On This Day: 5 May

5 May in Indian history

• 1877American Indian Wars: Sitting Bull leads his band of Lakota into Canada to avoid harassment by the United States Army under Colonel Nelson Miles.India

5 May in world history

• 2020Philippine broadcast network ABS-CBN was forced to go off-air by the National Telecommunications Commission after Congress failed to renew its franchise granted in 1995.
• 1987Iran–Contra affair: Start of Congressional televised hearings in the United States.
• 1980The British Special Air Service recaptured the Iranian embassy in London following a six-day siege after Iranian Arab separatists had seized it.
• 1973Secretariat wins the 1973 Kentucky Derby in 1:59.4, an as-yet-unbeaten record.
• 1964The Council of Europe declares May 5 as Europe Day.
• 1961Project Mercury: American astronaut Alan Shepard made a sub-orbital spaceflight on board Freedom 7, becoming the second person to travel into outer space.
• 1940World War II: A squad of 250 Norwegian volunteers defending Hegra Fortress surrendered to a superior Nazi force after a 25-day siege.
• 1930The 1930 Bago earthquake, the first of two major earthquakes in southern Burma, kills as many as 7,000 in Yangon and Bago.
• 1904Pitching for the Boston Americans, Cy Young threw the first perfect game in modern professional baseball.
• 1865American Civil War: The Confederate government is declared dissolved at Washington, Georgia.
• 1864American Civil War: Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Overland Campaign in Virginia began with the inconclusive Battle of the Wilderness in Spotsylvania County.
• 1862Cinco de Mayo: Troops led by Ignacio Zaragoza halt a French invasion in the Battle of Puebla in Mexico.
• 1860Led by Italian general Giuseppe Garibaldi, the volunteer Expedition of the Thousand set sail from Genoa on a campaign to conquer the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, a crucial event of the unification of Italy.
• 1835The first railway in continental Europe opens between Brussels and Mechelen.
• 1809Mary Kies becomes the first woman awarded a U.S. patent, for a technique of weaving straw with silk and thread.
• 1789In France, the Estates-General convenes for the first time since 1614.
• 1646First English Civil War: Charles I surrendered himself to Scottish Covenanter leader David Leslie near Newark, England.

Born on 5 May

• 1919Georgios Papadopoulos, Greek colonel and politician, Prime Minister of Greece (died 1999)
• 1916Zail Singh, Indian politician, 7th President of India (died 1994)India
• 1900Helen Redfield, American geneticist (died 1988)
• 1883Archibald Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell, English general and politician, 43rd Governor-General of India (died 1950)India
• 1747Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor (died 1792)
• 1479Guru Amar Das, Indian 3rd Sikh Guru (died 1574)India

Died on 5 May

• 2012Surendranath, Indian cricketer (born 1937)India
• 2011Claude Choules, English-Australian soldier (born 1901)
• 2007Theodore Harold Maiman, American-Canadian physicist and engineer, created the laser (born 1927)
• 2006Naushad Ali, Indian composer and producer (born 1919)India

Frequently asked questions

What happened on 5 May in history?

2020: Philippine broadcast network ABS-CBN was forced to go off-air by the National Telecommunications Commission after Congress failed to renew its franchise granted in 1995. 1987: Iran–Contra affair: Start of Congressional televised hearings in the United States. 1980: The British Special Air Service recaptured the Iranian embassy in London following a six-day siege after Iranian Arab separatists had seized it. 1973: Secretariat wins the 1973 Kentucky Derby in 1:59.4, an as-yet-unbeaten record.

What happened on 5 May in Indian history?

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.

Which famous people were born on 5 May?

Georgios Papadopoulos, Greek colonel and politician, Prime Minister of Greece (died 1999) (1919); Zail Singh, Indian politician, 7th President of India (died 1994) (1916); Helen Redfield, American geneticist (died 1988) (1900); Archibald Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell, English general and politician, 43rd Governor-General of India (died 1950) (1883).

Which day is observed on 5 May?

Children's Day (Japan, South Korea); Cinco de Mayo (Mexico, United States); Constitution Day (Kyrgyzstan); Europe Day (Council of Europe); Feast of al-Khadr or Saint George (Palestinian).