What are the important events that happened on May 5? Here are historical events, facts, and some myths about this day.

May 5: Facts & Myths About This Day

May 5 is the 125^th day of the year 2025 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 240 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Monday.

Under the Julian calendar, this day is April 22, 2025 – a Monday. Both day of the week are the same but did you notice the difference with the Gregorian calendar?

When this day started, 1,746,403,200 seconds 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 ‘hectaicosapentagon’ 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 288 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 4,518 days since this fabled cataclysmic event.

May 5 Historical Events

• 1640 –
  King Charles I of England dissolves the Short Parliament.
• 1809 –
  The Swiss canton of Aargau denies citizenship to Jews.
• 1821 –
  Emperor Napoleon I dies in exile on the island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean.
• 1835 –
  In Belgium, the first railway in continental Europe opens between Brussels and Mechelen.
• 1865 –
  In North Bend, Ohio (a suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio), the first train robbery in the United States takes place.
• 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.
• 1940 –
  World War II: Norwegian Campaign – Norwegian squads in Hegra Fortress and Vinjesvingen capitulate to the Nazis after all other Norwegian forces in southern Norway had laid down their arms.
• 1961 –
  The Mercury program: Mercury-Redstone 3 – Alan Shepard becomes the first American to travel into outer space, making a sub-orbital flight of 15 minutes.
• 1981 –
  Bobby Sands dies in the Long Kesh prison hospital after 66 days of hunger-striking, aged 27.
• 1994 –
  The signing of the Bishkek Protocol between Armenia and Azerbaijan effectively freezes the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Who were born on May 5?

• 1889 –
  Herbie Taylor, South African cricketer (d. 1973)
• 1903 –
  James Beard, American chef and cookbook writer (d. 1985)
• 1940 –
  Michael Lindsay-Hogg, American film director
• 1943 –
  Michael Palin, British writer, actor, and comedian
• 1956 –
  Robert Marien, Québécois actor, singer and songwriter
• 1957 –
  Richard E. Grant, British actor
• 1959 –
  Johann Gajda, German footballer
• 1966 –
  Josh Weinstein, American writer
• 1972 –
  Devin Townsend, Canadian musician (Strapping Young Lad)
• 1989 –
  Larissa Wilson, English actress

Who died on May 5?

• 1525 –
  Frederick III of Saxony (b. 1463)
• 1766 –
  Jean Astruc, French physician and scholar (b. 1684)
• 1892 –
  August Wilhelm von Hofmann, German chemist (b. 1818)
• 1896 –
  Silas Adams, American lawyer and politician (b. 1839)
• 1947 –
  Ty LaForest, Canadian baseball player (b. 1917)
• 1971 –
  Violet Jessop, Titanic survivor (b. 1887)
• 1992 –
  Jean-Claude Pascal, French singer (b. 1927)
• 1999 –
  Vasilis Diamantopoulos, Greek actor (b. 1920)
• 2002 –
  Hugo Banzer, Bolivian dictator (b. 1926)
• 2011 –
  Yosef Merimovich, Israeli football player and manager (b. 1924)