May 5th News and Events

1955 UK Polio Vaccine 5th May 1955 : Over 500,000 people in the UK have now received the Salk polio vaccine and since the death of Birmingham City full back Jeff Hall from Polio last month, there has been a sharp rise in the demand for the vaccine but local health departments have run out and now ordered an extra million doses. We take it for granted that our children and grandchildren are safe from Polio, but this is only because governments, scientists and the people worked together that Polio is now no longer the threat it was.

1945 U.S.A. Japanese Bomb Kills in US 5th May 1945 : A Japanese balloon bomb explodes at Mitchell Recreation Area on Gearhart Mountain in Oregon, killing the pregnant wife of a minister and five children. This is the only recorded instants of deaths caused by Japanese Bombs on the American mainland in World War II.

1891 U.S.A. Carnegie Hall 5th May 1891 : Carnegie Hall originally called Music Hall has it's official opening in New York City with a concert conducted by maestro Walter Damrosch and composer Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

1921 France "Chanel Number 5" 5th May 1921 : Chanel introduced "Chanel Number 5" to some of her friends. Initially, it was given to preferred clients for free at her boutique. The fitting rooms in her boutique were also scented with No. 5. Coco Chanel commissions renowned perfumer Ernest Beaux to create the most expensive perfume in the world, Jasmine was the most expensive perfume oil and Chanel No. 5 relies heavily on Jasmine.

1924 Hong Kong Pirates Captured or Killed 5th May 1924 : 38 pirates who have been seizing ships for the cargo in Hong Kong waters have been captured and shot by Chinese authorities, this is part of the ongoing crack down on pirates operating in Chinese Waters

1925 United States John Thomas Scopes 5th May 1925 : John Thomas Scopes a teacher from Dayton, Tennessee is arrested for violating Tennessee's Butler Act, which prohibited the teaching of evolution in Tennessee schools. He was charged on May 25th and the case ended with a guilty verdict, and a fine of $100,

1940 Great Britain Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain 5th May 1940 : Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain is promising immediate co-operation between the armed forces following the German invasion of Norway under the leadership of The First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill.

1951 Israel Border Fighting 5th May 1951 : Fighting increased along the Israel-Syrian border with continued artillery, Mortar fire and Infantry attacks across the border between the two sides

1960 England Princess Margaret Marries 5th May 1960 : Princess Margaret married Antony Armstrong Jones in a royal wedding at Westminster Abbey many thousands lined the streets of London hoping to catch sight of the royal couple. This is the first time for 400 years that a daughter of a king has married a commoner

1961 U.S.A. Alan B. Shepard Jr 5th May 1961 : Alan B. Shepard Jr became the first American in space today after soaring 115 miles above the earth in a spacecraft named Freedom 7.

1967 U.S.A. British satellite 'Ariel 3' Launched 5th May 1967 : The first ever all British satellite 'Ariel 3' is successfully launched into orbit from the United States. The satellite is to be used for a number of research projects for British Universities, Jodrell Bank and Meteorological Office. The satellite orbits the Earth every 95 minutes and will relay information back to a computer at Slough's Radio and Space Research Station.

1968 Gibralta Spain Closes Border 5th May 1968 : Following the referendum in Gibralta in which Gibraltar's voters were asked whether they wished to become part of Spain and voted with a resounding no vote. Spain closes the border with Gibraltar and severed all communication.

1980 UK Iran embassy siege ends when SAS storms embassy 5th May 1980 : The siege of the Iranian embassy in London ends after raid by SAS commandos killing five Iranian gunmen and one arrested. Nineteen hostages are set free but one dies and two are injured in the cross-fire

1981 Northern Ireland Bobby Sands 5th May 1981 : Thousands mourn the death of hunger striker Bobby Sands after 66 days of hunger strike in protest against members of the IRA not being treated as political prisoners.

1992 U.S.A. Bill Clinton 5th May 1992 : Governor Bill Clinton continues to increase his run for the democratic nomination with 80% of delegates number needed to secure the democratic presidential nomination. Meanwhile Ross perot running as an independent is edging closer in the polls to President Bush and Bill Clinton.

2002 France Jacques Chirac 5th May 2002 : French President Jacques Chirac is re-elected in a victory over extreme-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen.

2005 UK Tony Blair 5th May 2005 : Tony Blair wins historic third term in government for the British Labour Party.
This Day In History For Tomorrow May 6th Day After May 7th Or You Can Use Our Calendar at the top of the page to find the day or month you are looking for

United States 2007 United States Paris Hilton Sentenced to Jail 5th May, 2007 : Hotel heiress Paris Hilton was sentenced to forty-five days in jail after violating her probation by driving without a license. The twenty-six year old celebrity was speeding with her headlights off on a suspended license after a previous drunken driving charge when she was caught by the police.

Russia 2008 Russia Bombing In Chechnya 5th May, 2008 : A roadside bomb was detonated in Grozny, Chechnya and five security forces in the Russian republic. The attack came before the inauguration of President Dmitry Medvedev.

United States 2009 United States Famous Feminist Dies 5th May, 2009 : Feminist icon Marilyn French died of heart failure at the age of seventy-nine in New York. The writer of "The Women's Room" had been working on a new novel and a memoir before her death.

Cuba 2010 Cuba Cuba Allows Tourism Investment 5th May, 2010 : The Cuban government agreed to let foreign companies to invest in tourism by developing golf courses and marinas, amongst other tourist industries. The move was made in order to boost the Cuban economy by attracting more affluent travelers with better facilities.

France/Brazil 2011 France/Brazil French Team Tries to Recover Bodies from Plane Crash 5th May, 2011 : A French-team using deep-sea robots began to recover bodies from a 2009 Air France plane crash. The plane crashed in 2009 on its way from Rio de Janeiro to Paris and was carrying 228 people. Fifty-one bodies had been found on the ocean surface in 2009, but the remaining victims had not been recovered and officials stated they were not sure how many of the bodies they would actually be able to recover from the seabed crash site. The remains that were found were to be sent for DNA tests in France in hopes of identifying them.