May 7 facts for kids

May 7 is the 127th day of the year (128th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 238 days remain until the end of the year.

May 7th is a special day in history, filled with many important events, from ancient times to today. It's a day when big changes happened, new ideas were born, and famous people came into the world or passed away. Let's explore some of the most interesting moments from this date!

Events That Shaped History

Early Times (Before 1600)

• 351 – A Jewish uprising began in Antioch.
• 558 – In Constantinople, the huge dome of the Hagia Sophia church fell down. It was only 20 years old! Emperor Justinian I quickly ordered it to be rebuilt.
• 1274 – The Second Council of Lyon started in France. This meeting helped decide how the Pope would be chosen.
• 1487 – The Siege of Málaga began in Spain during the Reconquista, a long period when Christian kingdoms took back land from Muslim rule.
• 1544 – The English army attacked and burned parts of Edinburgh, Scotland. This was part of a conflict known as the Rough Wooing.

From 1601 to 1900

• 1625 – A grand state funeral was held for King James I at Westminster Abbey.
• 1664 – Big parties began at King Louis XIV's amazing new Palace of Versailles in France.
• 1697 – Stockholm's old royal castle, built in the Middle Ages, was destroyed by a fire. It was later replaced by the beautiful Royal Palace we see today.
• 1718 – The city of New Orleans in the United States was founded by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne.
• 1763 – Pontiac's War started when Pontiac, an Ottawa leader, tried to capture Fort Detroit from the British.
• 1765 – The famous ship HMS Victory was launched in England. It later became a very important ship in the British Navy.
• 1794 – During the French Revolution, Robespierre introduced the Cult of the Supreme Being, a new state religion for France.
• 1824 – Ludwig van Beethoven's amazing Ninth Symphony had its first performance in Vienna, Austria.
• 1832 – Greece officially became an independent country, recognized by the Treaty of London.
• 1840 – The Great Natchez Tornado hit Natchez, Mississippi, killing 317 people. It was one of the deadliest tornadoes in U.S. history.
• 1846 – The Cambridge Chronicle, America's oldest weekly newspaper that is still published, printed its first issue.
• 1864 – During the American Civil War, General Ulysses S. Grant's army moved south after the Battle of the Wilderness.
• 1864 – The City of Adelaide, the world's oldest surviving clipper ship, was launched in England. It carried people and goods between Britain and Australia.
• 1895 – In Russia, scientist Alexander Stepanovich Popov showed off his invention, a device that could detect lightning. It was an early version of a radio receiver.

Modern Times (1901–Present)

• 1915 – During World War I, a German submarine U-20 sank the passenger ship RMS Lusitania. This tragic event killed 1,199 people, including many Americans, and made many people in the United States turn against the German Empire.
• 1915 – The Republic of China agreed to some of the 21 Demands from Japan, which gave Japan more control over parts of China.
• 1920 – Polish troops, with help from Ukrainian forces, captured Kyiv during the Kyiv offensive. However, they were pushed out a month later.
• 1930 – A powerful earthquake hit Iran and Turkey, killing up to 3,000 people.
• 1937 – During the Spanish Civil War, German planes arrived in Spain to help Francisco Franco's forces.
• 1940 – In World War II, a debate in the British Parliament led to Winston Churchill becoming the new Prime Minister a few days later.
• 1942 – In World War II, during the Battle of the Coral Sea, American aircraft sank a Japanese aircraft carrier. This was the first time in naval history that two fleets fought without seeing each other!
• 1945 – In World War II, the last German U-boat attack of the war happened off the coast of Scotland.
• 1945 – In World War II, General Alfred Jodl signed the unconditional surrender for Germany in France, officially ending Germany's part in the war.
• 1946 – Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering, which later became the famous company Sony, was founded.
• 1948 – The Council of Europe, an organization that promotes cooperation among European countries, was founded.
• 1952 – The idea of the integrated circuit, a tiny electronic component that is the basis for all modern computers, was first published by Geoffrey Dummer.
• 1954 – The Battle of Dien Bien Phu ended in Vietnam, with a French defeat and a victory for the Viet Minh.
• 1960 – During the Cold War, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev announced that his country was holding American pilot Gary Powers, whose U-2 spy plane had been shot down.
• 1986 – Canadian Patrick Morrow became the first person to climb each of the Seven Summits, the highest mountains on each continent.
• 1992 – Michigan approved a very old amendment to the U.S. Constitution, making the 27th Amendment law. This amendment stops Congress from giving themselves a pay raise that takes effect before the next election.
• 1992 – The Space Shuttle Endeavour launched on its first mission, STS-49.
• 1994 – Edvard Munch's famous painting The Scream was found unharmed after being stolen from a museum in February.
• 1998 – Mercedes-Benz bought Chrysler for a huge amount of money, forming DaimlerChrysler. This was one of the biggest company mergers ever.
• 1999 – Pope John Paul II visited Romania, becoming the first pope to visit a country that is mostly Eastern Orthodox since a major split in the church in 1054.
• 2000 – Vladimir Putin became the president of Russia.
• 2002 – A China Northern Airlines plane crashed into the Yellow Sea, sadly killing 112 people.

Famous Birthdays

Born Before 1900

• 1530 – Louis, Prince of of Condé, a French prince and military leader.
• 1711 – David Hume, a very important Scottish thinker, economist, and philosopher.
• 1748 – Olympe de Gouges, a French writer and philosopher who fought for women's rights.
• 1812 – Robert Browning, a famous English poet and playwright.
• 1833 – Johannes Brahms, a celebrated German pianist and composer.
• 1840 – Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, a world-famous Russian composer known for ballets like Swan Lake.
• 1845 – Mary Eliza Mahoney, the first African American to work as a professional registered nurse in the U.S.
• 1861 – Rabindranath Tagore, an Indian author and poet who won the Nobel Prize in Literature.
• 1867 – Władysław Reymont, a Polish novelist who also won the Nobel Prize in Literature.
• 1885 – George "Gabby" Hayes, an American actor known for his roles in Western movies.
• 1892 – Josip Broz Tito, a Yugoslav field marshal and the first President of Yugoslavia.
• 1896 – Kathleen McKane Godfree, an English tennis and badminton player.

Born After 1900

• 1901 – Gary Cooper, a legendary American actor.
• 1909 – Edwin H. Land, an American scientist and inventor who co-founded the Polaroid Corporation.
• 1919 – Eva Perón, an Argentinian actress and the influential First Lady of Argentina.
• 1922 – Darren McGavin, an American actor and director.
• 1923 – Anne Baxter, a talented American actress.
• 1933 – Johnny Unitas, a famous American football player.
• 1939 – Sidney Altman, a Canadian-American biologist who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
• 1939 – Ruud Lubbers, a Dutch economist and former Prime Minister of the Netherlands.
• 1946 – Thelma Houston, an American R&B and disco singer.
• 1946 – Michael Rosen, a popular English author and poet, known for children's books.
• 1950 – Tim Russert, a well-known American television journalist.
• 1956 – Jan Peter Balkenende, a Dutch politician and former Prime Minister of the Netherlands.
• 1965 – Owen Hart, a Canadian professional wrestler.
• 1968 – Traci Lords, an American actress and singer.
• 1974 – Breckin Meyer, an American actor and writer.
• 1976 – Stacey Jones, a New Zealand rugby league player.
• 1984 – Kevin Owens, a Canadian professional wrestler.
• 1985 – J Balvin, a popular Colombian singer-songwriter.
• 1987 – Aidy Bryant, an American actress and comedian.
• 1992 – Alexander Ludwig, a Canadian actor and musician.
• 1998 – MrBeast, a famous American YouTuber.
• 1999 – Cody Gakpo, a Dutch footballer.

Notable People Who Passed Away

Before 1900

• 973 – Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor.
• 1825 – Antonio Salieri, an Italian composer and conductor.
• 1840 – Caspar David Friedrich, a German painter.

After 1900

• 1917 – Albert Ball, a brave English fighter pilot during World War I.
• 1941 – James George Frazer, a Scottish anthropologist and academic.
• 1951 – Warner Baxter, an American actor.
• 1976 – Alison Uttley, an English writer known for her children's books.
• 1998 – Allan McLeod Cormack, a physicist who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
• 2000 – Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., an American actor and producer.
• 2007 – Diego Corrales, an American boxer.
• 2011 – Seve Ballesteros, a famous Spanish golfer.
• 2011 – Willard Boyle, a Canadian physicist who won the Nobel Prize.

Holidays and Observances

• Christian feast day:
  • Agathius of Byzantium
  • Agostino Roscelli
  • Pope Benedict II
  • Flavia Domitilla
  • Gisela of Hungary
  • Harriet Starr Cannon (Episcopal Church (USA))
  • John of Beverley
  • Rose Venerini
  • Stanislaus (Roman Martyrology)
  • May 7 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Defender of the Fatherland Day (Kazakhstan)
• Dien Bien Phu Victory Day (Vietnam)
• Radio Day, celebrating the work of Alexander Popov (Russia, Bulgaria)

See also

In Spanish: 7 de mayo para niños