May 5
Events
Pre-1600
- 553 - The Second Council of Constantinople begins.
- 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.
- 1260 - Kublai Khan becomes ruler of the Mongol Empire.
- 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.
1601–1900
- 1609 - Daimyō Shimazu Tadatsune of the Satsuma Domain in southern Kyūshū, Japan, completes his successful invasion of the Ryūkyū Kingdom in Okinawa.
- 1640 - King Charles I of England dissolves the Short Parliament.
- 1654 - Cromwell's Act of Grace, aimed at reconciliation with the Scots, proclaimed in Edinburgh.
- 1762 - Russia and Prussia sign the Treaty of St. Petersburg.
- 1789 - In France, the Estates-General convenes for the first time since 1614.
- 1809 - Mary Kies becomes the first woman awarded a U.S. patent, for a technique of weaving straw with silk and thread.
- 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.
- 1835 - The first railway in continental Europe opens between Brussels and Mechelen.
- 1862 - Cinco de Mayo: Troops led by Ignacio Zaragoza halt a French invasion in the Battle of Puebla in Mexico.
- 1864 - American Civil War: The Battle of the Wilderness begins in Spotsylvania County.
- 1865 - American Civil War: The Confederate government was declared dissolved at Washington, Georgia.
- 1866 - Memorial Day first celebrated in United States at Waterloo, New York.
- 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.
- 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.
- 1887 - The Peruvian Academy of Language is founded.
- 1891 - The Music Hall in New York City has its grand opening and first public performance, with Tchaikovsky as the guest conductor.
1901–present
- 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.
- 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.
- 1912 - The first issue of the Bolshevik newspaper Pravda was published.
- 1920 - Authorities arrest Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti for alleged robbery and murder.
- 1930 - The 1930 Bago earthquake, the former of two major earthquakes in southern Burma kills as many as 7,000 in Yangon and Bago.
- 1936 - Italian troops occupy Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
- 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.
- 1941 - Emperor Haile Selassie returns to Addis Ababa; the country commemorates the date as Liberation Day or Patriots' Victory Day.
- 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.
- 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.
- 1955 - The General Treaty, by which France, Britain and the United States recognize the sovereignty of West Germany, comes into effect.
- 1961 - Project Mercury: Alan Shepard becomes the first American to travel into outer space, on a sub-orbital flight.
- 1964 - The Council of Europe declares May 5 as Europe Day.
- 1972 - Alitalia Flight 112 crashes into Mount Longa near Palermo, Sicily, killing all 115 aboard, making it the deadliest single-aircraft disaster in Italy.
- 1973 - Secretariat wins the 1973 Kentucky Derby in 1:59.4, an as-yet-unbeaten record.
- 1980 - Operation Nimrod: The British Special Air Service storms the Iranian embassy in London after a six-day siege.
- 1981 - Bobby Sands dies in the Long Kesh prison hospital after 66 days of hunger-striking, aged 27.
- 1985 - Ronald Reagan visits the military cemetery at Bitburg and the site of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, where he makes a speech.
- 1987 - Iran–Contra affair: Start of Congressional televised hearings in the United States of America
- 1991 - A riot breaks out in the Mt. Pleasant section of Washington, D.C. after police shoot a Salvadoran man.
- 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.
- 2006 - The government of Sudan signs an accord with the Sudan Liberation Army.
- 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.
- 2010 - Mass protests in Greece erupt in response to austerity measures imposed by the government as a result of the Greek government-debt crisis.
- 2023 - The World Health Organization declares the end of the COVID-19 pandemic as a global health emergency.
Births
Pre-1600
- 1210 - Afonso III of Portugal
- 1282 - Juan Manuel, Prince of Villena
- 1310 - Preczlaw of Pogarell, Cardinal and Bishop of Wrocław
- 1352 - Rupert of Germany, Count Palatine of the Rhine
- 1479 - Guru Amar Das, Indian 3rd Sikh Guru
- 1504 - Stanislaus Hosius, Polish cardinal
- 1530 - Gabriel, comte de Montgomery, French nobleman
- 1542 - Thomas Cecil, 1st Earl of Exeter, English soldier and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Northamptonshire
- 1582 - John Frederick, Duke of Württemberg
1601–1900
- 1684 - Françoise Charlotte d'Aubigné, French wife of Adrien Maurice de Noailles
- 1747 - Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor
- 1749 - Jean-Frédéric Edelmann, French pianist and composer
- 1764 - Robert Craufurd, Scottish general and politician
- 1800 - Louis Christophe François Hachette, French publisher
- 1813 - Søren Kierkegaard, Danish philosopher and author
- 1818 - Karl Marx, German philosopher, sociologist, and journalist
- 1826 - Eugénie de Montijo, French wife of Napoleon III
- 1830 - John Batterson Stetson, American businessman, founded the John B. Stetson Company
- 1832 - Hubert Howe Bancroft, American ethnologist and historian
- 1833 - Ferdinand von Richthofen, German geographer and academic
- 1834 - Viktor Hartmann, Russian painter and architect
- 1843 - William George Beers, Canadian dentist and patriot
- 1846 - Henryk Sienkiewicz, Polish journalist and author, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1858 - John L. Leal, American physician
- 1859 - Charles B. Hanford, American Shakespearean actor
- 1864 - Nellie Bly, American journalist and author
- 1865 - Helen Maud Merrill, American litterateur and poet
- 1866 - Thomas B. Thrige, Danish businessman
- 1869 - Fabián de la Rosa, Filipino painter and educator
- 1869 - Hans Pfitzner, German composer and conductor
- 1873 - Leon Czolgosz, American assassin of William McKinley
- 1874 - Thomas Bavin, New Zealand-Australian politician, 24th Premier of New South Wales
- 1882 - Sylvia Pankhurst, English women's suffrage movement leader and socialist activist
- 1883 - Archibald Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell, English general and politician, 43rd Governor-General of India
- 1883 - Anna Johnson Pell Wheeler, American mathematician
- 1884 - Chief Bender, American baseball player and coach
- 1885 - Kingsley Fairbridge, South African-Australian scholar and politician
- 1887 - Mervyn S. Bennion, American captain, Medal of Honor recipient
- 1889 - Herbie Taylor, South African cricketer and soldier
- 1890 - Christopher Morley, American journalist and author
- 1892 - Dorothy Garrod, British archaeologist
- 1898 - Elsie Eaves, American engineer
- 1898 - Blind Willie McTell, American Piedmont blues singer and guitar player
- 1899 - Freeman Gosden, American actor and screenwriter
- 1900 - Helen Redfield, American geneticist
1901–present
- 1901 - Janne Mustonen, Finnish politician
- 1903 - James Beard, American chef and author
- 1905 - Floyd Gottfredson, American author and illustrator
- 1907 - Daryna Dmytrivna Polotniuk, Bukovinian journalist and author
- 1910 - Leo Lionni, American author and illustrator
- 1911 - Andor Lilienthal, Russian-Hungarian chess player
- 1911 - Pritilata Waddedar, Indian educator and activist
- 1913 - Duane Carter, American race car driver
- 1914 - Tyrone Power, American actor
- 1915 - Alice Faye, American actress and singer
- 1916 - Zail Singh, Indian politician, 7th President of India
- 1919 - Georgios Papadopoulos, Greek colonel and politician, 169th Prime Minister of Greece
- 1921 - Arthur Leonard Schawlow, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1922 - Irene Gut Opdyke, Polish nurse and humanitarian
- 1923 - William C. Campbell, American golfer
- 1923 - Cathleen Synge Morawetz, Canadian mathematician
- 1925 - Leo Ryan, American soldier, educator, and politician
- 1927 - Pat Carroll, American actress
- 1929 - Ilene Woods, American actress
- 1932 - Stan Goldberg, American illustrator
- 1933 - Collie Smith, Jamaican cricketer
- 1934 - Henri Konan Bédié, Ivorian politician, 2nd President of Côte d'Ivoire
- 1934 - Victor Garland, Australian accountant and politician, 26th Australian Minister for Veterans' Affairs
- 1935 - Eddie Linden, Scottish poet and magazine editor
- 1935 - Bernard Pivot, French journalist, talk show host, and producer
- 1936 - Sandy Baron, American actor and comedian
- 1937 - Beryl Burton, English racing cyclist
- 1937 - Delia Derbyshire, English musician, arranger and composer
- 1938 - Michael Murphy, American actor
- 1939 - Ray Gosling, English journalist, author, and activist
- 1940 - Lance Henriksen, American actor
- 1942 - Jean Corston, Baroness Corston, English lawyer and politician
- 1942 - Tammy Wynette, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1943 - Michael Palin, English actor and screenwriter
- 1943 - Ignacio Ramonet, Spanish journalist and author
- 1944 - Bo Larsson, Swedish footballer
- 1944 - John Rhys-Davies, Welsh actor and screenwriter
- 1944 - Roger Rees, Welsh-American actor and director
- 1945 - Kurt Loder, American journalist, author, and critic
- 1946 - Jim Kelly, American actor, athlete, and martial artist
- 1948 - Bill Ward, English drummer and songwriter
- 1950 - Maggie MacNeal, Dutch singer
- 1952 - Ed Lee, American politician and attorney, 43rd Mayor of San Francisco
- 1955 - Jon Butcher, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and freelance multimedia producer
- 1956 - Steve Scott, American runner and coach
- 1957 - Richard E. Grant, Swazi-English actor, director, and screenwriter
- 1958 - Robert DiPierdomenico, 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
- 1960 - Doug Hawkins, Australian footballer and sportscaster
- 1961 - Marg Downey, Australian actress
- 1961 - Hiroshi Hase, Japanese wrestler and politician
- 1963 - James LaBrie, Canadian singer-songwriter
- 1963 - Simon Rimmer, English chef and author
- 1963 - Scott Westerfeld, American author and composer
- 1964 - Jean-François Copé, French politician, French Minister of Budget
- 1964 - Heike Henkel, German high jumper
- 1964 - Don Payne, American screenwriter and producer
- 1964 - Minami Takayama, Japanese voice actress and singer
- 1966 - Shawn Drover, Canadian drummer
- 1966 - Sergei Stanishev, Bulgarian politician, 46th Prime Minister of Bulgaria
- 1966 - Josh Weinstein, American screenwriter and producer
- 1967 - Adam Hughes, American author and illustrator
- 1967 - Charles Nagy, American baseball player
- 1967 - Alexis Sinduhije, Burundian journalist and politician
- 1971 - Harold Miner, American basketball player
- 1972 - James Cracknell, English rower
- 1972 - Žigmund Pálffy, Slovakian ice hockey player
- 1972 - Mikael Renberg, Swedish ice hockey player
- 1975 - Meb Keflezighi, American runner
- 1976 - Dieter Brummer, Australian actor
- 1976 - Juan Pablo Sorín, Argentinian footballer and sportscaster
- 1977 - Tiffany Roberts, American footballer
- 1979 - Vincent Kartheiser, American actor
- 1980 - Yossi Benayoun, Israeli footballer
- 1980 - Hank Green, American entrepreneur, educator, and vlogger
- 1981 - Craig David, English singer-songwriter, musician and producer
- 1981 - Danielle Fishel, American actress
- 1982 - Vanessa Bryant, American philanthropist and model
- 1982 - Corey Parker, Australian rugby league footballer
- 1983 - Henry Cavill, English actor
- 1985 - Shoko Nakagawa, Japanese actress and singer
- 1985 - Emanuele Giaccherini, Italian footballer
- 1985 - P. J. Tucker, American basketball player
- 1987 - Graham Dorrans, Scottish footballer
- 1988 - Adele, English singer-songwriter
- 1989 - Chris Brown, American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actor
- 1989 - Agnes Knochenhauer, Swedish curler
- 1991 - Raúl Jiménez, Mexican footballer
- 1994 - Celeste, British singer
- 1995 - James Conner, American football player
- 1996 - Christopher Eubanks, American tennis player
- 1996 - Mayar Sherif, Egyptian tennis player
- 1997 - Logan Gilbert, American baseball player
- 1997 - Mitch Marner, Canadian hockey player
- 1998 - Aryna Sabalenka, Belarusian tennis player
- 1999 - Nathan Chen, American figure skater
- 1999 - Justin Kluivert, Dutch footballer
- 2003 - Carlos Alcaraz, Spanish tennis player
- 2004 - Jenna Davis, American actress and YouTuber
- 2004 - Kirsty Muir, Scottish freestyle skier