12 History Lessons + 7 Births & 3 Deaths for May 6, 2025
Today’s History:
- 1527 – Spanish and German troops sack Rome, marking the end of the Renaissance in the city.
- 1682 – Louis XIV of France moves his court permanently to the Palace of Versailles.
- 1889 – The Eiffel Tower is officially opened to the public during the Exposition Universelle in Paris.
- 1910 – George V becomes King of the United Kingdom following the death of Edward VII.
- 1937 – The German airship Hindenburg bursts into flames while landing in New Jersey, killing 36.
- 1941 – Joseph Stalin becomes Premier of the Soviet Union, consolidating power.
- 1945 – Axis forces in the Netherlands, Denmark, and northwest Germany formally surrender.
- 1954 – Roger Bannister breaks the 4-minute mile barrier, running it in 3:59.4 in Oxford, England.
- 1994 – The Channel Tunnel (Chunnel) opens, connecting England and France under the English Channel.
- 2001 – Pope John Paul II becomes the first pope to enter a mosque, visiting the Umayyad Mosque in Syria.
- 2010 – The Eurozone and IMF approve a €110 billion bailout for Greece during its debt crisis.
- 2013 – Three women held captive for over a decade are rescued from a Cleveland, Ohio home.
Today’s Birthdays:
- 1953 – Tony Blair, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (72)
- 1961 – George Clooney, actor, director, and activist (Ocean’s Eleven, Syriana) (64)
- 1983 – Gabourey Sidibe, actress (Precious, Empire) (42)
Today’s Deaths:
- 1910 – Edward VII, King of the United Kingdom (68)
- 1937 – 36 people perish in the Hindenburg disaster, including crew member Ernst Lehmann (age range: 14–52)
- 1992 – Marlene Dietrich, German-American actress and singer (Blue Angel) (90)
- 1996 – Marcia Davenport, American author (Of Lena Geyer) and music critic (94)
- 2021 – Tawny Kitaen, actress and 1980s music video icon (Whitesnake) (59)
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