12 History Lessons + 4 Births & 5 Deaths for May 5, 2025
Today’s History:
- 1260 – Kublai Khan becomes ruler of the Mongol Empire.
- 1494 – Christopher Columbus lands on the island of Jamaica and claims it for Spain.
- 1809 – Mary Kies becomes the first woman granted a U.S. patent, for weaving straw with silk.
- 1821 – Napoleon Bonaparte dies in exile on the island of Saint Helena.
- 1862 – Mexican forces defeat the French at the Battle of Puebla, commemorated as Cinco de Mayo.
- 1891 – The Music Hall in New York City (later renamed Carnegie Hall) holds its first official concert.
- 1925 – John T. Scopes is arrested for teaching evolution in Tennessee, setting up the Scopes “Monkey Trial.”
- 1936 – Italian troops occupy Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, ending the Second Italo-Ethiopian War.
- 1945 – German forces in the Netherlands, Denmark, and northern Germany officially surrender to Allied forces.
- 1961 – Alan Shepard becomes the first American in space aboard Freedom 7.
- 1981 – Irish hunger striker Bobby Sands dies in prison after 66 days without food.
- 2002 – Dutch politician Pim Fortuyn is assassinated nine days before the general election.
Today’s Birthdays:
- 1943 – Michael Palin, British comedian and travel documentarian (Monty Python) (82)
- 1959 – Ian McCulloch, lead singer of Echo & the Bunnymen (66)
- 1981 – Craig David, British R&B singer (7 Days) (44)
- 1988 – Adele, Grammy and Oscar-winning singer-songwriter (Hello, Skyfall) (37)
Today’s Deaths:
- 1821 – Napoleon Bonaparte, French emperor and military leader (51)
- 1921 – Alfred Hermann Fried, Austrian pacifist and Nobel Peace Prize winner (56)
- 1981 – Bobby Sands, Irish political activist and hunger striker (27)
- 1994 – Mamo Wolde, Ethiopian long-distance runner and Olympic gold medalist (62)
- 2011 – Claude Choules, last combat veteran of World War I (110)
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