May 6 facts for kids

May 6 is the 126th day of the year (127th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 239 days remain until the end of the year.

May 6th is a day filled with many interesting events throughout history, from ancient battles to modern discoveries. It's a day when important leaders were born and famous people passed away. Let's explore some of the key moments that happened on this date!

Historical Events on May 6

Early History (Before 1600)

• 1527 – Spanish and German soldiers attacked and took over the city of Rome. Many historians believe this event marked the end of the Renaissance, a time of great art and learning in Europe.
• 1536 – The Siege of Cuzco began. During this time, the Incan army tried to take back their city of Cuzco from the Spanish forces who had taken control.
• 1541 – King Henry VIII of England ordered that Bibles in English be placed in every church. This made it easier for ordinary people to read the Bible.
• 1542 – Francis Xavier, a famous missionary, arrived in Old Goa, which was then the capital of Portuguese India.
• 1594 – The Dutch city of Coevorden, which was controlled by the Spanish, was captured by a combined Dutch and English army.

From the 1600s to the 1900s

• 1659 – In England, a group within the British Army removed Richard Cromwell from his position as leader. They brought back the Rump Parliament, which was a part of the government.
• 1682 – King Louis XIV of France moved his royal court to the magnificent Palace of Versailles. This palace became a symbol of French power and luxury.
• 1757 – The Battle of Prague took place. A Prussian army fought against an Austrian army near Prague during the Seven Years' War, a major conflict in Europe.
• 1782 – Construction began on the Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand. This beautiful palace became the official home for the King of Siam.
• 1801 – Captain Thomas Cochrane, leading a small British ship called the HMS Speedy, managed to capture a much larger Spanish warship, the El Gamo.
• 1835 – James Gordon Bennett, Sr. published the very first issue of the New York Herald, a major newspaper in the United States.
• 1840 – The Penny Black postage stamp became valid for use in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. This was the world's first adhesive postage stamp, making it easier to send letters.
• 1857 – The East India Company disbanded a military unit called the 34th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry. This happened after one of their soldiers, Mangal Pandey, led a revolt against the British, which was an early sign of the War of Indian Independence.
• 1861 – During the American Civil War, Arkansas decided to leave the Union (the United States).
• 1863 – The Battle of Chancellorsville ended with the defeat of the Union's Army of the Potomac by the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia.
• 1877 – Chief Crazy Horse of the Oglala Lakota people surrendered to United States troops in Nebraska.
• 1882 – The United States Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act. This law stopped Chinese workers from coming to the U.S. and was a very unfair act.
• 1889 – The famous Eiffel Tower was officially opened to the public in Paris, France, as part of the Universal Exposition.

Modern Times (1901–Present)

• 1901 – The first issue of Gorkhapatra, the oldest still-running state-owned Nepali newspaper, was published.
• 1910 – George V became King of Great Britain and many other territories after his father, Edward VII, passed away.
• 1915 – Babe Ruth, who was a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox at the time, hit his first home run in a major league baseball game.
• 1937 – The Hindenburg disaster occurred. The German zeppelin Hindenburg caught fire and was destroyed in less than a minute while trying to land in Lakehurst, New Jersey. Thirty-six people lost their lives.
• 1940 – John Steinbeck won the Pulitzer Prize for his famous novel The Grapes of Wrath.
• 1942 – During World War II, the last American forces in the Philippines surrendered to the Japanese on Corregidor island.
• 1949 – EDSAC, one of the very first electronic digital computers that could store programs, performed its first operation.
• 1954 – Roger Bannister became the first person ever to run a mile in under four minutes. This was a huge achievement in sports.
• 1960 – More than 20 million people watched the first ever televised royal wedding when Princess Margaret married Antony Armstrong-Jones at Westminster Abbey.
• 1976 – A strong earthquake, the Friuli earthquake, hit Northern Italy. It caused a lot of damage and resulted in many deaths and injuries.
• 1983 – The Hitler Diaries, which were thought to be real, were proven to be a fake after new experts examined them.
• 1994 – Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and French President François Mitterrand officially opened the Channel Tunnel, which connects England and France under the sea.
• 1998 – Steve Jobs of Apple Inc. showed the world the first iMac computer, which had a unique design.
• 2001 – During a trip to Syria, Pope John Paul II became the first pope in history to enter a mosque, a Muslim place of worship.
• 2002 – The aerospace company SpaceX was founded.
• 2010 – The Dow-Jones stock market average suddenly dropped almost 1,000 points in just 36 minutes. This event is known as the 2010 Flash Crash.
• 2013 – Three women who had been kidnapped and missing for over ten years were found alive in Cleveland, Ohio, in the United States.
• 2023 – The coronation of Charles III and Camilla took place at Westminster Abbey in London. This was the official ceremony where Charles III became King and Camilla became Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms.

Famous Births on May 6

People Born Before 1900

• 1464 – Sophia Jagiellon, Margravine of Brandenburg-Ansbach, a Polish princess.
• 1501 – Marcellus II, who became a pope of the Catholic Church.
• 1574 – Innocent X, another pope of the Catholic Church.
• 1758 – Maximilien Robespierre, an important French politician during the French Revolution.
• 1848 – Henry Edward Armstrong, an English chemist and academic.
• 1856 – Sigmund Freud, a famous Austrian neurologist who founded psychoanalysis.
• 1856 – Robert Peary, an American admiral and explorer.
• 1861 – Motilal Nehru, an Indian lawyer and politician who was a leader in India's independence movement.
• 1868 – Gaston Leroux, a French journalist and author, famous for The Phantom of the Opera.
• 1871 – Victor Grignard, a French chemist who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
• 1895 – Rudolph Valentino, a very popular Italian actor from the silent film era.

People Born After 1900

• 1904 – Harry Martinson, a Swedish novelist and poet who won the Nobel Prize in Literature.
• 1915 – Orson Welles, a talented American actor, director, and filmmaker.
• 1918 – Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the first president of the United Arab Emirates.
• 1924 – Patricia Helen Kennedy, an American socialite and activist, part of the famous Kennedy family.
• 1929 – Paul Lauterbur, an American biophysicist who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
• 1931 – Willie Mays, a legendary American baseball player.
• 1937 – Rubin Carter, an American-Canadian boxer.
• 1945 – Bob Seger, a popular American singer-songwriter and guitarist.
• 1952 – Chiaki Mukai, a Japanese physician and astronaut.
• 1953 – Tony Blair, a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
• 1961 – George Clooney, a well-known American actor, director, and producer.
• 1972 – Martin Brodeur, a famous Canadian ice hockey player.
• 1972 – Naoko Takahashi, a Japanese runner who won an Olympic gold medal.
• 1983 – Dani Alves, a Brazilian footballer.
• 1983 – Gabourey Sidibe, an American actress.
• 1985 – Chris Paul, an American basketball player.
• 1992 – Baekhyun, a South Korean musician and actor, member of the group EXO.
• 1993 – Naomi Scott, an English actress.
• 2019 – Prince Archie of Sussex, son of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

Notable Deaths on May 6

People Who Died Before 1900

• 850 – Ninmyō, a Japanese emperor.
• 1475 – Dieric Bouts, a Flemish painter.
• 1540 – Juan Luís Vives, a Spanish scholar.
• 1859 – Alexander von Humboldt, a German geographer and explorer.
• 1862 – Henry David Thoreau, an American essayist, poet, and philosopher.
• 1877 – Johan Ludvig Runeberg, a Swedish-Finnish poet.

People Who Died After 1900

• 1910 – Edward VII of the United Kingdom, who was King before George V.
• 1919 – L. Frank Baum, an American novelist, famous for writing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
• 1949 – Maurice Maeterlinck, a Belgian-French poet and playwright who won the Nobel Prize in Literature.
• 1952 – Maria Montessori, an Italian physician and educator who developed the Montessori method of education.
• 1992 – Marlene Dietrich, a famous German-American actress and singer.
• 2002 – Pim Fortuyn, a Dutch sociologist and politician.
• 2013 – Giulio Andreotti, an Italian journalist and politician who served as Prime Minister of Italy multiple times.
• 2014 – Farley Mowat, a Canadian environmentalist and author.
• 2021 – Kentaro Miura, a Japanese manga artist.
• 2022 – George Pérez, an American comic book artist and writer.

Special Days and Observances

• International No Diet Day
• Martyrs' Day (Gabon)
• Martyrs' Day (Lebanon and Syria)
• National Azulejo Day (Portugal)
• Teachers' Day (Jamaica)
• The first day of Hıdırellez (Turkey), a spring festival.

See also

In Spanish: 6 de mayo para niños