Historical Events
- 1386 Treaty of Windsor between Portugal and England is ratified at Windsor cementing and strengthening ties between the two kingdoms. The treaty guarantees the mutual security of both nations and strengthens commercial ties. It is the oldest diplomatic alliance still in force. [1]
- 1865 President Andrew Johnson issues a proclamation declaring armed resistance in the South is virtually at an end; this is the commonly accepted end date of the American Civil War
- 1901 The First Australian Parliament opens in Melbourne, though the first working session will not be until 21 May
- 1941 British intelligence at Bletchley Park breaks German spy codes after capturing Enigma machines aboard the weather ship Muenchen
- 1945 World War II: The Soviet Union marks Victory Day
- 1960 US becomes the first country to legalize the birth control pill
- 2018 Historic win in Malaysian general election by opposition coalition Pakatan Harapan led by 92 year old former Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad, defeating Prime Minister Najib Razak and ending 61 years of rule by the Barisan Nasional coalition
- More Historical Events
May 9 in Film & TV
- 1958 "Vertigo", American film noir psychological thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Jimmy Stewart and Kim Novak, is released
May 9 in Music
- 1962 The Beatles sign their 1st contract with EMI Parlophone
May 9 in Sport
- 2001 Accra Sports Stadium Disaster: 129 Ghanaian football fans die in a stampede caused by the firing of teargas by police following a decision by the referee in a crucial match between arch-rivals Accra Hearts of Oak and Kumasi Asante Kotoko
John Brown
Harry Vardon
Howard Carter
Albert Finney
Billy Joel
Miloslav Mečíř
Would You Believe?
Mark Rothko's "Orange, Red, Yellow" becomes the most expensive contemporary art piece to be sold at auction for $86.9 million dollars
On May 9, 2012
Famous Weddings
- 1942 Physicist Robert Hofstadter (27) weds Nancy Givan
- 1969 American movie actress Lana Turner (48) weds 7th husband, hypnotist Ronald Pellar (39); divorce in 1972
- 1987 Actor Tom Cruise (27) weds actress Mimi Rogers (33)
Famous Divorces
- 2008 "The View" former co-host Star Jones (46) divorces investment banker Al Reynolds (39) after three-and-a-half years of marriage
More Weddings & Divorces
Walter Mittelholzer
Charles Vyner Brooke
Aldo Moro
Cyrus Eaton
Tenzing Norgay
Little RichardArticles, Photos and Quiz
Botched Crown Jewels Theft Pays Off
Thomas Blood, who tried to steal England's Crown Jewels from the Tower of London on this day was not only forgiven by the King, but given a reward.
May 9, 1671
Gardener Grows Into Architectural Legend
Starting a new job at 4.30am, organising the workforce at 6am and meeting his future wife over breakfast: all in a day's work for Joseph Paxton.
May 9, 1826
First Australian Parliament
Federal Labor Party MPs elected to the Australian House of Representatives and Senate at the first 1901 election
May 9, 1901
The Motherland Monument
The Motherland Monument in Kiev, Ukraine
May 9, 1981
Malaysian 14th General Election
Dr. Mahathir (middle), after winning the Malaysian 14th general election
May 9, 2018
Weekly Quiz for May 6-12
Test your knowledge of historical events in our multi-choice weekly history quiz for May 6-12. Number 8 will leave you truly stumped then amazed!
Weekly Quiz for May 4 -10
Who was Mongol ruler Kublai Khan to Genghis Khan? What was the UK code-breaking center during World War II? Which country 1st legalized a birth control pill?
