What Happened on May 5
Significant Events
- 1260 Kublai Khan, grandson of Genghis Khan, becomes ruler of the Mongol Empire
- 1891 Music Hall (Carnegie Hall) opens in New York, Tchaikovsky is guest conductor
- 1941 Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie returns to Addis Ababa
- 1955 West Germany is granted full sovereignty by its three occupying powers
- 1965 First large-scale US Army ground units arrive in South Vietnam
- 1980 Siege at Iranian Embassy in London ends as the SAS and police storm the building
- 1981 After 66 days on hunger strike, 26 year old MP Bobby Sands dies in the Maze Prision; 9 further hunger strikers die in the next 3 months
Did You Know?
First modern perfume Chanel No. 5 released by fashion designer Coco Chanel
On May 5, 1941
Famous Birthdays
Karl Marx
(1818 - 1883)
Arthur Leonard Schawlow
(1921 - 1999)
Tammy Wynette
(1942 - 1998)
Craig David
36 Years Old
Adele
29 Years Old
Chris Brown
28 Years Old
Would You Believe?
West Side Story soundtrack album goes #1 & stays #1 for 54 weeks which is more than 20 weeks longer than any other album
On May 5, 1962
Famous Weddings
- 1761 Jurist William Blackstone (37) weds Sarah Clitherow
- 1797 Napoleon I's sister Elisa marries Felix Bacciochi
- 1885 Author Gerhart Hauptmann (22) weds Marie Thienemann
- 1940 Actress Mary Martin (26) weds producer Richard Halliday (35)
- 1963 Iraqi President Saddam Hussein (26) weds teacher Sajida Talfah (26)
Napoléon Bonaparte
Leo Diegel
Carlos Saavedra LamasMay in History
The 100-year Football Curse that Appears to be Working
S.L. Benfica has failed to win a European Championship since 1962, when former coach Béla Guttmann placed a 100 year curse on the club. Is the curse working?
May 2, 1962
Volunteers Help Defeat General Strike
Britain's fist and only General Strike occurred in May 1926 and was quickly defeated by volunteers and a cunning plan by Winston Churchill.
May 3, 1926
Latest Wonder of the World
Often referred to as "the Chunnel", the 31-mile undersea tunnel linking England to France has been hailed as one of the "seven wonders of the modern world".
May 6, 1994
Suicide Woman Floats To Safety
Nobody could expect to survive a fall from the 100-metre high Clifton Suspension Bridge. But one woman was saved on this day by her billowing skirt.
May 8, 1885