May 5 is the 125th day of the year (126th in leap years) on the Gregorian calendar. The Zodiac sign for individuals born on this day is Taurus.http://www.astrology-online.com/taurus.htm
May 5 is celebrated as Cinco de Mayo in Mexico. The day marks the Mexican army's victory over the French at the battle of Puebla. The day is not recognized as a federal holiday, and is voluntarily celebrated by Mexicans in Mexico and the U.S. In 1861, France attacked Mexico, demanding repayment for the country's debt. Although the Mexican army, led by led by General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín, was outnumbered, they were able to defeat the French army in 1862.
In the Netherlands, Denmark, and Ethiopia, May 5 is celebrated as Liberation Day. The day is celebrated in the Netherlands and Denmark to mark the 1945 end of the Nazi Germany occupation of the area in World War II. This liberation is credited to a heavy presence of Canadian, American, and British troops.http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/27/a1125127.shtml In Ethiopia, Liberation Day marks the return of Emperor Haile Selassie to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in 1941.http://www.kidsturncentral.com/holidays/glossary/defindependence.htm
May 5, 1981
1981: 27-year-old Bobby Sands died in the Long Kesh prison hospital after 66 days of hunger-striking
May 5, 1961
1961: Alan Shepard becomes America's first space explorer, taking off from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
The 1940s
- 1945: World War II: A pregnant woman is killed in Oregon after a Japanese balloon bomb explodes.
The 1920s
- 1925: John Scopes was arrested in Tennessee for teaching Charles Darwin's theory of evolution.
The 1800s
- 1891: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky opens up Carnegie Hall in New York City
- 1862: During the French Mexican War the French are defeated by the outnumbered Mexican army led by General Ignacio Zaragoza.
- 1821: Napoleon Bonaparte dies while in exile on the Island of Saint Helena
May 5 Moment of Zen
The Daily Show: Expert Advice (2008)
The Daily Show: Let's Have Sex (2005)
The Daily Show: Creepy smiles (2003)
Holidays and Observances
- Mexico: Cinco de Mayo
- Albania: Martyr's Day
- Denmark: Liberation Day
- Netherlands: Liberation Day
- Ethiopia: Liberation Day
Famous Birthdays
- 1989: Chris Brown - Musician
- 1988: Brooke Hogan - Musician
- 1959: Brian Williams - NBC Anchor
- 1943: Michael Palin - Monty Python
- 1818: Karl Marx - Philosopher
Famous Deaths
- 2009: Dom DeLuise - Robin Hood: Men in Tights
- 1821: Napoleon Bonaparte - French Leader
