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 126th day of the year 2024 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 240 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Sunday.
Under the Julian calendar, this day is April 22, 2024 – a Sunday. Both day of the week are the same but did you notice the difference with the Gregorian calendar?
When this day started, 28,581,120 minutes 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 ‘hectaicosahexagon’ 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 269 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 4,153 days since this fabled cataclysmic event.
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May 5 Historical Events
- 1215 –Rebel barons renounce their allegiance to King John of England — part of a chain of events leading to the signing of the Magna Carta.
- 1640 –King Charles I of England dissolves the Short Parliament.
- 1789 –In France, the Estates-General convenes for the first time since 1614.
- 1809 –Mary Kies becomes the first woman awarded a U.S. patent, for a technique of weaving straw with silk and thread.
- 1862 –Cinco de Mayo: troops led by Ignacio Zaragoza halt a French invasion in the Battle of Puebla in Mexico.
- 1864 –American Civil War: The Battle of the Wilderness begins in Spotsylvania County, Virginia.
- 1904 –Pitching against the Philadelphia Athletics at the Huntington Avenue Grounds, Cy Young of the Boston Americans throws the first perfect game in the modern era of baseball.
- 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.
- 1920 –Authorities arrest Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti for alleged robbery and murder.
- 2006 –The government of Sudan signs an accord with the Sudan Liberation Army.
Who were born on May 5?
- 1684 –Françoise Charlotte d'Aubigné, niece of Madame de Maintenon and ancestress of the Heir to the Belgian throne (d. 1739)
- 1800 –Louis Christophe François Hachette, French publisher (d. 1864)
- 1826 –Empress Eugénie de Montijo of France, wife of Napoleon III (d. 1920)
- 1899 –Freeman Gosden, American radio comedian (Amos-Amos ‘n’Andy) (d. 1982)
- 1937 –Johnnie Taylor, American singer (d. 2000)
- 1938 –Michael Murphy, American actor
- 1942 –Marc Alaimo, American actor
- 1970 –LaPhonso Ellis, American basketball player
- 1982 –Jay Bothroyd, English footballer
- 1991 –Xenofon Fetsis, Greek footballer
Who died on May 5?
- 1028 –King Alfonso V of Castile, León, and Galicia (b. 994)
- 1426 –Ephraim of Nea Makri, Greek Orthodox saint (b. 1384)
- 1760 –Laurence Shirley, 4th Earl Ferrers, English murderer (b. 1720)
- 1811 –Robert Mylne, Scottish architect (b. 1734)
- 1945 –Peter Van Pels, Jewish Refugee (b. 1926)
- 1997 –Walter Gotell, German actor (b. 1924)
- 1999 –Vasilis Diamantopoulos, Greek actor (b. 1920)
- 2005 –Edgar Ponce, Mexican actor and dancer (b. 1974)
- 2006 –Naushad Ali, Indian composer (b. 1919)
- 2011 –Claude Choules, last surviving World War I veteran (b. 1901)
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