May 6
Events
Pre-1600
1601–1900
1901–present
- 1901 - The first issue of Gorkhapatra, the oldest still running state-owned Nepali newspaper was published.
- 1906 - The Russian Constitution of 1906 is adopted.
- 1910 - George V becomes King of Great Britain, Ireland, and many overseas territories, on the death of his father, Edward VII.
- 1915 - Babe Ruth, then a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, hits his first major league home run.
- 1915 - Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition: The SY Aurora broke loose from its anchorage during a gale, beginning a 312-day ordeal.
- 1916 - Twenty-one Lebanese nationalists are executed in Martyrs' Square, Beirut by Djemal Pasha.
- 1916 - Vietnamese Emperor Duy Tân is captured while calling upon the people to rise up against the French, and is later deposed and exiled to Réunion island.
- 1933 - The Deutsche Studentenschaft attacked Magnus Hirschfeld's Institut für Sexualwissenschaft, later burning many of its books.
- 1935 - New Deal: Under the authority of the newly-enacted Federal Emergency Relief Administration, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issues Executive Order 7034 to create the Works Progress Administration.
- 1937 - Hindenburg disaster: The German zeppelin Hindenburg catches fire and is destroyed within a minute while attempting to dock at Lakehurst, New Jersey. Thirty-six people are killed.
- 1940 - John Steinbeck is awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his novel The Grapes of Wrath.
- 1941 - At California's March Field, Bob Hope performs his first USO show.
- 1941 - The first flight of the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt.
- 1942 - World War II: On Corregidor, the last American forces in the Philippines surrender to the Japanese.
- 1945 - World War II: Axis Sally delivers her last propaganda broadcast to Allied troops.
- 1945 - World War II: The Prague Offensive, the last major battle of the Eastern Front, begins.
- 1949 - EDSAC, the first practical electronic digital stored-program computer, runs its first operation.
- 1954 - Roger Bannister becomes the first person to run the mile in under four minutes.
- 1960 - More than 20 million viewers watch the first televised Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones|royal wedding] when Princess Margaret marries Antony Armstrong-Jones at Westminster Abbey.
- 1966 - Myra Hindley and Ian Brady are sentenced to life imprisonment for the Moors murders in England.
- 1972 - Deniz Gezmiş, Yusuf Aslan and Hüseyin İnan are executed in Ankara after being convicted of attempting to overthrow the Constitutional order.
- 1975 - During a lull in fighting, 100,000 Armenians gather in Beirut for the 60th anniversary commemorations of the Armenian genocide.
- 1976 - The 6.5 Friuli earthquake affected Northern Italy with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X, leaving 900–978 dead and 1,700–2,400 injured.
- 1983 - The Hitler Diaries are revealed as a hoax after being examined by new experts.
- 1984 - One hundred and three Korean Martyrs are canonized by Pope John Paul II in Seoul.
- 1988 - All thirty-six passengers and crew were killed when Widerøe Flight 710 crashed into Mt. Torghatten in Brønnøy.
- 1994 - Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and French President François Mitterrand officiate at the opening of the Channel Tunnel.
- 1996 - The body of former CIA director William Colby is found washed up on a riverbank in southern Maryland, eight days after he disappeared.
- 1997 - The Bank of England is given independence from political control, the most significant change in the bank's 300-year history.
- 1998 - Kerry Wood strikes out 20 Houston Astros to tie the major league record held by Roger Clemens. He threw a one-hitter and did not walk a batter in his fifth career start.
- 1998 - Steve Jobs of Apple Inc. unveils the first iMac.
- 1999 - The first elections to the devolved Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly are held.
- 2001 - During a trip to Syria, Pope John Paul II becomes the first pope to enter a mosque.
- 2002 - Dutch politician Pim Fortuyn is assassinated following a radio-interview at the Mediapark in Hilversum.
- 2002 - Founding of SpaceX.
- 2004 - The final episode of the television sitcom Friends was aired.
- 2010 - In just 36 minutes, the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged nearly 1,000 points in what is known as the 2010 Flash Crash.
- 2013 - Three women, kidnapped and missing for more than a decade, are found alive in Cleveland, Ohio, in the United States.
- 2023 - The coronation of Charles III and Camilla as King and Queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms is held in Westminster Abbey, London.
- 2023 - Eight people are killed and seven injured in a mass shooting in Allen, Texas. The perpetrator is killed by a police officer.
Births
Pre-1600
1601–1900
- 1635 - Johann Joachim Becher, German physician and alchemist
- 1668 - Alain-René Lesage, French author and playwright
- 1680 - Jean-Baptiste Stuck, Italian-French cellist and composer
- 1713 - Charles Batteux, French philosopher and academic
- 1714 - Anton Raaff, German tenor
- 1742 - Jean Senebier, Swiss pastor and physiologist
- 1758 - André Masséna, French general
- 1758 - Maximilien Robespierre, French politician
- 1769 - Ferdinand III, Grand Duke of Tuscany
- 1769 - Jean Nicolas Pierre Hachette, French mathematician and academic
- 1781 - Karl Christian Friedrich Krause, German philosopher and author
- 1797 - Joseph Brackett, American religious leader and composer
- 1800 - Roman Sanguszko, Polish general
- 1827 - Hermann Raster, German-American journalist and politician
- 1836 - Max Eyth, German engineer and author
- 1843 - Grove Karl Gilbert, American geologist and academic
- 1848 - Henry Edward Armstrong, English chemist and academic
- 1851 - Aristide Bruant, French singer and actor
- 1856 - Sigmund Freud, Austrian neurologist and psychoanalyst
- 1856 - Robert Peary, American admiral and explorer
- 1861 - Motilal Nehru, Indian lawyer and politician, President of the Indian National Congress
- 1868 - Gaston Leroux, French journalist and author
- 1869 - Junnosuke Inoue, Japanese businessman and central banker, 8th and 11th Governor of the Bank of Japan
- 1870 - Walter Rutherford, Scottish golfer
- 1871 - Victor Grignard, French chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1871 - Christian Morgenstern, German author and poet
- 1872 - Willem de Sitter, Dutch mathematician, physicist, and astronomer
- 1872 - Djemal Pasha, Ottoman general
- 1879 - Bedřich Hrozný, Czech orientalist and linguist
- 1879 - Hendrik van Heuckelum, Dutch footballer
- 1880 - Winifred Brunton, English-South African painter and illustrator
- 1880 - Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, German-Swiss painter
- 1883 - Alberto Collo, Italian actor
- 1895 - Júlio César de Mello e Souza, Brazilian mathematician and author
- 1895 - Fidél Pálffy, Hungarian soldier and politician, Hungarian Minister of Agriculture
- 1895 - Rudolph Valentino, Italian actor
- 1896 - Rolf Maximilian Sievert, Swedish physicist and academic
- 1897 - Paul Alverdes, German author and poet
- 1898 - Konrad Henlein, Czech soldier and politician
1901–present
- 1902 - Max Ophüls, German-American director and screenwriter
- 1903 - Toots Shor, American businessman, founded Toots Shor's Restaurant
- 1904 - Moshé Feldenkrais, Ukrainian-Israeli physicist and academic
- 1904 - Catherine Lacey, English actress
- 1904 - Harry Martinson, Swedish novelist, essayist, and poet Nobel Prize laureate
- 1906 - André Weil, French mathematician and academic
- 1907 - Peter Barnes, Executed Irish Republican
- 1907 - Weeb Ewbank, American football player and coach
- 1911 - Guy des Cars, French journalist and author
- 1913 - Carmen Cavallaro, American pianist
- 1913 - Stewart Granger, English-American actor
- 1915 - Orson Welles, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1915 - Theodore H. White, American historian, journalist, and author
- 1916 - Robert H. Dicke, American physicist and astronomer
- 1918 - Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, emir of Abu Dhabi and first president of the United Arab Emirates
- 1920 - Kamisese Mara, Fijian politician, 1st Prime Minister of Fiji
- 1923 - Harry Watson, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1924 - Nestor Basterretxea, Spanish painter and sculptor
- 1924 - Patricia Helen Kennedy, American socialite, activist, and author
- 1929 - Rosemary Cramp, English archaeologist and academic
- 1929 - Paul Lauterbur, American chemist and biophysicist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1930 - David Carpenter, American serial killer
- 1931 - Willie Mays, American baseball player and coach
- 1932 - Alexander Thynn, 7th Marquess of Bath, English lieutenant and politician
- 1934 - Richard Shelby, American lawyer and politician
- 1937 - Rubin Carter, American-Canadian boxer
- 1942 - Ariel Dorfman, Argentinian author, playwright, and academic
- 1943 - Andreas Baader, German terrorist, co-founded the Red Army Faction
- 1943 - Milton William Cooper, American conspiracy theorist and author
- 1943 - James Turrell, American sculptor and illustrator
- 1944 - Masanori Murakami, Japanese baseball player
- 1945 - Jimmie Dale Gilmore, American country singer-songwriter, guitarist, actor, and producer
- 1945 - Bob Seger, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1947 - Alan Dale, New Zealand actor
- 1947 - Martha Nussbaum, American philosopher and author
- 1950 - Jeffery Deaver, American journalist and author
- 1951 - Samuel Doe, Liberian sergeant and politician, 21st President of Liberia
- 1952 - Chiaki Mukai, Japanese physician and astronaut
- 1952 - Gerrit Zalm, Dutch economist and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands
- 1953 - Alexander Akimov, Ukrainian Chernobyl worker
- 1953 - Tony Blair, British politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
- 1953 - Graeme Souness, Scottish international footballer and manager
- 1954 - Dora Bakoyannis, Greek politician, 120th Greek Minister for Foreign Affairs
- 1955 - Tom Bergeron, American television host
- 1955 - John Hutton, Baron Hutton of Furness, English academic and politician, Secretary of State for Defence
- 1959 - Charles Hendry, English politician
- 1960 - Keith Dowding, English political scientist, philosopher, and academic
- 1960 - Roma Downey, Irish-American actress and producer
- 1960 - John Flansburgh, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1960 - Anne Parillaud, French actress
- 1961 - George Clooney, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1961 - Tom Hunter, Scottish businessman and philanthropist
- 1961 - Frans Timmermans, Dutch politician and diplomat, First Vice President of the European Commission
- 1963 - Alessandra Ferri, Italian ballerina
- 1965 - Leslie Hope, Canadian actress, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1968 - Lætitia Sadier, French singer and keyboard player
- 1969 - Jim Magilton, Northern Irish footballer and coach
- 1971 - Chris Shiflett, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1972 - Martin Brodeur, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1976 - Iván de la Peña, Spanish footballer
- 1977 - Mark Eaton, American ice hockey player and coach
- 1977 - Chantelle Newbery, Australian diver
- 1978 - John Abraham, American football player
- 1978 - Tony Estanguet, French slalom canoeist
- 1978 - Fredrick Federley, Swedish journalist and politician
- 1979 - Gerd Kanter, Estonian discus thrower
- 1979 - Jon Montgomery, Canadian skeleton racer and television host
- 1980 - Brooke Bennett, American swimmer
- 1980 - Dimitris Diamantidis, Greek professional basketball player
- 1980 - Ricardo Oliveira, Brazilian footballer
- 1982 - Jason Witten, American football player
- 1983 - Dani Alves, Brazilian footballer
- 1983 - Gabourey Sidibe, American actress
- 1983 - Trinley Thaye Dorje, Tibetan religious leader, the 17th Karmapa Lama
- 1986 - Goran Dragic, Slovenian basketball player
- 1987 - Dries Mertens, Belgian footballer
- 1987 - Gerardo Parra, Venezuelan baseball player and coach
- 1987 - Adrienne Warren, American actress
- 1988 - Ryan Anderson, American basketball player
- 1988 - Dakota Kai, New Zealand professional wrestler
- 1989 - Dominika Cibulková, Slovak tennis player
- 1989 - Cameron Heyward, American football player
- 1990 - Jose Altuve, Venezuelan baseball player
- 1990 - Péter Gulácsi, Hungarian footballer
- 1992 - Brendan Gallagher, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1992 - Baekhyun, South Korean musician and actor
- 1992 - Jonas Valančiūnas, Lithuanian basketball player
- 1993 - Gustavo Gómez, Paraguayan footballer
- 1993 - Naomi Scott, English actress and singer
- 1994 - Mateo Kovačić, Croatian international footballer
- 1997 - Maymay Entrata, Filipino model, entertainer and singer-songwriter
- 1997 - Ranz Kyle, Filipino social media personality and entertainer
- 1997 - Duncan Scott, Scottish swimmer
- 1998 - Luigi Mangione, suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson
- 1999 - Pato O'Ward, Mexican racing driver
- 2002 - Cole Palmer, English footballer
- 2002 - Angel Reese, American basketball player
- 2019 - Prince Archie of Sussex
Deaths
Pre-1600
- 698 - Eadberht, bishop of Lindisfarne
- 850 - Ninmyō, Japanese emperor
- 932 - Qian Liu, Chinese warlord and king
- 988 - Dirk II, count of Frisia and Holland
- 1002 - Ealdwulf, Archbishop of York, Abbot of Peterborough and Bishop of Worcester
- 1187 - Ruben III, Prince of Armenia
- 1236 - Roger of Wendover, Benedictine monk and chronicler
- 1471 - Edmund Beaufort, English commander
- 1471 - Thomas Tresham, Speaker of the House of Commons
- 1475 - Dieric Bouts, Flemish painter
- 1483 - Queen Jeonghui, Korean regent
- 1502 - James Tyrrell, English knight
- 1527 - Charles III, Duke of Bourbon, Count of Montpensier and Dauphin of Auvergne
- 1540 - Juan Luís Vives, Spanish scholar
- 1596 - Giaches de Wert, Flemish-Italian composer
1601–1900
- 1631 - Sir Robert Cotton, 1st Baronet, of Connington, English historian and politician, founded the Cotton library
- 1638 - Cornelius Jansen, Dutch-French bishop and theologian
- 1708 - François de Laval, French-Canadian bishop
- 1757 - Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
- 1757 - Kurt Christoph Graf von Schwerin, Prussian field marshal
- 1782 - Christine Kirch, German astronomer and academic
- 1840 - Francisco de Paula Santander, Colombian general and politician, 4th President of the Republic of the New Granada
- 1859 - Alexander von Humboldt, German geographer and explorer
- 1862 - Henry David Thoreau, American essayist, poet, and philosopher
- 1867 - Socrates Nelson, American businessman and politician
- 1877 - Johan Ludvig Runeberg, Swedish-Finnish poet and hymn-writer
- 1882 - Thomas Henry Burke, Irish civil servant
- 1882 - Lord Frederick Cavendish, British politician, Chief Secretary for Ireland
- 1888 - Abraham Joseph Ash, American rabbi
1901–present
- 1905 - Robert Herbert, English-Australian politician, 1st Premier of Queensland
- 1907 - Emanuele Luigi Galizia, Maltese architect and civil engineer
- 1910 - Edward VII of the United Kingdom
- 1911 - René Vallon, French aviator
- 1919 - L. Frank Baum, American novelist
- 1939 - Konstantin Somov, Russian-French painter and illustrator
- 1949 - Maurice Maeterlinck, Belgian-French poet and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1951 - Élie Cartan, French mathematician and physicist
- 1952 - Maria Montessori, Italian-Dutch physician and educator
- 1959 - Maria Dulęba, Polish actress
- 1959 - Ragnar Nurkse, Estonian-American economist and academic
- 1961 - Lucian Blaga, Romanian poet, playwright, and philosopher
- 1963 - Theodore von Kármán, Hungarian-American mathematician, physicist, and engineer
- 1963 - Ted Weems, American violinist, trombonist, and bandleader
- 1963 - Monty Woolley, American raconteur, actor, and director
- 1967 - Zhou Zuoren, Chinese author and translator
- 1970 - Alexander Rodzyanko, Russian general
- 1973 - Ernest MacMillan, Canadian conductor and composer
- 1975 - József Mindszenty, Hungarian cardinal
- 1980 - María Luisa Bombal, Chilean writer
- 1983 - Ezra Jack Keats, American author and illustrator
- 1983 - Kai Winding, Danish-American trombonist and composer
- 1984 - Mary Cain, American journalist and politician
- 1984 - Bonner Pink, English politician
- 1987 - William J. Casey, American politician, 13th Director of Central Intelligence
- 1989 - Earl Blaik, American football player and coach
- 1990 - Charles Farrell, American actor
- 1991 - Wilfrid Hyde-White, English actor
- 1992 - Marlene Dietrich, German-American actress and singer
- 1993 - Ann Todd, English actress and producer
- 1995 - Noel Brotherston, Northern Irish footballer
- 2000 - Gordon McClymont, Australian ecologist and academic
- 2002 - Murray Adaskin, Canadian violinist, composer, conductor, and educator
- 2002 - Otis Blackwell, American singer-songwriter and pianist
- 2002 - Pim Fortuyn, Dutch sociologist, academic, and politician
- 2002 - Bjørn Johansen, Norwegian saxophonist
- 2003 - Art Houtteman, American baseball player and journalist
- 2004 - Virginia Capers, American actress and singer
- 2004 - Philip Kapleau, American monk and educator
- 2004 - Barney Kessel, American guitarist and composer
- 2006 - Grant McLennan, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 2006 - Lorne Saxberg, Canadian journalist
- 2007 - Enéas Carneiro, Brazilian physician and politician
- 2007 - Curtis Harrington, American actor, director, and screenwriter
- 2009 - Kevin Grubb, American race car driver
- 2010 - Robin Roberts, American baseball player, coach, and sportscaster
- 2012 - James R. Browning, American lieutenant, lawyer, and judge
- 2012 - James Isaac, American director and producer
- 2012 - Jean Laplanche, French psychoanalyst and author
- 2013 - Giulio Andreotti, Italian journalist and politician, 41st Prime Minister of Italy
- 2013 - Severo Aparicio Quispe, Peruvian bishop
- 2013 - Michelangelo Spensieri, Italian-Canadian lawyer and politician
- 2014 - Wil Albeda, Dutch economist and politician, Dutch Minister of Social Affairs
- 2014 - William H. Dana, American pilot, engineer, and astronaut
- 2014 - Jimmy Ellis, American boxer
- 2014 - Billy Harrell, American baseball player and scout
- 2014 - Antony Hopkins, English pianist, composer, and conductor
- 2014 - Maria Lassnig, Austrian painter and academic
- 2014 - Farley Mowat, Canadian environmentalist and author
- 2015 - Novera Ahmed, Bangladeshi sculptor
- 2015 - Denise McCluggage, American race car driver and journalist
- 2015 - Jim Wright, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 56th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
- 2016 - Patrick Ekeng, Cameroonian footballer
- 2016 - Reg Grundy, Australian businessman
- 2021 - Kentaro Miura, Japanese manga artist
- 2022 - George Pérez, American comic book artist and writer
- 2024 - Bernard Pivot, French journalist, interviewer and host
- 2024 - Brian Wenzel, Australian actor
Holidays and observances