May 6th in History

Today in History

  • Rome is sacked by forces loyal to Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, marking the end of the Italian Renaissance (1527)
  • The first adhesive postage stamp, the English Penny Black, goes on sale (1840)
  • The Glaciarium, the world’s first ice skating rink using mechanically frozen ice, opens in London (1844)
  • Richmond becomes capital of the Confederacy (1861)
  • The Battle of Chancellorsville ends (1863)
  • The Eiffel Tower opens to the public (1889)
  • The LZ-129 Hindenburg catches on fire while docking at Lakehurst Naval Air Station and is destroyed (1937)
  • Bob Hope performs his first USO show (1941)
  • English former Olympian Roger Bannister becomes the first person to break the “four minute mile” barrier (1954)
  • Princess Margaret marries in the first royal wedding broadcast on television (1960)
  • Maya Lin’s design for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is chosen (1981)
  • The Channel Tunnel opens (1994)
  • Paula Jones files a lawsuit against Bill Clinton (1994)
  • Former CIA director William Colby’s body is found in the Wimlico River (1996)
  • Kerry Wood strikes out 20 Houston Astros, tying the record for strikeouts in a nine-inning game and becoming the second pitcher to strike out his age (1998)

Birthdays

  • Chris Paul, basketball player (1985)
  • Gabourey Sidibe, actress (1983)
  • Kyle Shewfelt, Olympic gymnast (1982)
  • Colt Cabana, wrestler (1980)
  • John Abraham, football player (1978)
  • Naoko Takahashi (高橋 尚子), Olympic marathon runner (1972)
  • Martin Brodeur, hockey player (1972)
  • Leslie Hope, actress (1965)
  • George Clooney, actor (1961)
  • Roma Downey, actress (1960)
  • Tom Bergeron, TV host (1955)
  • Tony Blair, prime minister (1953)
  • Samuel Doe, president of Liberia (1951)
  • Bob Seger, rocker (1945)
  • Masanori Murakami (村上 雅則), first Japanese player in major league baseball (1944)
  • Andreas Baader, Baader-Meinhoff Gang leader (1943)
  • Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, boxer and accused murderer (1937)
  • Willie Mays, “Say Hey Kid” (1931)
  • Patricia Kennedy Lawford, political family member (1924)
  • Harry Watson, hockey player (192)
  • Martha Beck, “Lonely Hearts Killer” (1920)
  • Adriana Caselotti, voice of Snow White (1916)
  • Orson Welles, actor, director, writer, producer, wine salesman (1915)
  • Theodore H. White, Presidential election chronicler (1915)
  • Stewart Granger, actor (1913)
  • Weeb Ewbank, football coach (1907)
  • Raymond Bailey, played Mr. Drysdale on The Beverly Hillbillies (1904)
  • Toots Shor, restauranteur (1903)
  • Harry Golden, journalist and publisher (1902)
  • Rudolph Valentino, sex symbol (1895)
  • Sigmund Freud, psychiatrist (1856)
  • Robert Peary, claimed to have reached the North Pole (1856)
  • Maximilien de Robespierre, Reign of Terror leader (1758)

Deaths

  • George Lindsey, “Goober” on The Andy Griffith Show (2012)
  • Robin Roberts, baseball player (2010)
  • Otis Blackwell, composed “Great Balls of Fire,” “Don’t Be Cruel,” and “All Shook Up” (2002)
  • Marlene Dietrich, actress (1992)
  • Wilfrid Hyde-White, actor (1991)
  • Red Blaik, football coach (1989)
  • William J. Casey, CIA director (1987)
  • József Mindszenty, cardinal (1975)
  • Theodore von Kármán, aerodynamicist (1963)
  • Monty Wooley, actor (1963)
  • Art Houtteman, baseball player (1963)
  • Ted Weems, big band leader (1963)
  • Maria Montessori, educator (1952)
  • L. Frank Baum, children’s book writer (1919)
  • Edward VII, monarch (1910)
  • Bret Harte, writer (1902)
  • Henry David Thoreau, philosopher (1862)
  • Alexander von Humboldt, naturalist and explorer (1859)
  • François de Laval, “father of the Canadian Catholic Church” (1708)
  • Cornelius Jansen, founder of Jansenism, condemned as heretic (1638)

Holidays and Celebrations

  • Day of Bravery (Bulgaria)
  • Đurđevdan (Ђурђевдан) (Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Roma, Serbia)
  • Hıdırellez (Turkey)
  • Martyr’s Day (Syria and Lebanon)
  • Teacher’s Day (Jamaica)
  • Yuri’s Day in the Spring (Юрьев день) (Russia)