1604 – Leon VII Spanish poet’s first poem is published: La Cocina
1864 – US Civil War: Union Army General Sherman begins advance to Atlanta, Georgia, during the Atlanta Campaign
1889 – Exposition Universelle (World’s Fair) in Paris opens with the recently completed Eiffel Tower serving as the entrance arch; the elevators in the tower are not yet ready, so intrepid visitors have to climb 1,710 steps to reach the top
1933 – 59th Kentucky Derby: Don Meade aboard Brokers Tip wins in 2:06.8
1942 – Corregidor and Philippines surrender to Japanese Armies
1970 – Irish Prime Minister Jack Lynch sacks two ministers in the Irish government over allegations of illegal arms importation
1981 – US expels Libyan diplomats
1991 – Space Shuttle STS 39 (Discovery 12) lands
Author: gil7
Today in History for 6th May 2026
Historical Events
1916 – Belgian troops march into Kigali, German East Africa
1945 – General Johannes Blaskowitz surrenders German troops in Netherlands
1987 – American televangelist Jim Bakker and Rich Dortch dismissed from Assemblies of God after revelations of an alleged rape of a church secretary
1987 – Miroslav Mihailovic begins 54 hours of telling jokes
2008 – Chaiten Volcano erupts in Chile, forcing the evacuation of more than 4,500 people
Famous Birthdays
1758 – Maximilien Robespierre, French revolutionary (President of the National Convention, Member of Committee of Public Safety), born in Arras, France (d. 1794)
1843 – Grove Karl Gilbert, American geologist (investigated Lake Bonneville, Utah), born in Rochester, New York (d. 1918)
1925 – Patrick Meaney, British businessman and CEO (Rank Organization), born in Wandsworth, London (d. 1992)
1947 – Ronald Rivest, American computer scientist (RSA cryptography), born in Schenectady, New York
1953 – Michelle Courchesne, Quebec politician and former President of the Treasury Board, born in Trois-Rivières, Quebec
Famous Deaths
850 – Ninmyō, 54th Emperor of Japan (833-50) during the Heian period, dies at 41
1727 – Catharine I of Russia [Marta Samuilovna], wife of Peter the Great, dies at about 42
1985 – Pete Desjardins, American diver (Olympic gold 10m platform, 3m springboard 1928), dies at 78
2014 – Geoffrey Maitland Smith, British accountant (Sir Charles Clore; Paul McCartney) and businessman (CEO of Sears, 1978-95), dies at 81
2018 – Cirilo Bautista, Filipino writer and poet, dies at 76
Famous Deaths for 5th May 2026
1582 – Charlotte de Bourbon, Princess of Orange, dies
1765 – August Friedrich Graun, German organist and composer, dies at about 67 (exact birthday uncertain, c. 1698)
1871 – Howard B. Cushing, American military officer, dies fighting Apaches in Arizona at 32
1972 – [Reverend] Gary Davis, American blues and folk guitarist (A Little More Faith), dies of a heart attack at 76
1979 – Shirley O’Hara, actress (Wild Party), dies at 68
2001 – (Wilson) “Boozoo” Chavis, American zydeco pioneer, accordion player, singer-songwriter, and bandleader, dies following a heart attack at 70
2006 – Naushad Ali, Indian composer, and Hindi film music director, dies at 86
2008 – Irv Robbins, Canadian-American entrepreneur (co-founded the Baskin-Robbins ice cream parlor chain), dies at 90
2017 – Adolph Kiefer, American swimmer (Olympic gold 100m backstroke 1936), dies at 98
2018 – Stanley Falkow, American microbiologist (molecular mechanisms of infectious diseases), dies at 84
Historical Events for 5th May 2026
1863 – Irish boxer Joe Coburn KOs American Mike McCoole in the 67th round in his first defense of Heavyweight C’ship of America in Charlestown, Maryland
1916 – US Marines invade Dominican Republic, stay until 1924
1917 – St Louis Browns pitcher Ernie Koob no-hits Chicago White Sox, 1-0 at Sportsman’s Park III
1948 – First squadron of jet aircraft boards a carrier
1955 – US performs nuclear test at Nevada test Site
1956 – The first World Judo Championships are held in Tokyo
1961 – Alan Shepard becomes the first American in space aboard Freedom 7
2006 – The government of Sudan signs an accord with the Sudan Liberation Army
Today in History for 5th May 2026
Historical Events
1494 – On his second voyage to the New World, Christopher Columbus sights Jamaica and lands at Discovery Bay
1864 – Battle of Wilderness, Virginia (Germanna Ford, Wilderness Tavern)
1938 – MLB Philadelphia Phillies Harold Kelleher pitcher faces 16 batters in 6th, as Cubs score 12 runs, both marks are NL records off one hurler in a single inning
1990 – 35th Eurovision Song Contest: Toto Cutugno for Italy wins singing “Insieme: 1992” in Zagreb
1991 – A riot breaks out in the Mt. Pleasant section of Washington, D.C. after Salvadoran man is shot by police
Famous Birthdays
1883 – Charles “Chief” Bender, American Baseball HOF pitcher (only indigenous American in BHOF; World Series 1910, 11, 13; no-hitter 1910; Philadelphia A’s), born in Crow Wing County, Minnesota (d. 1954)
1915 – Richard Rovere, American political journalist (Goldwater Caper), born in Jersey City, New Jersey (d. 1979)
1924 – Leopoldo Torre Nilsson, Argentine film director (Monday’s Child), born in Buenos Aires, Argentina (d. 1978)
1950 – Googoosh [Faegheh Atashin (فائقه آتشین)], Persian singer and actress, born in Sarcheshmeh Street, Tehran, Iran
1982 – Jay Bothroyd, English footballer (striker for J1 League club Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo), born in London
Famous Deaths
1945 – Peter Van Pels, Jewish Refugee (b. 1926)
1964 – Howard Zahniser, American environmental activist (father of Wilderness Act), dies of heart failure at 58
1995 – Anthony Wagner, English Officer of Arms at the College of Arms and author on heraldry, dies at 86
2000 – Gino Bartali, Italian cyclist (Tour de France 1938, 48; Giro d’Italia 1936-7, 46), dies of a heart attack at 85
2012 – Raman Surendranath, Indian cricket fast bowler (11 Tests, 26 wickets), dies at 75
Famous Deaths for 4th May 2026
1471 – Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales, dies in Battle of Tewkesbury at 17, becoming the only heir apparent to the English throne to ever die in battle
1811 – Nikolay Kamensky, Russian army general, dies at 34
1879 – William Froude, English engineer and naval architect, dies at 68
1938 – Kanō Jigorō, Japanese educator and the founder of Judo, dies at 77
1987 – Cathryn Damon, American actress (Mary-Soap, She’s Having a Baby), dies of cancer at 56
2005 – David Hackworth, U.S. Army officer and military journalist (b. 1930)
2018 – Barnet Fain, American businessman and artist, dies at 86
2021 – Bertil Johansson, Swedish soccer striker (5 caps; IFK Göteborg 267 games) and manager (IFK Göteborg), dies at 86
2022 – Gerhard Mans, Namibian rugby union utility back (27 Tests; Orange Free State RFU, South West Africa RFU), dies at 60
2025 – Peter McParland, Irish soccer forward (34 caps Northern Ireland; Aston Villa 293 games), dies at 91
Historical Events for 4th May 2026
1493 – Spanish Pope Alexander VI decrees in the papal bull “Inter caetera” that all lands west of a line 100 leagues west of any of the islands of the Azores or the Cape Verde Islands belong to Castile, ultimately dividing the Americas between Spain and Portugal
1861 – At Gretna, Louisiana, one of the first guns for the Confederate Navy is cast
1910 – Wilfrid Laurier passes the Naval Service Act, which creates the Royal Canadian Navy
1927 – Nicaragua agrees to a US supervised presidential election in 1928
1957 – Anne Frank Foundation forms in Amsterdam
1975 – Italian film “Seven Beauties” directed by Lina Wertmüller, starring Giancarlo Giannini, and Shirley Stoler released – first film directed by a women to be nominated for an Academy Award
1988 – USSR performs nuclear test at the Semipalatinsk Test Site in northeast Kazakhstan
2018 – LA Angels first baseman Albert Pujols collects his 3,000th MLB hit in a 5-0 win v Mariners in Seattle
Today in History for 4th May 2026
Historical Events
1883 – John Gordon Cashman publishes the first edition of the “Vicksburg Evening Post” in Mississippi
1942 – Battle of Coral Sea begins (1st naval battle fought solely in air) between Japanese, US and Australian navies and air forces
1959 – First Grammy Awards: Perry Como and Ella Fitzgerald win major awards
1966 – The Soviet government signs an agreement with Fiat to build an automobile factory in the Soviet Union
2019 – 145th Kentucky Derby: stewards disqualify first-across-the-line Maximum Security for interference; longshot Country House declared winner; first DQ in race history for race infraction
Famous Birthdays
1938 – Gillian Tindall, British historian and novelist (The Fields Beneath, Fly Away Home), born in London (d. 2025)
1949 – Zal Cleminson, Scottish guitarist (The Sensational Alex Harvey Band), born in Glasgow, Scotland
1956 – Barrie Masters, British pub-rock singer (Eddie and the Hot Rods), born in Rochford, Essex, England (d. 2019)
1977 – Mariano Pernía, Argentine soccer left back (11 caps Spain; Independiente, Recreativo, Getafe, Atlético Madrid), born in Buenos Aires, Argentina
1984 – Manjural Islam Rana, Bangladeshi cricket all-rounder (6 Tests, 1 x 50, 5 wickets, BB 3/84; Khulna Division), born in Khulna, Bangladesh (d. 2007)
Famous Deaths
1566 – Luca Ghini, Italian physician and botanist (b. 1490)
1855 – Camille Pleyel, Austrian pianist, piano manufacturer, and music publisher, dies at 66
1953 – T. Tertius Noble, English composer, dies at 85
1984 – Bob Clampett, American cartoonist (b. 1913)
1994 – Karl Francis Hettinger, American police officer (Onion Field survivor), dies at 59
Famous Deaths for 3rd May 2026
1010 – Ansfried, 9th bishop of Utrecht (995-1010)/saint, dies at about 69
1614 – Sasbout Vosmeer, Dutch Catholic theologist and apostole vicar, dies at 66
1880 – Jonathan Homer Lane, American astrophysicist who mathematically analyzed the Sun as a gaseous body, dies at 60
1940 – Henry Ossian Flipper, American soldier, former slave and first African American to graduate from the United States Military Academy at West Point, dies at 84
1991 – Jerzy Kosiński, Polish-American novelist (The Painted Bird, Being There), dies at 57
2000 – Yoshinao Nakada, Japanese composer, dies at 76
2011 – Sergo Kotrikadze, Georgian footballer (b. 1936)
2014 – Gary Becker, American economist (Nobel 1992) and recipient of Presidential Medal of Freedom 2007, dies from complications following surgery at 83
2023 – Lance Blanks, American basketball guard (Detroit Pistons, Minnesota Timberwolves), executive (GM Phoenix Suns 2010-13), and broadcaster (ESPN, Longhorn Network), takes his own life at 56
2025 – Steve Pepoon, American television producer and writer (The Simpsons, The Wild Thornberrys), dies at 68
Historical Events for 3rd May 2026
1342 – Count Hartmann II becomes the ruler of Vaduz, Liechtenstein
1864 – Red River Campaign: third day of Battle at Alexandria, Louisiana
1933 – Nellie T. Ross takes office as the first female director of the US Mint
1966 – WDHO (now WNWO) TV channel 24 in Toledo, Ohio (ABC) begins broadcasting
2002 – Military MiG-21 aircraft crashes into the Bank of Rajasthan in India, killing eight people
2002 – “Spider-Man,” starring Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker/Spider-Man and Willem Dafoe as Norman Osborn/The Green Goblin, premieres
2023 – 13-year-old Serbian student shoots and kills nine people at his Belgrade school, eight students and a security guard, before handing himself in
2023 – MLB LA Angels pitcher Shohei Ohtani joins NY Yankee legend Babe Ruth as only pitcher to strike out 500 batters and hit over 100 career home runs in 6-4 over the Cardinals in St. Louis