From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
May 6 is the 126th day of the year (127th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 239 days remaining until the end of the year.
[edit] Events
- 1937 - Hindenburg disaster: The German zeppelin Hindenburg catches fire and is destroyed within a minute while attempting to dock at Lakehurst, New Jersey. Thirty-six people are killed.
- 1940 - John Steinbeck is awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his novel The Grapes of Wrath.
- 1941 - At California's March Field, Bob Hope performs his first USO show.
- 1942 - World War II: On Corregidor, the last American forces in the Philippines surrender to the Japanese.
- 1945 - World War II: Axis Sally delivers her last propaganda broadcast to Allied troops (first was on December 11, 1941).
- 1945 - World War II: The Prague Offensive, the last major battle of the Eastern Front, begins.
- 1954 - Roger Bannister becomes the first person to run the mile in under four minutes.
- 1960 - More than 20 million viewers watch the first televised royal wedding when Princess Margaret marries Anthony Armstrong-Jones at Westminster Abbey.
- 1962 - St. Martín de Porres is canonized by Pope John XXIII.
- 1966 - Myra Hindley and Ian Brady are sentenced to life imprisonment for the Moors Murders in England.
- 1972 - Deniz Gezmiş, Yusuf Aslan and Hüseyin İnan are executed in Ankara for attempting to overthrow the Constitutional order.
- 1976 - An earthquake strikes Friuli, causing 989 deaths and the destruction of entire villages.
- 1981 - A jury of architects and sculptors unanimously selects Maya Ying Lin's design for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial from 1,421 other entries.
- 1983 - The Hitler diaries are revealed as a hoax when experts examine the books and conclude that they are fake.
- 1988 - An airplane flying from Namsos to Brønnøysund in Norway crashes into the side of the Torghatten mountain, killing all 36 passengers and crew.
- 1994 - Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and French President François Mitterrand officiate at the opening of the Channel Tunnel.
- 1994 - Former Arkansas state worker Paula Jones files suit against President Bill Clinton, alleging that he had sexually harassed her in 1991.
- 1994 - The Channel Tunnel opens, after 7 years of work and enables travel between England and France.
- 1996 - The body of former CIA director William Colby is found washed up on a riverbank in southern Maryland, eight days after he disappeared.
- 1997 - The Bank of England is given independence from political control, the most significant change in the bank's 300-year history.
- 1998 - Kerry Wood strikes out 20 Houston Astros to tie the major league record held by Roger Clemens. He threw a one-hitter and did not walk a batter in his 5th career start.
- 2001 - During a trip to Syria, Pope John Paul II becomes the first pope to enter a mosque.
- 2002 - Dutch politician Pim Fortuyn is shot and killed by an animal rights activist.
- 2008 - Chaiten Volcano erupts in Chile, forcing the evacuation of more than 4,500 people.
[edit] Births
- 1397 - Sejong the Great of Joseon, ruler of Korea (d. 1450)
- 1501 - Pope Marcellus II (d. 1555)
- 1574 - Pope Innocent X (d. 1655)
- 1638 - Henry Capell, 1st Baron Capell, First Lord of the British Admiralty (d. 1696)
- 1713 - Charles Batteux, French philosopher (d. 1780)
- 1758 - André Masséna, French marshal (d. 1817)
- 1758 - Maximilien Robespierre, French Revolutionary (d. 1794)
- 1769 - Ferdinand III, Grand Duke of Tuscany (d. 1824)
- 1769 - Jean Nicolas Pierre Hachette, French mathematician (d. 1834)
- 1797 - Joseph Brackett, American religious leader and composer (d. 1882)
- 1800 - Roman Sanguszko, Polish aristocrat and general (d. 1881)
- 1856 - Sigmund Freud, Austrian psychiatrist (d. 1939)
- 1856 - Robert Peary, American explorer (d. 1920)
- 1861 - Motilal Nehru, Indian freedom fighter (d. 1931)
- 1868 - Gaston Leroux, French writer (d. 1927)
- 1871 - Victor Grignard, French chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1935)
- 1871 - Christian Morgenstern, German author (d. 1914)
- 1872 - Willem de Sitter, Dutch scientist (d. 1934)
- 1879 - Bedrich Hrozny, Czech orientalist (d. 1952)
- 1880 - Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, German painter (d. 1938)
- 1882 - Crown Prince Wilhelm of Germany (d. 1951)
- 1895 - Fidél Pálffy, Hungarian Nazi (d. 1946)
- 1895 - Júlio César de Mello e Souza, Brazilian writer (d. 1974)
- 1895 - Rudolph Valentino, Italian actor (d. 1926)
- 1897 - Paul Alverdes, German writer (d. 1979)
- 1899 - Billy Cotton, British entertainer (d. 1969)
- 1902 - Harry Golden, American journalist (d. 1981)
- 1902 - Max Ophüls, German-born director (d. 1957)
- 1903 - Toots Shor, New York restaurateur (d. 1977)
- 1904 - Raymond Bailey, American actor (d. 1980)
- 1904 - Moshe Feldenkrais, Ukrainian-born founder of the Feldenkrais method (d. 1984)
- 1904 - Harry Martinson, Swedish author and poet Nobel laureate (d. 1978)
- 1906 - Enrique Laguerre, Puerto Rican writer (d. 2005)
- 1909 - Loyd Sigmon, American amateur ("ham") radio broadcastor (d. 2004)
- 1913 - Carmen Cavallaro, American pianist (d. 1989)
- 1913 - Stewart Granger, English film actor (d. 1993)
- 1915 - Orson Welles, American director (d. 1985)
- 1915 - Theodore White, American writer (d. 1986)
- 1916 - Robert H. Dicke, American physicist (d. 1997)
- 1917 - Kal Mann, American lyricist (d. 2001)
- 1920 - Ross Hunter, American film producer (d. 1996)
- 1920 - Kamisese Mara, 1st Prime Minister of Fiji and President of Fiji (d. 2004)
- 1921 - Erich Fried, German author (d. 1988)
- 1922 - Camille Laurin, Quebec psychiatrist and politician (d. 1999)
- 1922 - Otmar Suitner, Austrian conductor
- 1923 - Vladimir Etush, Russian actor
- 1924 - Denny Wright, British guitarist (d. 1992)
- 1924 - Patricia Kennedy Lawford, American socialite (d. 2006)
- 1926 - Gilles Grégoire, Quebec politician, co-founder of the Parti Québécois (d. 2006)
- 1928 - Robert Poujade, French politician
- 1929 - Paul Lauterbur, American chemist, Nobel laureate (d. 2007)
- 1931 - Willie Mays, American baseball player
- 1934 - Richard Shelby, American politician
- 1936 - Bernard Lemaire, French Canadian businessman (Cascades)
- 1937 - Rubin Carter, American boxer
- 1938 - Jean Garon, Quebec economist and politician
- 1938 - Larry Gogan, Irish radio personality
- 1942 - Rin Kaiho, professional Go player
- 1943 - Andreas Baader, leader of the German organization Red Army Faction (d. 1977)
- 1944 - Anton Furst, American production designer (d. 1991)
- 1944 - Masanori Murakami, First Japanese baseball player in major leagues
- 1945 - Jimmie Dale Gilmore, American musician
- 1945 - Bob Seger, American singer/songwriter
- 1947 - Martha Nussbaum, American philosopher
- 1947 - Alan Dale, New Zealand actor
- 1948 - Mary MacGregor, American singer
- 1951 - Samuel Doe, President of Liberia (d. 1990)
- 1952 - Christian Clavier, French actor
- 1952 - Gregg Henry, American actor and country musician
- 1952 - Michael O'Hare, American actor
- 1953 - Tony Blair, former British prime minister
- 1953 - Michelle Courchesne, Quebec politician
- 1953 - Graeme Souness, Scottish footballer/manager
- 1954 - Dora Bakoyannis, Greek politician
- 1955 - Tom Bergeron, American game show host
- 1958 - Lolita Flores, Spanish singer and actress
- 1960 - Roma Downey, Northern Irish actress
- 1960 - John Flansburgh, American musician
- 1960 - Anne Parillaud, French actress
- 1960 - Phyllis Treigle, American soprano
- 1961 - George Clooney, American actor
- 1962 - Adam Yellin, American record producer
- 1965 - Leslie Hope, Canadian actress
- 1964 - Dana Hill, American actress (d. 1996)
- 1968 - Lætitia Sadier, French singer (Stereolab)
- 1968 - Dave Levine, "Sextoy Dave", American millionaire
- 1969 - Jim Magilton, Northern Irish footballer
- 1970 - Kavan Smith, Canadian actor
- 1971 - Chris Shiflett, Guitarist for Foo Fighters
- 1972 - Martin Brodeur, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1972 - Naoko Takahashi, Japanese long-distance runner
- 1977 - Christophe Brandt, Belgian cyclist
- 1977 - Marc Chouinard, French Canadian ice hockey player
- 1978 - John Abraham, American football player
- 1978 - Fredrick Federley, Swedish politician
- 1978 - Alexander Fedorov, Russian bodybuilder
- 1979 - Nikki Hayes, Irish radio personality
- 1979 - Kerry Ellis, West End actress
- 1980 - Scott Colton, American professional wrestler
- 1980 - Mario Stojić, Croatian basketball player
- 1980 - Ricardo Oliveira, Brazilian footballer
- 1980 - Taebin, Korean singer (1TYM)
- 1980 - Kelly van der Veer, Dutch reality TV star
- 1981 - Matthew Leone, bassist of Madina Lake
- 1981 - Nathan Leone, lead singer of Madina Lake
- 1981 - Edyta Sliwinska,Polish professional dancer
- 1981 - Mark O'Connell, American drummer (Taking Back Sunday)
- 1983 - Adrianne Palicki, American actress
- 1985 - Chris Paul, All-Star NBA Point Guard
- 1986 - Cindy Daniel, Quebec singer
- 1986 - Tyler Hynes, Canadian actor
- 1987 - Moon Geun-young, South Korean actress
- 1989 - Dominika Cibulkova, Slovakian tennis player
- 1996 - Dominic Scott Kay, American actor
[edit] Deaths
- 680 - Muawiyah I, caliph (b. 602)
- 1502 - James Tyrrell, alleged murderer of the Princes in the Tower (executed)
- 1596 - Giaches de Wert, Flemish composer (b. 1535)
- 1620 - Hayyim ben Joseph Vital, Palestinian-born Kabbalist (b. 1543)
- 1631 - Robert Bruce Cotton, English politician
- 1638 - Cornelius Jansen, French bishop and religious reformer (b. 1585)
- 1708 - François de Laval, first bishop of New France (b. 1623)
- 1757 - Maximilian Ulysses Count Browne, Austrian field marshal (b. 1705)
- 1757 - Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton, British politician (b. 1683)
- 1757 - Kurt Christoph Graf von Schwerin, Prussian field marshal (b. 1684)
- 1840 - Francisco de Paula Santander, Colombian president and independence leader (b. 1792)
- 1859 - Alexander von Humboldt, German naturalist and explorer (b. 1769)
- 1862 - Henry David Thoreau, American author and philosopher (b. 1817)
- 1877 - Johan Ludvig Runeberg, Finnish poet (b. 1804)
- 1882 - Thomas Henry Burke, civil servant (b. 1829)
- 1882 - Lord Frederick Cavendish, British politician (b. 1836)
- 1902 - Bret Harte, American author (b. 1836)
- 1910 - King Edward VII of the United Kingdom (b. 1841)
- 1919 - L. Frank Baum, American writer (b. 1856)
- 1939 - Konstantin Somov, Russian writer (b. 1869)
- 1949 - Maurice Maeterlinck, Belgian writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1862)
- 1951 - Élie Cartan, French mathematician (b. 1869)
- 1952 - Maria Montessori, Italian educator (b. 1870)
- 1961 - Lucian Blaga, Romanian poet, playwright, and philosopher (b. 1895)
- 1963 - Theodore von Kármán, Hungarian-born physicist (b. 1881)
- 1963 - Monty Woolley, American actor (b. 1888)
- 1967 - Zhou Zuoren, Chinese writer (b. 1885)
- 1970 - Aleksandr Rodzyanko, Russian general (b. 1879)
- 1972 - Deniz Gezmiş, Turkish Left-wing Political Activist (b. 1947)
- 1973 - Ernest MacMillan, Canadian orchestra conductor and composer (b. 1893)
- 1975 - József Mindszenty, Hungarian Catholic Cardinal (b. 1892)
- 1983 - Kai Winding, American trombonist and jazz composer (b. 1922)
- 1984 - Bonner Pink, Conservative Party politician
- 1984 - Mary Cain, Mississippi newspaper editor and politician (b. 1904)
- 1985 - Julie Vega, Filipino child actress and singer (b. 1968)
- 1987 - William Casey, American Central Intelligence Agency director (b. 1913)
- 1989 - Earl Blaik, Former American football coach (b. 1897)
- 1990 - Charles Farrell, American actor (b. 1901)
- 1991 - Wilfrid Hyde-White, English actor (b. 1903)
- 1992 - Marlene Dietrich, German actress (b. 1901)
- 1992 - Gaston Reiff, Belgian athlete (b. 1921)
- 1992 - Jilly Rizzo, restaurateur (b. 1917)
- 1993 - Ann Todd, English actress (b. 1909)
- 1995 - Noel Brotherston, Northern Irish footballer (b. 1956)
- 1995 - Hilda Toledano (b. 1907)
- 2002 - Otis Blackwell, American pianist, singer and songwriter (b. 1932)
- 2002 - Pim Fortuyn, Dutch politician (b. 1948)
- 2003 - Art Houtteman, baseball player (b. 1927)
- 2004 - Philip Kapleau, American Zen teacher (b. 1912)
- 2004 - Barney Kessel, American jazz guitarist (b. 1923)
- 2006 - Lillian Asplund, last American RMS Titanic survivor (b. 1906)
- 2006 - Shigeru Kayano, Japanese Ainu activist (b. 1926)
- 2006 - Grant McLennan, co-founder of Australian band The Go-Betweens (b. 1958)
- 2006 - Lorne Saxberg, Canadian television journalist (b. 1958)
- 2007 - Enéas Carneiro, Brazilian politician (b. 1938)
- 2007 - Curtis Harrington, American film director (b. 1926)
- 2007 - Đorđe Novković, Croatian songwriter (b. 1943)
[edit] Holidays and observances
[edit] External links