On This Day - What Happened On May 6 - Encyclopedia Britannica

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1937 Hindenburg disaster On this day in 1937, while landing at Lakehurst, New Jersey, on its first transatlantic crossing of the year, the German dirigible Hindenburg burst into flames and was destroyed, killing 36 people. Take our quiz about early aviation © Picturemakersllc/Dreamstime.com

Featured Biography

Sigmund Freud Austrian psychoanalyst bornMay 6, 1856Pribor, CzechoslovakiadiedSeptember 23, 1939 (aged 83)London, EnglandMary Evans/Sigmund Freud Copyrights (courtesy of W.E. Freud) 1961 George Clooney American actor and director 1953 Tony Blair prime minister of United Kingdom 1915 Orson Welles American actor, director, and writer 1895 Rudolph Valentino American actor 1856 Sigmund Freud Austrian psychoanalyst See All Biographies On This Day

More Events On This Day

2023 In the first British coronation in some seven decades, Charles III and Camilla were crowned king and queen, respectively. Take our quiz about the kings of EnglandChristopher Furlong/Getty Images 2004 The final episode of the television sitcom Friends aired and was watched by more than 52 million viewers.© Warner Bros. Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. 2002 South African-born American entrepreneur Elon Musk founded the aerospace company SpaceX, which helped usher in the era of commercial spaceflight. Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about space explorationChris Thompson/SpaceX (A Britannica Publishing Partner) 1998 Steve Jobs introduced Apple's first iMac, a personal computer that became hugely successful and helped revive the struggling company. Test your knowledge of tech companiesShutterstock.com 1992 German American actress Marlene Dietrich—whose beauty, voice, aura of sophistication, and languid sensuality made her one of the world's most glamorous film stars—died at age 90. Take our women in classic cinema quizPictorial Parade 1961 American actor George Clooney—who emerged in the 1990s as a popular leading man, known for his good looks and versatility, and who later became a respected director and screenwriter—was born. Sort fact from fiction in our actor quiz© 2009 Paramount Pictures; all rights reserved 1957 The last episode of I Love Lucy aired; the hugely popular show, which starred Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, was considered one of TV's landmark sitcoms. Take our I Love Lucy quizMPI/Archive Photos/Getty Images 1954 Roger Bannister of Britain became the first athlete to run a mile in less than four minutes. How much do you know about track and field?Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. 1953 British Labour Party leader Tony Blair, who in 1997 became the youngest British prime minister since 1812, was born. Test your knowledge of British culture and politics© Crown copyright 1942 The American garrison on Corregidor Island, under the command of General Jonathan M. Wainwright, surrendered to Japanese invaders after a 27-day standoff during World War II. Do you know your World War battles?U.S. Department of Defense 1931 American baseball star Willie Mays was born in Westfield, Alabama. How much do you know about baseball?© Jerry Coli/Dreamstime.com 1915 American motion-picture actor and director Orson Welles was born in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Test your knowledge of moviesCourtesy of RKO Radio Pictures, a division of RKO General; photograph from the Museum of Modern Art/Film Stills Archive, New York 1915 American baseball player Babe Ruth hit his first major league home run; he finished his career with 714 homers, a record that stood until 1974. See where Babe Ruth ranks on our list of the 10 greatest baseball players of all timeUPI/Bettmann Archive 1882 U.S. President Chester A. Arthur signed the Chinese Exclusion Act, the first and only major federal legislation to explicitly suspend immigration for a specific nationality. Test your knowledge of American history and politicsEncyclopædia Britannica, Inc. 1877 Crazy Horse, a leader in the Sioux resistance to European Americans' invasion of the northern Great Plains, surrendered in Nebraska. Take our quiz about Native American historyMike Nelson—EPA/Shutterstock.com 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.