On This Day in History — May 7

Highlights of May 7

• 2023 — A tourist boat capsized, killing at least 22 people in Tanur, India. Read more
• 2010 — A draft sequence of the Neanderthal genome was published, demonstrating that most living humans have Neanderthal ancestors. Read more
• 2009 — Police in Napier, New Zealand, began a 40-hour siege of the home of a former New Zealand Army member who had shot at officers during the routine execution of a search warrant. Read more
• 1999 — Kosovo War: NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, the United States bombed the Chinese embassy in Belgrade. Read more
• 1991 — A fire and explosion at a fireworks factory in Sungai Buloh, Malaysia, killed 26 people. Read more
• 1954 — A convoy of circus wagons carrying lions, horses, ponies and an ass lost control and overturned into some shop fronts in Dungannon, Northern Ireland. Read more
• 1946 — Masaru Ibuka and Akio Morita founded the telecommunications corporation Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo, later renamed Sony. Read more
• 1940 — A three-day debate began in the House of Commons that resulted in British prime minister Neville Chamberlain being replaced by Winston Churchill (pictured). Read more
• 1937 — Employees at Fleischer Studios in New York City went on strike in the animation industry's first major labor strike. Read more
• 1930 — An earthquake struck northwestern Iran and southeastern Turkey, killing up to 3,000 people. Read more
• 1798 — War of the First Coalition: A British garrison repelled a French attack on the Îles Saint-Marcouf off the Normandy coast, inflicting heavy losses. Read more
• 1794 — French Revolution: Maximilien Robespierre established the Cult of the Supreme Being as the new state religion of the French First Republic. Read more
• 1697 — The 13th-century castle of Tre Kronor in Stockholm burned down; plans for the current royal palace were presented within the year. Read more
• 1544 — During the Rough Wooing, an English army carried out the Burning of Edinburgh. Read more
• 1487 — Granada War: Forces of Aragon and Castile began a siege of Málaga, a Muslim city in the south of the Iberian Peninsula. Read more
• 351 — Jews in the Roman province of Syria Palaestina rebelled against the rule of Constantius Gallus (pictured), caesar of the Eastern Roman Empire. Read more

Events

• 2025 — The Indian Army and the Indian Air Force conduct surgical strikes code-named Operation SINDOOR on terrorist hideouts in Pakistan in response to the Pahalgam Attack that killed 26 people. Read more
• 2023 — Tanur boat disaster: At least 22 people are killed when a boat carrying tourists capsizes in Tanur, Malappuram, Kerala, India. Read more
• 2004 — American businessman Nick Berg is beheaded by Islamist militants. The act is recorded on videotape and released on the Internet. Read more
• 2002 — An EgyptAir Boeing 737-500 crashes on approach to Tunis–Carthage International Airport, killing 14 people. Read more
• 2002 — A China Northern Airlines MD-82 plunges into the Yellow Sea, killing 112 people. Read more
• 2000 — Vladimir Putin is inaugurated as president of Russia. Read more
• 1999 — Pope John Paul II travels to Romania, becoming the first pope to visit a predominantly Eastern Orthodox country since the Great Schism in 1054. Read more
• 1999 — Kosovo War: Three Chinese citizens are killed and 20 wounded when a NATO aircraft inadvertently bombs the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, Serbia. Read more
• 1999 — In Guinea-Bissau, President João Bernardo Vieira is ousted in a military coup. Read more
• 1998 — Mercedes-Benz buys Chrysler for US$40 billion and forms DaimlerChrysler in the largest industrial merger in history. Read more
• 1994 — Edvard Munch's painting The Scream is recovered undamaged after being stolen from the National Gallery of Norway in February. Read more
• 1992 — Michigan ratifies a 203-year-old proposed amendment to the United States Constitution making the 27th Amendment law. This amendment bars the U.S. Congress from giving itself a mid-term pay raise. Read more
• 1992 — Space Shuttle program: The Space Shuttle Endeavour is launched on its first mission, STS-49. Read more
• 1992 — Three employees at a McDonald's Restaurant in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada, are brutally murdered and a fourth permanently disabled after a botched robbery. It is the first "fast-food murder" in Canada. Read more
• 1991 — A fire and explosion occurs at a fireworks factory at Sungai Buloh, Malaysia, killing 26. Read more
• 1986 — Canadian Patrick Morrow becomes the first person to climb each of the Seven Summits. Read more
• 1964 — Pacific Airlines Flight 773 is hijacked by Francisco Gonzales and crashes in Contra Costa County, California, killing 44. Read more
• 1960 — Cold War: U-2 Crisis of 1960: Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev announces that his nation is holding American U-2 pilot Gary Powers. Read more
• 1954 — Indochina War: The Battle of Dien Bien Phu ends in a French defeat and a Viet Minh victory (the battle began on March 13). Read more
• 1952 — The concept of the integrated circuit, the basis for all modern computers, is first published by Geoffrey Dummer. Read more
• 1948 — The Council of Europe is founded during the Hague Congress. Read more
• 1946 — Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering (later renamed Sony) is founded. Read more
• 1945 — World War II: Last German U-boat attack of the war, two freighters are sunk off the Firth of Forth, Scotland. Read more
• 1942 — World War II: During the Battle of the Coral Sea, United States Navy aircraft carrier aircraft attack and sink the Imperial Japanese Navy light aircraft carrier Shōhō; the battle marks the first time in naval history that two enemy fleets fight without visual contact between warring ships. Read more
• 1940 — World War II: The Norway Debate in the British House of Commons begins, and leads to the replacement of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain with Winston Churchill three days later. Read more
• 1937 — Spanish Civil War: The German Condor Legion, equipped with Heinkel He 51 biplanes, arrives in Spain to assist Francisco Franco's forces. Read more
• 1931 — The stand-off between criminal Francis Crowley and 300 members of the New York Police Department takes place in his fifth-floor apartment on West 91st Street, New York City. Read more
• 1930 — The 7.1 Mw Salmas earthquake shakes northwestern Iran and southeastern Turkey with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). Up to three-thousand people were killed. Read more
• 1920 — Polish–Soviet War: Kyiv offensive: Polish troops led by Józef Piłsudski and Edward Rydz-Śmigły and assisted by a symbolic Ukrainian force capture Kyiv only to be driven out by the Red Army counter-offensive a month later. Read more
• 1920 — Treaty of Moscow: Soviet Russia recognizes the independence of the Democratic Republic of Georgia only to invade the country six months later. Read more
• 1915 — World War I: German submarine U-20 sinks RMS Lusitania, killing 1,199 people, including 128 Americans. Public reaction to the sinking turns many former pro-Germans in the United States against the German Empire. Read more
• 1915 — The Republic of China accedes to 13 of the 21 Demands, extending the Empire of Japan's control over Manchuria and the Chinese economy. Read more
• 1895 — In Saint Petersburg, Russian scientist Alexander Stepanovich Popov demonstrates to the Russian Physical and Chemical Society his invention, the Popov lightning detector—a primitive radio receiver. In some parts of the former Soviet Union the anniversary of this day is celebrated as Radio Day. Read more
• 1864 — American Civil War: The Army of the Potomac, under General Ulysses S. Grant, breaks off from the Battle of the Wilderness and moves southwards. Read more
• 1864 — The world's oldest surviving clipper ship, the City of Adelaide is launched by William Pile, Hay and Co. in Sunderland, England, for transporting passengers and goods between Britain and Australia. Read more
• 1840 — The Great Natchez Tornado strikes Natchez, Mississippi killing 317 people. It is the second deadliest tornado in United States history. Read more
• 1832 — Greece's independence is recognized by the Treaty of London. Read more
• 1824 — World premiere of Ludwig van Beethoven's Ninth Symphony in Vienna, Austria. The performance is conducted by Michael Umlauf under the composer's supervision. Read more
• 1798 — French Revolutionary Wars: A French force attempting to dislodge a small British garrison on the Îles Saint-Marcouf is repulsed with heavy losses. Read more
• 1794 — French Revolution: Robespierre introduces the Cult of the Supreme Being in the National Convention as the new state religion of the French First Republic. Read more
• 1775 — The Ottoman Empire cedes Bukovina to the Habsburg monarchy. Read more
• 1765 — HMS Victory is launched at Chatham Dockyard, Kent. She is not commissioned until 1778. Read more
• 1763 — Pontiac's War begins with Pontiac's attempt to seize Fort Detroit from the British. Read more
• 1718 — The city of New Orleans is founded by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville. Read more
• 1697 — Stockholm's medieval castle Tre Kronor is destroyed by fire. It is replaced in the 18th century by the current Royal Palace. Read more
• 1685 — Battle of Vrtijeljka between rebels and Ottoman forces. Read more
• 1664 — Inaugural celebrations begin at Louis XIV's new Palace of Versailles. Read more
• 1625 — State funeral of James VI and I (1566–1625) is held at Westminster Abbey. Read more
• 1544 — The Burning of Edinburgh by an English army is the first action of the Rough Wooing. Read more
• 1487 — The Siege of Málaga commences during the Spanish Reconquista. Read more
• 1342 — In Avignon, France, Cardinal Pierre Roger is elected Pope and takes the name Clement VI. Read more
• 1274 — In France, the Second Council of Lyon opens; it ratified a decree to regulate the election of the Pope. Read more
• 1190 — The Crusader army of emperor Frederick Barbarossa defeats an army of the Rum Seljuks in the battle of Philomelion. Read more
• 1104 — The Seljuk emirs of Mosul and Mardin defeat the Crusader States of Antioch and Edessa. Read more
• 558 — In Constantinople, the dome of the Hagia Sophia collapses, twenty years after its construction. Justinian I immediately orders that the dome be rebuilt. Read more
• 351 — The Jewish revolt against Constantius Gallus breaks out after his arrival at Antioch. Read more

Born on May 7

• 2004 — Ashlyn Krueger, American tennis player Read more
• 2004 — Minji, South Korean singer Read more
• 2002 — Jake Bongiovi, American model and actor Read more
• 2002 — Andrew Barth Feldman, American actor and singer Read more
• 1999 — Tommy Fury, English boxer Read more
• 1999 — Cody Gakpo, Dutch footballer Read more
• 1998 — MrBeast, American YouTuber Read more
• 1998 — Dani Olmo, Spanish footballer Read more
• 1998 — Jesse Puljujärvi, Finnish ice hockey player Read more
• 1997 — Daria Kasatkina, Russian tennis player Read more
• 1997 — Youri Tielemans, Belgian footballer Read more
• 1997 — Cameron Young, American golfer Read more
• 1996 — Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok, South Korean League of Legends pro gamer Read more
• 1995 — Seko Fofana, Ivorian international footballer Read more
• 1993 — Will Ospreay, English wrestler Read more
• 1993 — Ajla Tomljanovic, Australian tennis player Read more
• 1992 — Alexander Ludwig, Canadian actor and musician Read more
• 1990 — Sydney Leroux, Canadian-American footballer Read more
• 1989 — Earl Thomas, American football player Read more
• 1987 — Aidy Bryant, American actress and comedian Read more
• 1987 — Mark Reynolds, Scottish footballer Read more
• 1986 — Matt Helders, English drummer Read more
• 1985 — J Balvin, Colombian singer-songwriter and producer Read more
• 1984 — James Loney, American baseball player Read more
• 1984 — Kevin Owens, Canadian wrestler Read more
• 1984 — Alex Smith, American football player Read more
• 1979 — Katie Douglas, American basketball player Read more
• 1978 — Dette Escudero, Filipino politician Read more
• 1978 — Shawn Marion, American basketball player Read more
• 1977 — Elton Flatley, Australian rugby player Read more
• 1976 — Calvin Booth, American basketball player and executive Read more
• 1976 — Stacey Jones, New Zealand rugby league player and coach Read more
• 1976 — Michael P. Murphy, American lieutenant, Medal of Honor recipient (died 2005) Read more
• 1976 — Ayelet Shaked, former Israeli Minister of Justice Read more
• 1975 — Martina Topley-Bird, English singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Read more
• 1974 — Breckin Meyer, American actor, writer, and producer Read more
• 1972 — Frank Trigg, American mixed martial artist and wrestler Read more
• 1971 — Dave Karpa, Canadian ice hockey player Read more
• 1971 — Billy Moore, Australian rugby league player Read more
• 1971 — Thomas Piketty, French economist Read more

Died on May 7

• 2024 — Steve Albini, American musician, record producer, audio engineer, and music journalist (born 1962) Read more
• 2023 — Aase Foss Abrahamsen, Norwegian writer (born 1930) Read more
• 2015 — Frank DiPascali, American businessman (born 1956) Read more
• 2015 — John Dixon, Australian-American author and illustrator (born 1929) Read more
• 2014 — Neville McNamara, Australian air marshal (born 1923) Read more
• 2014 — Colin Pillinger, English astronomer, chemist, and academic (born 1943) Read more
• 2014 — Dick Welteroth, American baseball player (born 1927) Read more
• 2013 — Ferruccio Mazzola, Italian footballer and manager (born 1948) Read more
• 2013 — George Sauer, Jr., American football player (born 1943) Read more
• 2012 — Sammy Barr, Scottish trade union leader (born 1931) Read more
• 2012 — Ferenc Bartha, Hungarian economist and politician (born 1943) Read more
• 2012 — Dennis E. Fitch, American captain and pilot (born 1942) Read more
• 2011 — Seve Ballesteros, Spanish golfer (born 1957) Read more
• 2011 — Willard Boyle, Canadian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1924) Read more
• 2011 — Big George, English songwriter, producer, and radio host (born 1957) Read more
• 2011 — Victor Nosach, Soviet historian (born 1929) Read more
• 2010 — Adele Mara, American actress, singer and dancer (born 1923) Read more
• 2010 — Wally Hickel, American politician, Governor of Alaska and Secretary of the Interior (born 1919) Read more
• 2009 — David Mellor, English designer (born 1930) Read more
• 2009 — Danny Ozark, American baseball player, coach, and manager (born 1923) Read more
• 2007 — Isabella Blow, English magazine editor (born 1958) Read more
• 2007 — Diego Corrales, American boxer (born 1977) Read more
• 2007 — Octavian Paler, Romanian journalist and politician (born 1926) Read more
• 2007 — Yahweh ben Yahweh, American cult leader, founded the Nation of Yahweh (born 1935) Read more
• 2006 — Richard Carleton, Australian journalist (born 1943) Read more
• 2006 — Joan C. Edwards, American singer and philanthropist (born 1918) Read more
• 2005 — Tristan Egolf, American author and activist (born 1971) Read more
• 2005 — Peter Rodino, American captain and politician (born 1909) Read more
• 2005 — Otilino Tenorio, Ecuadorian footballer (born 1980) Read more
• 2004 — Waldemar Milewicz, Polish journalist (born 1956) Read more
• 2001 — Jacques de Bourbon-Busset, French author and politician (born 1912) Read more
• 2000 — Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., American captain, actor, and producer (born 1909) Read more
• 1998 — Allan McLeod Cormack, South African-English physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1924) Read more
• 1998 — Eddie Rabbitt, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1941) Read more
• 1995 — Ray McKinley, American drummer, singer, and bandleader (Glenn Miller Orchestra) (born 1910) Read more
• 1994 — Clement Greenberg, American art critic (born 1909) Read more
• 1990 — Sam Tambimuttu, Sri Lankan lawyer and politician (born 1932) Read more
• 1987 — Colin Blakely, Northern Irish actor (born 1930) Read more
• 1987 — Paul Popham, American soldier and activist, co-founded Gay Men's Health Crisis (born 1941) Read more
• 1986 — Haldun Taner, Turkish playwright and author (born 1915) Read more

Holidays & observances

Christian feast day: Agathius of Byzantium; Christian feast day: Agostino Roscelli; Christian feast day: Anthony of Kiev; Christian feast day: Pope Benedict II; Christian feast day: Flavia Domitilla; Christian feast day: Gisela of Hungary; Christian feast day: Harriet Starr Cannon (Episcopal Church (USA)); Christian feast day: John of Beverley; Christian feast day: Rose Venerini; Christian feast day: May 7 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics); Defender of the Fatherland Day (Kazakhstan); Dien Bien Phu Victory Day (Vietnam); Radio Day, commemorating the work of Alexander Popov (Russia, Bulgaria)

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