol between Armenia and Azerbaijan effectively freezes the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Read more
• 1994 — American teenager Michael P. Fay is caned in Singapore for theft and vandalism. Read more
• 1991 — A riot breaks out in the Mt. Pleasant section of Washington, D.C. after police shoot a Salvadoran man. Read more
• 1987 — Iran–Contra affair: Start of Congressional televised hearings in the United States. Read more
• 1985 — Ronald Reagan visits the military cemetery at Bitburg and the site of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, where he makes a speech. Read more
• 1981 — Bobby Sands dies in the Long Kesh prison hospital (Northern Ireland) after 66 days of hunger-striking, aged 27. Read more
• 1980 — Operation Nimrod: The British Special Air Service storms the Iranian embassy in London after a six-day siege. Read more
• 1973 — Secretariat wins the 1973 Kentucky Derby in 1:59.4, an as-yet-unbeaten record. Read more
• 1972 — Alitalia Flight 112 crashes into Mount Longa near Palermo, Sicily, killing all 115 aboard, making it the deadliest single-aircraft disaster in Italy. Read more
• 1964 — The Council of Europe declares May 5 as Europe Day. Read more
• 1961 — Project Mercury: Alan Shepard becomes the first American to travel into outer space, on a sub-orbital flight. Read more
• 1955 — The General Treaty, by which France, Britain and the United States recognize the sovereignty of West Germany, comes into effect. Read more
• 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. Read more
• 1945 — World War II: The Prague uprising begins as an attempt by the Czech resistance to free the city from German occupation. Read more
• 1945 — World War II: A Fu-Go balloon bomb launched by the Japanese Army kills six people near Bly, Oregon. Read more
• 1945 — World War II: Battle of Castle Itter, one of only two battles in that war in which American and German troops fought cooperatively. Read more
• 1941 — Emperor Haile Selassie returns to Addis Ababa; the country commemorates the date as Liberation Day or Patriots' Victory Day. Read more
• 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. Read more
• 1936 — March of the Iron Will: Italian troops occupy Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Read more
• 1930 — The 1930 Bago earthquake, the first of two major earthquakes in southern Burma, kills as many as 7,000 in Yangon and Bago. Read more
• 1920 — US authorities arrest Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti for alleged robbery and murder. Read more
• 1912 — The first issue of the Bolshevik newspaper Pravda is published. Read more
• 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. Read more
• 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. Read more
• 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. Read more
• 1887 — The Peruvian Academy of Language is founded. Read more
• 1886 — Workers marching for the eight-hour day in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, are shot at by Wisconsin National Guardsmen in what becomes known as the Bay View Massacre. Read more
• 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. Read more
• 1866 — Memorial Day first celebrated in United States at Waterloo, New York. Read more
• 1865 — American Civil War: The Confederate government is declared dissolved at Washington, Georgia. Read more
• 1864 — American Civil War: The Battle of the Wilderness begins in Spotsylvania County. Read more
• 1862 — Cinco de Mayo: Troops led by Ignacio Zaragoza halt a French invasion in the Battle of Puebla in Mexico. Read more
• 1835 — The first railway in continental Europe opens between Brussels and Mechelen. Read more
• 1821 — Emperor Napoleon dies in exile on the island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean. Read more
• 1821 — The first edition of The Manchester Guardian, now The Guardian, is published. Read more
• 1809 — Mary Kies becomes the first woman awarded a U.S. patent, for a technique of weaving straw with silk and thread. Read more
• 1789 — In France, the Estates-General convenes for the first time since 1614. Read more
• 1762 — Russia and Prussia sign the Treaty of St. Petersburg. Read more
• 1654 — Cromwell's Act of Grace, aimed at reconciliation with the Scots, proclaimed in Edinburgh. Read more
• 1640 — King Charles I of England dissolves the Short Parliament. Read more
• 1609 — Daimyō (Lord) Shimazu Tadatsune of the Satsuma Domain in southern Kyūshū, Japan, completes his successful invasion of the Ryūkyū Kingdom in Okinawa. Read more
• 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. Read more
• 1292 — Election of Count Adolf of Nassau as King of the Romans in the Dominican monastery of Frankfurt. Read more
• 1260 — Kublai Khan becomes ruler of the Mongol Empire. Read more
• 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. Read more
• 1192 — Queen Isabella I of Jerusalem marries Henry II, Count of Champagne. Read more
• 553 — The Second Council of Constantinople begins. Read more

Born on May 5

• 2004 — Jenna Davis, American actress and YouTuber Read more
• 2004 — Kirsty Muir, Scottish freestyle skier Read more
• 2003 — Angelica Bove, Italian singer-songwriter Read more
• 2003 — Carlos Alcaraz, Spanish tennis player Read more
• 2001 — Olly, Italian singer-songwriter and rapper Read more
• 1999 — Nathan Chen, American figure skater Read more
• 1999 — Justin Kluivert, Dutch footballer Read more
• 1998 — Aryna Sabalenka, Belarusian tennis player Read more
• 1997 — Logan Gilbert, American baseball player Read more
• 1997 — Mitch Marner, Canadian hockey player Read more
• 1996 — Christopher Eubanks, American tennis player Read more
• 1996 — Mayar Sherif, Egyptian tennis player Read more
• 1995 — James Conner, American football player Read more
• 1994 — Celeste, British singer Read more
• 1994 — Laura Stacey, Canadian ice hockey player Read more
• 1993 — Rickard Rakell, Swedish ice hockey player Read more
• 1991 — Raúl Jiménez, Mexican footballer Read more
• 1990 — Tatiana Schlossberg, American journalist and author (died 2025) Read more
• 1990 — Darcy Kuemper, Canadian ice hockey player Read more
• 1989 — Agnes Knochenhauer, Swedish curler Read more
• 1988 — Adele, English singer-songwriter Read more
• 1988 — Mervyn Westfield, English cricketer Read more
• 1987 — Graham Dorrans, Scottish footballer Read more
• 1985 — Emanuele Giaccherini, Italian footballer Read more
• 1985 — P. J. Tucker, American basketball player Read more
• 1983 — James Anyon, English cricketer Read more
• 1983 — Henry Cavill, English actor Read more
• 1982 — Vanessa Bryant, American philanthropist and model Read more
• 1982 — Corey Parker, Australian rugby league footballer Read more
• 1981 — Craig David, English singer-songwriter, musician and producer Read more
• 1981 — Danielle Fishel, American actress Read more
• 1980 — Yossi Benayoun, Israeli footballer Read more
• 1977 — Tiffany Roberts, American footballer Read more
• 1976 — Dieter Brummer, Australian actor (died 2021) Read more
• 1976 — Juan Pablo Sorín, Argentinian footballer and sportscaster Read more
• 1975 — Meb Keflezighi, American runner Read more
• 1972 — James Cracknell, English rower Read more
• 1972 — Žigmund Pálffy, Slovak ice hockey player Read more
• 1972 — Mikael Renberg, Swedish ice hockey player Read more
• 1971 — Harold Miner, American basketball player Read more

Died on May 5

• 2026 — Chris Phelan, Irish-Australian rugby league player (born 1955) Read more
• 2024 — Jeannie Epper, American stuntwoman and actress (born 1941) Read more
• 2024 — Bernard Hill, English actor (born 1944) Read more
• 2024 — César Luis Menotti, Argentine footballer and manager (born 1938) Read more
• 2020 — Millie Small, Jamaican singer-songwriter (born 1947) Read more
• 2017 — Binyamin Elon, Israeli Orthodox rabbi and politician (born 1954) Read more
• 2017 — Ely Ould Mohamed Vall, Mauritanian politician (born 1953) Read more
• 2015 — Jobst Brandt, American cyclist, engineer, and author (born 1935) Read more
• 2015 — Hans Jansen, Dutch linguist, academic, and politician (born 1942) Read more
• 2014 — Michael Otedola, Nigerian journalist and politician, 9th Governor of Lagos State (born 1926) Read more
• 2013 — Sarah Kirsch, German poet and author (born 1935) Read more
• 2013 — Robert Ressler, American FBI agent and author (born 1937) Read more
• 2012 — Surendranath, Indian cricketer (born 1937) Read more
• 2012 — Carl Johan Bernadotte, Count of Wisborg (born 1916) Read more
• 2012 — Aatos Erkko, Finnish journalist and publisher (born 1932) Read more
• 2012 — George Knobel, Dutch footballer, coach, and manager (born 1922) Read more
• 2012 — Roy Padayachie, South African lawyer and politician, South African Minister of Communications (born 1950) Read more
• 2011 — Claude Choules, English-Australian soldier (born 1901) Read more
• 2011 — Yosef Merimovich, Israeli footballer and manager (born 1924) Read more
• 2011 — Dana Wynter, British actress (born 1931) Read more
• 2010 — Giulietta Simionato, Italian soprano (born 1910) Read more
• 2010 — Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, Nigerian academic and politician, 13th President of Nigeria (born 1951) Read more
• 2008 — Irv Robbins, Canadian-American businessman, co-founded Baskin-Robbins (born 1917) Read more
• 2008 — Jerry Wallace, American singer and guitarist (born 1928) Read more
• 2007 — Theodore Harold Maiman, American-Canadian physicist and engineer, created the laser (born 1927) Read more
• 2006 — Naushad Ali, Indian composer and producer (born 1919) Read more
• 2006 — Atıf Yılmaz, Turkish director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1925) Read more
• 2003 — Sam Bockarie, Sierra Leonean commander (born 1964) Read more
• 2003 — Walter Sisulu, South African activist and politician (born 1912) Read more
• 2002 — Hugo Banzer, Bolivian general and politician, 62nd President of Bolivia (born 1926) Read more
• 2002 — Paul Wilbur Klipsch, American engineer, founded Klipsch Audio Technologies (born 1904) Read more
• 2002 — George Sidney, American director and producer (born 1916) Read more
• 2002 — Louis C. Wyman, American lawyer and politician (born 1917) Read more
• 2001 — Morris Graves, American painter and educator (born 1910) Read more
• 2001 — Clifton Hillegass, American publisher, created CliffsNotes (born 1918) Read more
• 2000 — Gino Bartali, Italian cyclist (born 1914) Read more
• 2000 — Bill Musselman, American basketball player and coach (born 1940) Read more
• 1999 — Vasilis Diamantopoulos, Greek actor, director, and screenwriter (born 1920) Read more
• 1995 — Mikhail Botvinnik, Russian chess player and coach (born 1911) Read more
• 1994 — Mário Quintana, Brazilian poet and translator (born 1906) Read more

Holidays & observances

Children's Day (Japan, South Korea); Christian feast day: Angelus of Jerusalem; Christian feast day: Aventinus of Tours; Christian feast day: Blessed Caterina Cittadini; Christian feast day: Blessed Edmund Ignatius Rice; Christian feast day: Frederick the Wise (Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod); Christian feast day: Gotthard of Hildesheim; Christian feast day: Blessed Grzegorz Bolesław Frąckowiak; Christian feast day: Hilary of Arles; Christian feast day: Jutta of Kulmsee; Christian feast day: Stanisław Kazimierczyk; Christian feast day: May 5 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics); Cinco de Mayo (Mexico, United States); Constitution Day (Kyrgyzstan); Europe Day (Council of Europe); Feast of al-Khadr or Saint George (Palestinian); Indian Arrival Day (Guyana); International Midwives' Day (International); Liberation Day (Denmark, Netherlands); Lusophone Culture Day (Community of Portuguese Language Countries); World Portuguese Language Day (International); Martyrs' Day (Albania); Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Awareness Day (Canada and United States); National Cartoonist Day; Patriots' Victory Day (Ethiopia); Revenge of the Fifth (see Star Wars Day); Senior Citizens Day (Palau); Soviet Press Day (Soviet Union); Tango no sekku (Japan); Uyghur Doppa Cultural Festival (Doppa Day): 1–2

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