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 125th day of the year 2021 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 240 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Wednesday.
Under the Julian calendar, this day is April 22, 2021 – a Wednesday. Both day of the week are the same but did you notice the difference with the Gregorian calendar?
When this day started, 450,048 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 ‘hectaicosapentagon’ day.
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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 272 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 3,057 days since this fabled cataclysmic event.
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May 5 Historical Events
- 1811 –In the second day of fighting at the Peninsular War Battle of Fuentes de Onoro the French army, under Marshall Massena, drive in the Duke of Wellington’s overextended right flank, but French frontal assaults fail to take the town of Fuentes de Onoro and the Anglo-Portugese army holds the field at the end of the day.
- 1862 –Cinco de Mayo: troops led by Ignacio Zaragoza halt a French invasion in the Battle of Puebla in Mexico.
- 1877 –Indian Wars: Sitting Bull leads his band of Lakota into Canada to avoid harassment by the United States Army under Colonel Nelson Miles.
- 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.
- 1925 –Scopes Trial: serving of an arrest warrant on John T. Scopes for teaching evolution in violation of the Butler Act.
- 1944 –German troops execute 216 civilians in the village of Kleisoura in Greece
- 1950 –Bhumibol Adulyadej crowns himself King Rama IX of Thailand.
- 1955 –West Germany gains full sovereignty.
- 1981 –Bobby Sands dies in the Long Kesh prison hospital after 66 days of hunger-striking, aged 27.
- 2010 –Mass protests in Greece erupt in response to austerity measures imposed by the government as a result of the Greek debt crisis.
Who were born on May 5?
- 1834 –Viktor Hartmann, Russian architect and painter (d. 1873)
- 1928 –Nora Denney, American actress (d. 2005)
- 1943 –Michael Palin, British writer, actor, and comedian
- 1955 –Melinda Culea, American actress
- 1958 –Ron Arad, Israeli aircraft navigator missing in action
- 1966 –Shawn Drover, Canadian drummer (Megadeth)
- 1970 –Kyan Douglas, American TV-personality
- 1970 –LaPhonso Ellis, American basketball player
- 1970 –Soheil Ayari, French racer
- 1978 –John Wilshere, Papua New Guinean rugby league footballer
Who died on May 5?
- 200 –Sun Ce, warlord of the Han Dynasty (b. 175)
- 1426 –Ephraim of Nea Makri, Greek Orthodox saint (b. 1384)
- 1855 –Sir Robert Inglis, Bt, English politician (b. 1786)
- 1916 –John MacBride, Irish Nationalist and member of the Easter Rising (b. 1865)
- 1945 –Peter Van Pels, Jewish Refugee (b. 1926)
- 1962 –Ernest Tyldesley, English cricketer (b. 1889)
- 1988 –Michael Shaara, American author (b. 1928)
- 2000 –Bill Musselman, American basketball head coach (b. 1940)
- 2002 –Hugo Banzer, Bolivian dictator (b. 1926)
- 2002 –Paul Klipsch, American engineer, noted for his loudspeaker designs (b. 1904)
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