5 May In History

May 5 is the 125th day of the year (126th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 240 days remaining until the end of the year.

Events
553 – The Second Council of Constantinople begins.
1215 – Rebel barons renounce their allegiance to King John of England — part of a chain of events leading to the signing of the Magna Carta.
1260 – Kublai Khan becomes ruler of the Mongol Empire.
1494 – Christopher Columbus lands on the island of Jamaica and claims it for Spain.
1640 – King Charles I of England dissolves the Short Parliament.
1762 – Russia and Prussia sign the Treaty of St. Petersburg.
1789 – In France, the Estates-General convenes for the first time since 1614.
1809 – Mary Kies becomes the first woman awarded a U.S. patent, for a technique of weaving straw with silk and thread.
1809 – The Swiss canton of Aargau allowed citizenship to Jews.
1811 – In the second day of fighting at the Peninsular War Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro the French army, under Marshall André Masséna, drive in the Duke of Wellington's overextended right flank, but French frontal assaults fail to take the town of Fuentes de Oñoro and the Anglo-Portuguese army holds the field at the end of the day.
1821 – Emperor Napoleon dies in exile on the island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean.
1835 – The first railway in continental Europe opens between Brussels and Mechelen.
1860 – Giuseppe Garibaldi sets sail from Genoa, leading the expedition of the Thousand to conquer the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and giving birth to the Kingdom of Italy.
1862 – Cinco de Mayo: Troops led by Ignacio Zaragoza halt a French invasion in the Battle of Puebla in Mexico.
1864 – American Civil War: The Battle of the Wilderness begins in Spotsylvania County.
1865 – American Civil War: The Confederate District of the Gulf surrenders about 4,000 men at Citronelle, Alabama.
1865 – In North Bend, Ohio (a suburb of Cincinnati), the first train robbery in the United States takes place.
1865 – American Civil War: The Confederate government was declared dissolved at Washington, Georgia.
1866 – Memorial Day first celebrated in United States at Waterloo, New York.
1877 – American Indian Wars: Sitting Bull leads his band of Lakota into Canada to avoid harassment by the United States Army under Colonel Nelson Miles.
1886 – The Bay View Massacre: A militia fires into a crowd of protesters in Milwaukee, killing seven.
1891 – The Music Hall in New York City (later known as Carnegie Hall) has its grand opening and first public performance, with Tchaikovsky as the guest conductor.
1904 – Pitching against the Philadelphia Athletics at the Huntington Avenue Grounds, Cy Young of the Boston Americans throws the first perfect game in the modern era of baseball.
1905 – The trial in the Stratton Brothers case begins in London, England; it marks the first time that fingerprint evidence is used to gain a conviction for murder.
1912 – Pravda, the "voice" of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, begins publication in Saint Petersburg.
1920 – Authorities arrest Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti for alleged robbery and murder.
1925 – Scopes Trial: Serving of an arrest warrant on John T. Scopes for teaching evolution in violation of the Butler Act.
1925 – The government of South Africa declares Afrikaans an official language.
1934 – The first Three Stooges short, Woman Haters, is released.
1936 – Italian troops occupy Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
1940 – World War II: Norwegian refugees form a government-in-exile in London
1940 – World War II: Norwegian Campaign: Norwegian squads in Hegra Fortress and Vinjesvingen capitulate to German forces after all other Norwegian forces in southern Norway had laid down their arms.
1941 – Emperor Haile Selassie returns to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; the country commemorates the date as Liberation Day or Patriots' Victory Day.
1944 – German troops execute 216 civilians in the village of Kleisoura in Greece.
1945 – World War II: The Prague uprising begins as an attempt by the Czech resistance to free the city from German occupation.
1945 – World War II: Six people are killed when a Japanese fire balloon explodes near Bly, Oregon. They are the only Americans killed in the continental US during the war.
1946 – The International Military Tribunal for the Far East begins in Tokyo with twenty-eight Japanese military and government officials accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
1949 – The Treaty of London establishes the Council of Europe in Strasbourg as the first European institution working for European integration.
1950 – Bhumibol Adulyadej is crowned King Rama IX of Thailand.
1955 – West Germany gains full sovereignty.
1961 – The Mercury program: Mercury-Redstone 3: Alan Shepard becomes the first American to travel into outer space, on a sub-orbital flight.
1964 – The Council of Europe declares May 5 as Europe Day.
1965 – The Warlocks, later known as The Grateful Dead, make their first public appearance in Menlo Park, California.
1972 – Alitalia Flight 112 crashes into Mount Longa near Palermo, Sicily, killing all 115 aboard, making it the deadliest single-aircraft disaster in Italy.
1973 – Secretariat wins the 1973 Kentucky Derby in 1:59 2/5, an as-yet unbeaten record.
1977 – The first of The Nixon Interviews between David Frost and Richard Nixon are broadcast.
1980 – Operation Nimrod: The British Special Air Service storms the Iranian embassy in London after a six-day siege.
1981 – Bobby Sands dies in the Long Kesh prison hospital after 66 days of hunger-striking, aged 27.
1985 – Bitburg and Bergen-Belsen: Ronald Reagan visits the military cemetery at Bitburg, Germany, and the site of the Nazi concentration camp, Bergen-Belsen, where he makes a speech.
1987 – Iran–Contra affair: Start of Congressional televised hearings in the United States of America
1991 – A riot breaks out in the Mt. Pleasant section of Washington, D.C. after police shoot a Salvadoran man.
1994 – The signing of the Bishkek Protocol between Armenia and Azerbaijan effectively freezes the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
1994 – American teenager Michael P. Fay is caned in Singapore for theft and vandalism.
2006 – The government of Sudan signs an accord with the Sudan Liberation Army.
2010 – Mass protests in Greece erupt in response to austerity measures imposed by the government as a result of the Greek government-debt crisis.
2014 – 11 people are missing after a Chinese cargo ship collides with a Marshall Islands registered container ship off the coast of Hong Kong.
2014 – 22 people die after two boats carrying illegal immigrants collide in the Aegean Sea off the coast of Greece.

Births
867 – Emperor Uda of Japan (d. 931)
1210 – Afonso III of Portugal (d. 1279)
1479 – Guru Amar Das, Indian 3rd Sikh Guru (d. 1574)
1542 – Thomas Cecil, 1st Earl of Exeter, English soldier and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Northamptonshire (d. 1623)
1684 – Françoise Charlotte d'Aubigné, French wife of Adrien Maurice de Noailles (d. 1739)
1747 – Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1792)
1749 – Jean-Frédéric Edelmann, French pianist and composer (d. 1794)
1764 – Robert Craufurd, Scottish general and politician (d. 1812)
1800 – Louis Christophe François Hachette, French publisher (d. 1864)
1813 – Søren Kierkegaard, Danish philosopher and author (d. 1855)
1818 – Karl Marx, German philosopher, sociologist, and journalist (d. 1883)
1826 – Eugénie de Montijo, French wife of Napoleon III (d. 1920)
1830 – John Batterson Stetson, American businessman, founded the John B. Stetson Company (d. 1906)
1832 – Hubert Howe Bancroft, American ethnologist and historian (d. 1918)
1833 – Ferdinand von Richthofen, German geographer and academic (d. 1905)
1834 – Viktor Hartmann, Russian painter and architect (d. 1873)
1843 – William George Beers, Canadian dentist and patriot (d. 1900)
1846 – Henryk Sienkiewicz, Polish journalist and author, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1916)
1858 – John L. Leal, American physician (d. 1914)
1864 – Nellie Bly, American journalist and author (d. 1922)
1866 – Thomas B. Thrige, Danish businessman (d. 1938)
1869 – Fabián de la Rosa, Filipino painter and educator (d. 1937)
1869 – Hans Pfitzner, German composer and conductor (d. 1949)
1883 – Agustín Barrios, Paraguayan guitarist and composer (d. 1944)
1883 – Archibald Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell, English general and politician, 43rd Governor-General of India (d. 1950)
1884 – Chief Bender, American baseball player and coach (d. 1954)
1887 – Mervyn S. Bennion, American captain, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1941)
1887 – Geoffrey Fisher, English archbishop (d. 1972)
1889 – Herbie Taylor, South African cricketer and soldier (d. 1973)
1890 – Christopher Morley, American journalist and author (d. 1957)
1898 – Elsie Eaves, American engineer (d. 1983)
1899 – Freeman Gosden, American actor and screenwriter (d. 1982)
1901 – Blind Willie McTell, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1959)
1903 – James Beard, American chef and author (d. 1985)
1905 – Floyd Gottfredson, American author and illustrator (d. 1986)
1906 – Charles Exbrayat, French author and screenwriter (d. 1989)
1907 – Iryna Vilde, Ukrainian journalist and author (d. 1982)
1908 – Kurt Böhme, German opera singer (d. 1989)
1909 – Miklós Radnóti, Hungarian poet and author (d. 1944)
1910 – Leo Lionni, American author and illustrator (d. 1999)
1911 – Gilles Grangier, French director and screenwriter (d. 1996)
1911 – Andor Lilienthal, Russian-Hungarian chess player (d. 2010)
1911 – Pritilata Waddedar, Indian educator and activist (d. 1932)
1913 – Duane Carter, American racing driver (d. 1993)
1914 – Tyrone Power, American actor, singer, and producer (d. 1958)
1915 – Alice Faye, American actress and singer (d. 1998)
1915 – Ben Wright, English-American actor (d. 1989)
1916 – Zail Singh, Indian politician, 7th President of India (d. 1987)
1917 – Pío Leyva, Cuban singer-songwriter (Buena Vista Social Club) (d. 2006)
1919 – Georgios Papadopoulos, Greek colonel and politician, 169th Prime Minister of Greece (d. 1999)
1921 – Arthur Leonard Schawlow, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1999)
1922 – Irene Gut Opdyke, Polish-American nurse (d. 2003)
1923 – James Gilbert, Scottish television producer and director
1923 – Richard Wollheim, English philosopher and academic (d. 2003)
1925 – Eddi Arent, Polish-German actor (d. 2013)
1925 – Leo Ryan, American soldier, educator, and politician (d. 1978)
1926 – Ann B. Davis, American actress and singer (d. 2014)
1927 – Pat Carroll, American actress and singer
1927 – Sylvia Fedoruk, Canadian physicist and politician, 17th Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan (d. 2012)
1928 – Richard Schaal, American actor and screenwriter (d. 2014)
1929 – Ayhan Işık, Turkish actor and producer (d. 1979)
1929 – Ilene Woods, American actress and singer (d. 2010)
1930 – Hans Abramson, Swedish director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2012)
1930 – Will Hutchins, American actor
1931 – Greg, Belgian author and illustrator (d. 1999)
1932 – Stan Goldberg, American illustrator (d. 2014)
1932 – Bob Said, American race car driver and bobsled racer (d. 2002)
1933 – Igor Kashkarov, Russian high jumper
1934 – Ace Cannon, American saxophonist
1934 – Victor Garland, Australian accountant and politician, 26th Australian Minister for Veterans' Affairs
1934 – Johnnie Taylor, American vocalist (d. 2000)
1935 – Douglas Marland, American actor and screenwriter (d. 1993)
1935 – Bernard Pivot, French journalist, talk show host, and producer
1935 – Robert Rehme, American film producer
1936 – Patrick Gowers, English composer and educator (d. 2014)
1936 – Ervin Lázár, Hungarian author (d. 2006)
1936 – John Maxton, Scottish politician
1937 – Delia Derbyshire, English keyboard player and composer (White Noise) (d. 2001)
1937 – Sandy Baron, American actor and comedian (d. 2001)
1938 – Michael Murphy, American actor
1938 – Bill Robertson, American businessman and politician (d. 2013)
1938 – Barbara Wagner, Canadian figure skater and coach
1939 – Ray Gosling, English journalist, author, and activist (d. 2013)
1940 – Lasse Åberg, Swedish actor, singer, and director
1940 – Lance Henriksen, American actor
1940 – Michael Lindsay-Hogg, American director and producer
1941 – Alexander Ragulin, Russian ice hockey player (d. 2004)
1942 – Marc Alaimo, American actor
1942 – István Bujtor, Hungarian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2009)
1942 – Jean Corston, Baroness Corston, English lawyer and politician
1942 – Hugh Courtenay, 18th Earl of Devon, English politician (d. 2015)
1942 – Tammy Wynette, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1998)
1943 – Michael Palin, English actor and screenwriter
1943 – Ignacio Ramonet, Spanish journalist and author
1943 – Dilys Watling, English actress and singer
1944 – Bo Larsson, Swedish footballer
1944 – John Rhys-Davies, Welsh actor and screenwriter
1944 – Roger Rees, Welsh-American actor and director (d. 2015)
1945 – Kurt Loder, American journalist, author, and critic
1945 – Lars-Inge Svartenbrandt, Swedish criminal
1945 – Dianne Willcocks, English sociologist and academic
1946 – Jim Kelly, American actor and martial artist (d. 2013)
1946 – Aydın Menderes, Turkish politician (d. 2011)
1947 – Daisuke Ban, Japanese actor
1947 – Robin McNamara, American singer-songwriter and actor
1948 – Bella van der Spiegel-Hage, Dutch cyclist
1948 – Bill Ward, English drummer and songwriter (Black Sabbath and Mythology)
1949 – Eppie Bleeker, Dutch speed skater
1950 – Maggie MacNeal, Dutch singer (Mouth & MacNeal)
1951 – Rudolf Finsterer, German rugby player and coach
1951 – Toomas Vilosius, Estonian physician and politician, 2nd Minister of Social Affairs of Estonia
1952 – Jorge Llopart, Spanish race walker
1952 – Willem Witteveen, Dutch scholar and politician (d. 2014)
1956 – Steve Scott, American runner and coach
1957 – Richard E. Grant, Swazi-English actor, director, and screenwriter
1957 – Peter Howitt, English actor, director, and screenwriter
1957 – Aad van Mil, Dutch water polo player
1958 – Ron Arad, Israeli colonel and pilot (d. 1986)
1958 – Robert DiPierdomenico, Australian footballer and sportscaster
1958 – Jack Wishna, American businessman, co-founded Rockcityclub (d. 2012)
1959 – Bobby Ellsworth, American singer and bass player (Overkill)
1959 – Ian McCulloch, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (Echo & the Bunnymen, Electrafixion, and Crucial Three)
1959 – Peter Molyneux, English video game designer, created Fable
1959 – Steve Stevens, American guitarist and songwriter (Juno Reactor)
1959 – Brian Williams, American journalist
1961 – Hiroshi Hase, Japanese wrestler and politician
1961 – Rob Williams, American basketball player (d. 2014)
1962 – Sot Chitalada, Thai boxer
1962 – Nicolas Vanier, Senegalese explorer, author, and director
1962 – Kaoru Wada, Japanese composer and conductor
1963 – James LaBrie, Canadian singer-songwriter (Dream Theater, Winter Rose, Explorers Club, and MullMuzzler)
1963 – Simon Rimmer, English chef and author
1963 – Scott Westerfeld, American author and composer
1964 – Jean-François Copé, French politician, French Minister of Budget
1964 – Heike Henkel, German high jumper
1964 – Don Payne, American screenwriter and producer (d. 2013)
1964 – Minami Takayama, Japanese voice actress and singer
1965 – Leslie Law, English horse rider
1965 – Glenn Seton, Australian race car driver
1966 – Shawn Drover, Canadian drummer (Megadeth, Eidolon, and Act of Defiance)
1966 – Sergei Stanishev, Ukrainian-Bulgarian politician, 46th Prime Minister of Bulgaria
1966 – Josh Weinstein, American screenwriter and producer
1967 – Levent Kazak, Turkish actor and screenwriter
1967 – Takehito Koyasu, Japanese voice actor and singer
1967 – Charles Nagy, American baseball player and coach
1967 – Alexis Sinduhije, Burundian journalist and politician
1967 – Bill Ward, English actor
1968 – Katherine Rake, English academic
1968 – Atsuro Watabe, Japanese actor
1969 – Olav Sepp, Estonian chess player
1970 – Kyan Douglas, American television host and author
1970 – LaPhonso Ellis, American basketball player
1970 – Todd Newton, American game show host
1971 – Harold Miner, American basketball player
1971 – Mike Redmond, American baseball player and manager
1972 – James Cracknell, English rower
1973 – Casino Versus Japan, American composer and producer
1974 – Seiji Ara, Japanese race car driver
1974 – Jens Fredrik Ryland, Norwegian guitarist (Borknagar)
1975 – Meb Keflezighi, American runner
1976 – Dieter Brummer, Australian actor
1976 – Jean-François Dumoulin, Canadian race car driver
1976 – Anastasios Pantos, Greek footballer
1976 – Juan Pablo Sorín, Argentinian footballer and sportscaster
1976 – Sage Stallone, American actor, director, and producer (d. 2012)
1976 – Jeremy Michael Ward, American singer and guitarist (The Mars Volta and De Facto) (d. 2003)
1977 – Virginie Efira, Belgian actress and journalist
1977 – Choi Kang-hee, South Korean actress
1977 – Jessica Schwarz, German actress
1978 – Santiago Cabrera, Venezuelan-English actor
1978 – Morgan Pehme, American director, producer, and screenwriter
1978 – John Wilshere, Papua New Guinean rugby player
1979 – Vincent Kartheiser, American actor
1980 – Yossi Benayoun, Israeli footballer
1980 – DerMarr Johnson, American basketball player
1981 – Marcelle Bittar, Brazilian model
1981 – Craig David, English singer-songwriter
1981 – Stian Omenås, Norwegian trumpeter and orchestra leader
1981 – Danielle Fishel, American actress
1981 – Farid Kamil, Malaysian actor, director, and screenwriter
1982 – Ferrie Bodde, Dutch footballer
1982 – Wouter D'Haene, Belgian sprinter
1982 – Randall Gay, American football player
1982 – Corey Parker, Australian rugby league footballer
1983 – Henry Cavill, English actor
1983 – Mabel Gay, Cuban triple jumper
1983 – Annie Villeneuve, Canadian singer-songwriter
1983 – Scott Ware, American football player
1984 – Wade MacNeil, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist (Alexisonfire, Gallows, and Black Lungs)
1984 – Christian Valdéz, Mexican footballer
1985 – Shoko Nakagawa, Japanese actress and singer
1985 – Emanuele Giaccherini, Italian footballer
1985 – Tsepo Masilela, South African footballer
1985 – Marcos Rogério Oliveira Duarte, Brazilian footballer
1985 – Terrence Wheatley, American football player
1987 – Graham Dorrans, Scottish footballer
1987 – Siim Sellis, Estonian skier
1988 – Adele, English singer-songwriter
1988 – Mai Agan, Estonian bass player and composer
1988 – Jessica Dubroff, American pilot (d. 1996)
1988 – Brooke Hogan, American singer and actress
1988 – Richard O'Dwyer, English computer programmer
1988 – Skye Sweetnam, Canadian singer-songwriter and actress (Sumo Cyco)
1989 – Chris Brown, American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actor
1989 – Agnes Knochenhauer, Swedish curler
1990 – Hannah Davis, American model
1990 – Valentijn de Hingh, Dutch model
1990 – Song Jieun, South Korean singer, dancer, and actress (Secret)
1991 – Colin Edwards, Guyanese footballer (d. 2013)
1991 – Xenofon Fetsis, Greek footballer
1991 – Raúl Jiménez, Mexican footballer
1991 – Shubha Phutela, Indian model and actress (d. 2012)
1992 – Loïck Landre, French footballer
1992 – Yōsuke Mikami, Japanese footballer
1992 – Taisuke Miyazaki, Japanese footballer
1993 – Francine Niyonsaba, Burundian runner
1999 – Nathan Chen, American figure skater

Deaths
984 – Gerberga of Saxony (b. 913)
1194 – Casimir II the Just, Polish son of Bolesław III Wrymouth (b. 1138)
1243 – Hubert de Burgh, 1st Earl of Kent, English justiciar (b. c. 1160)
1306 – Constantine Palaiologos, Byzantine general (b. 1261)
1309 – Charles II of Naples (b. 1254)
1525 – Frederick III, Elector of Saxony (b. 1463)
1586 – Henry Sidney, Irish politician, Lord Deputy of Ireland (b. 1529)
1671 – Edward Montagu, 2nd Earl of Manchester, English general and politician, Lord Chamberlain of the United Kingdom (b. 1602)
1672 – Samuel Cooper, English painter and linguist (b. 1609)
1700 – Angelo Italia, Italian architect (b. 1628)
1705 – Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1640)
1760 – Laurence Shirley, 4th Earl Ferrers, English politician (b. 1720)
1766 – Jean Astruc, French physician and scholar (b. 1684)
1808 – Pierre Jean George Cabanis, French physiologist and philosopher (b. 1757)
1821 – Napoleon, French general and emperor (b. 1769)
1827 – Frederick Augustus I of Saxony (b. 1750)
1833 – Sophia Campbell, English-Australian painter (b. 1777)
1855 – Sir Robert Inglis, 2nd Baronet, English politician (b. 1786)
1859 – Peter Gustav Lejeune Dirichlet, German mathematician and academic (b. 1805)
1860 – Jean-Charles Prince, Canadian bishop (b. 1804)
1892 – August Wilhelm von Hofmann, German chemist and academic (b. 1818)
1896 – Silas Adams, American lawyer and politician (b. 1839)
1907 – Şeker Ahmed Pasha, Turkish soldier and painter (b. 1841)
1916 – John MacBride, Irish soldier and rebel (b. 1865)
1916 – Maurice Raoul-Duval, French polo player (b. 1866)
1921 – Alfred Hermann Fried, Austrian journalist and publicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1864)
1924 – A. Sabapathy, Sri Lankan journalist and politician (b. 1853)
1931 – Glen Kidston, English pilot and race car driver (b. 1899)
1939 – Clara Schønfeld, Danish actress (b. 1856)
1942 – Qemal Stafa, Albanian politician (b. 1920)
1947 – Ty LaForest, Canadian-American baseball player (b. 1917)
1959 – Carlos Saavedra Lamas, Argentinian academic and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1878)
1962 – Ernest Tyldesley, English cricketer (b. 1889)
1965 – Nikos Gounaris, Greek tenor and composer (b. 1915)
1965 – John Waters, American director and screenwriter (b. 1893)
1971 – Violet Jessop, Argentinean-English nurse (b. 1887)
1973 – Zekai Özger, Turkish poet and academic (b. 1948)
1977 – Ludwig Erhard, German economist and politician, Chancellor of Germany (b. 1897)
1981 – Bobby Sands, Irish republican hunger striker (b. 1954)
1983 – Horst Schumann, German physician (b. 1901)
1983 – John Williams, English-American actor (b. 1903)
1985 – Donald Bailey, English engineer, designed the Bailey bridge (b. 1901)
1988 – Michael Shaara, American author and academic (b. 1928)
1992 – Jean-Claude Pascal, French actor and singer (b. 1927)
1994 – Mário Quintana, Brazilian poet and translator (b. 1906)
1995 – Mikhail Botvinnik, Russian chess player and coach (b. 1911)
1997 – Walter Gotell, German-English actor (b. 1924)
1999 – Vasilis Diamantopoulos, Greek actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1920)
2000 – Gino Bartali, Italian cyclist (b. 1914)
2000 – Bill Musselman, American basketball player and coach (b. 1940)
2001 – Morris Graves, American painter and educator (b. 1910)
2001 – Clifton Hillegass, American publisher, created CliffsNotes (b. 1918)
2002 – Hugo Banzer, Bolivian general and politician, 62nd President of Bolivia (b. 1926)
2002 – Paul Wilbur Klipsch, American engineer, founded Klipsch Audio Technologies (b. 1904)
2002 – George Sidney, American director and producer (b. 1916)
2003 – Sam Bockarie, Sierra Leonean commander (b. 1964)
2003 – Walter Sisulu, South African activist and politician (b. 1912)
2004 – Ritsuko Okazaki, Japanese singer-songwriter (Melocure) (b. 1959)
2005 – Elisabeth Fraser, American actress (b. 1920)
2005 – Édgar Ponce, Mexican actor and dancer (b. 1974)
2006 – Naushad Ali, Indian composer and producer (b. 1919)
2006 – Atıf Yılmaz, Turkish director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1925)
2007 – Theodore Harold Maiman, American-Canadian physicist and engineer, created the laser (b. 1927)
2008 – Irv Robbins, Canadian-American businessman, co-founded Baskin-Robbins (b. 1917)
2008 – Jerry Wallace, American singer and guitarist (b. 1928)
2010 – Giulietta Simionato, Italian soprano (b. 1910)
2010 – Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, Nigerian academic and politician, 12th president of Nigeria (b. 1951)
2011 – Claude Choules, English-Australian soldier (b. 1901)
2011 – Yosef Merimovich, Israeli footballer and manager (b. 1924)
2011 – Dana Wynter, German-English actress (b. 1931)
2012 – Surendranath, Indian cricketer (b. 1937)
2012 – Count Carl Johan Bernadotte of Wisborg (b. 1916)
2012 – Aatos Erkko, Finnish journalist and publisher (b. 1932)
2012 – George Knobel, Dutch footballer, coach, and manager (b. 1922)
2012 – Roy Padayachie, South African lawyer and politician, South African Minister of Communications (b. 1950)
2013 – Rossella Falk, Italian actress (b. 1926)
2013 – Sarah Kirsch, German poet and author (b. 1935)
2013 – Greg Quill, Australian-Canadian singer-songwriter and journalist (b. 1947)
2013 – Robert Ressler, American FBI agent and author (b. 1937)
2014 – Timothy John Byford, English-Serbian director and screenwriter (b. 1941)
2014 – Butler Derrick, American lawyer and politician (b. 1936)
2014 – Eduardo Mac Entyre, Argentinian painter (b. 1929)
2014 – Michael Otedola, Nigerian journalist and politician, 9th Governor of Lagos State (b. 1926)
2015 – Jobst Brandt, American cyclist, engineer, and author (b. 1935)
2015 – Craig Gruber, American bass player (Rainbow, Elf, Bible Black, and Raven Lord) (b. 1951)
2015 – Oscar Holderer, German-American scientist and engineer (b. 1919)
2015 – Hans Jansen, Dutch linguist, academic, and politician (b. 1942)
2015 – Brian Sedgemore, English lawyer and politician (b. 1937)

Holidays and observances
Children's Day (Japan)
Children's Day (South Korea)
Cinco de Mayo (Mexico and the United States)
Christian feast day:
Angelus of Jerusalem
Blessed Edmund Ignatius Rice
Frederick the Wise (Lutheran)
Hilary of Arles
Jutta of Kulmsee
Stanisław Kazimierczyk
May 5 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Constitution Day (Kyrgyzstan)
Coronation Day (Thailand), commemorating the coronation of King Bhumibol Adulyadej in 1950
Europe Day (Council of Europe)
Feast of al-Khadr or Saint George (Palestinian)
Indian Arrival Day (Guyana)
International Midwives' Day (International)
Liberation Day (Denmark)
Liberation Day (Netherlands)
Lusophone Culture Day (Community of Portuguese Language Countries)
Martyrs' Day (Albania)
Patriots' Victory Day (Ethiopia)
Senior Citizens Day (Palau)
Tango no sekku (Japan)