What are the important events that happened on May 10? Here are historical events, facts, and some myths about this day.

May 10: Facts & Myths About This Day

May 10 is the 130^th day of the year 2025 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 235 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Saturday.

Under the Julian calendar, this day is April 27, 2025 – a Saturday. Both day of the week are the same but did you notice the difference with the Gregorian calendar?

When this day started, 485,232 hours has elapsed since midnight of January 1, 1970 – the Unix epoch.

Strange as it may, if we name this day after a polygon then it will be called ‘hectatriacontagon’ day.

Taurus is the zodiac sign of a person born on this day. Emerald is the modern birthstone for this month. Sapphire is the mystical birthstone from Tibetan origin that dates back over a thousand years.

According to the lunisolar Chinese calendar, there are 283 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year.

The ancient Maya civilization believes that the end of the world will happen on December 21, 2012. There are now 4,523 days since this fabled cataclysmic event.

May 10 Historical Events

• 1503 –
  Christopher Columbus visits the Cayman Islands and names them Las Tortugas after the numerous turtles there.
• 1768 –
  John Wilkes is imprisoned for writing an article for The North Briton severely criticizing King George III. This action provokes rioting in London.
• 1775 –
  American Revolutionary War: Representatives from the Thirteen Colonies begin the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia.
• 1833 –
  The desecration of the grave of the viceroy of southern Vietnam Le Van Duyet by Emperor Minh Mang provokes his adopted son to start a revolt.
• 1849 –
  Astor Place Riot: A riot breaks out at the Astor Opera House in Manhattan, New York City over a dispute between actors Edwin Forrest and William Charles Macready, killing at least 25 and injuring over 120.
• 1864 –
  American Civil War: Colonel Emory Upton leads a 10-regiment “Attack-in-depth” assault against the Confederate works at The Battle of Spotsylvania, which, though ultimately unsuccessful, would provide the idea for the massive assault against the Bloody Angle on May 12. Upton is slightly wounded but is immediately promoted to Brigadier general.
• 1940 –
  World War II: Germany invades Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg.
• 1940 –
  World War II: Invasion of Iceland by the United Kingdom.
• 1941 –
  World War II: Rudolf Hess parachutes into Scotland to try to negotiate a peace deal between the United Kingdom and Nazi Germany.
• 2008 –
  An EF4 tornado strikes the Oklahoma-Kansas state line, killing 21 people and injuring over 100.

Who were born on May 10?

• 1902 –
  David O. Selznick, American film producer (d. 1965)
• 1903 –
  Otto Bradfisch, Nazi leader (d. 1994)
• 1933 –
  Barbara Taylor Bradford, English writer
• 1938 –
  Marina Vlady, French actress
• 1946 –
  Diderik Wagenaar, Dutch composer and musical theorist
• 1946 –
  Donovan, Scottish musician
• 1958 –
  Yu Suzuki, Japanese creator of Virtua Fighter series
• 1977 –
  Denise Ho, Hong Kong singer
• 1977 –
  Henri Camara, Senegalese footballer
• 1992 –
  Zia Marquez, Filipino actress

Who died on May 10?

• 1290 –
  Duke Rudolph II of Austria (b. 1271)
• 1691 –
  Colonel John Birch, English soldier (b. 1615)
• 1774 –
  King Louis XV of France (b. 1710)
• 1775 –
  Marie Magdalene Charlotte Ackermann, German actress (b. 1757)
• 1889 –
  Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin, Russian satirist (b. 1826)
• 1937 –
  William Tedmarsh, English-born silent movie actor (b. 1876)
• 1977 –
  Joan Crawford, American actress (b. 1905)
• 1988 –
  Shen Congwen, Chinese writer (b. 1902)
• 1990 –
  Susan Oliver, American actress (b. 1932)
• 1994 –
  John Wayne Gacy, American serial killer (b. 1942)