On This Day - What Happened On May 5 | Britannica

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1862 Mexican victory in the Battle of Puebla On this day in 1862, Mexico repelled the French forces of Napoleon III at the Battle of Puebla, a victory that became a symbol of resistance to foreign domination and is now celebrated as a national holiday, Cinco de Mayo. © Lawrence Migdale

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Karl Marx German philosopher bornMay 5, 1818Trier, GermanydiedMarch 14, 1883 (aged 64)London, EnglandFrom "Karl Marx's Oekonomische Lehren", by Karl Kautsky, 1887 1989 Chris Brown American singer 1988 Adele British singer-songwriter 1942 Tammy Wynette American singer 1914 Tyrone Power American actor 1818 Karl Marx German philosopher See All Biographies On This Day

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2001 American publisher Clifton Keith Hillegass, the creator of the popular series of literary study guides known as Cliff Notes, died in Nebraska. Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about literary classics 1988 English pop singer and songwriter Adele—whose soulful emotive voice and traditionally crafted songs made her one of the most broadly popular performers of her generation—was born. Test your knowledge of pop music© Paul Smith—Featureflash/Shutterstock.com 1981 Bobby Sands, an officer of the Irish Republican Army (IRA), died during a hunger strike while in prison.Robert Dear—AP/Shutterstock.com 1973 American racehorse Secretariat (1970–89) won the Kentucky Derby en route to capturing the U.S. Triple Crown, which also includes the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes. Can you identify these well-known horses?Dfmock 1961 Alan Shepard, Jr., made a 15-minute suborbital flight in the Freedom 7 spacecraft, becoming the first U.S. astronaut to travel in space. Take our famous astronauts and cosmonauts quizNASA 1960 Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev told the Supreme Soviet of the U.S.S.R. that a U.S. spy plane piloted by Francis Gary Powers had been shot down on May 1 over the Soviet Union; Khrushchev referred to the flight as an “aggressive act” by the United States. Read about 10 famous players in the espionage gameCentral Intelligence Agency 1945 While on a picnic on Gearhart Mountain, Oregon, six people were killed after a Japanese balloon bomb exploded; they were the only deaths by enemy action to occur in the continental United States during World War II. Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about World War II 1945 U.S. soldiers and renegade German troops turned back a Waffen-SS assault on a stronghold in Tirol, Austria, where French prisoners were being held by the Nazis; known as the Battle for Castle Itter, it is thought to be the only time that Americans and Germans fought as allies during World War II. 1931 Gunfire broke out during a strike by coal miners in Harlan county, Kentucky, leaving four dead in what came to be known as the Battle of Evarts. Conflict between workers and mining companies continued throughout the 1930s, resulting in the area becoming known as Bloody Harlan.© George Rinhart—Corbis Historical/Getty Images 1927 English author Virginia Woolf published To the Lighthouse, one of her most successful and accessible experiments in the stream-of-consciousness style. Test your knowledge of English authorsNew York World-Telegram & Sun Collection/Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (neg. no. LC-USZ62-111438) 1904 American baseball pitcher Cy Young registered the first perfect game (no player reaching first base) of the modern era, for the Boston Americans (later Red Sox) against the Philadelphia Athletics. See if Cy Young made our list of the 10 greatest baseball players of all time 1864 Forces commanded by the generals Ulysses S. Grant of the Union and Robert E. Lee of the Confederacy engaged in the Battle of the Wilderness near Fredericksburg, Virginia, during the American Civil War. How much do you know about the American Civil War?Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (neg. no. LC-USZC4-4582) 1813 Danish religious philosopher Søren Kierkegaard, regarded as the founder of existentialist philosophy, was born in Copenhagen. Take our quiz about odd facts concerning philosophersThe Royal Library, Copenhagen, National Collections Department, Prints and Photographs (ke007091) 1809 For her technique of weaving straw with silk, Mary Kries became the first woman to receive a U.S. patent; the process was largely used in the creation of hats and other headware. Test your knowledge of famous firsts for women 1789 At the beginning of the French Revolution, the Estates-General met for the first time since 1614 at Versailles and debated the role of the Third Estate. Take our quiz about French history© Photos.com/Jupiterimages 1640 King Charles I of England dissolved the Short Parliament, the first parliament to be summoned in 11 years. Test your knowledge of English kingsGiraudon/Art Resource, New York SIGN UP FOR History's Biggest Headlines Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors. SIGN UP Thanks for signing up for Today in History. Your first newsletter will arrive soon! SIGN UP By clicking "Sign Up" you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.