May 9 facts for kids

May 9th is a special day in history, filled with many important events, births, and holidays. From ancient times to modern days, this date has seen big changes, new discoveries, and the start of new traditions around the world. Let's explore some of the interesting things that have happened on May 9th!

Historic Events on May 9th

Early History (Before 1600)

• 328 – Athanasius became the leader of the Christian church in Alexandria, a very important city in ancient times.
• 1386 – England and Portugal signed the Treaty of Windsor. This agreement created the oldest friendship between two countries that is still active today!
• 1540 – Explorer Hernando de Alarcón began a journey to explore the Gulf of California.

Later History (1601–1900)

• 1671 – A man named Thomas Blood, dressed as a priest, tried to steal the famous Crown Jewels from the Tower of London in England. He didn't succeed!
• 1864 – During the Second Schleswig War, the Danish navy won a battle against the Austrian and Prussian fleets near Heligoland.
• 1865 – The American Civil War was coming to an end. President Andrew Johnson announced that the fighting rights of the rebels were over.
• 1877 – Romania officially declared its independence. This day is now celebrated as Romania's Independence Day.

Modern History (1901–Present)

• 1901 – Australia opened its very first national parliament in Melbourne, marking an important step for the country.
• 1926 – Admiral Richard E. Byrd and Floyd Bennett said they flew over the North Pole. This was a huge claim at the time, though some doubt it now.
• 1927 – The original Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, officially opened its doors.
• 1936 – Italy took over Ethiopia after capturing its capital city, Addis Ababa.
• 1941 – During World War II, the British Navy captured a German submarine, the U-110. On board, they found a secret Enigma machine, which helped the Allied forces break German secret codes.
• 1950 – Robert Schuman gave a speech known as the "Schuman Declaration." Many people see this as the very beginning of what is now the European Union, a group of countries working together for peace and trade.
• 1955 – During the Cold War, West Germany joined NATO, a military alliance of countries.
• 1974 – The United States House Committee on the Judiciary began public hearings to consider removing President Richard Nixon from office due to the Watergate scandal.
• 1980 – In Florida, USA, a ship crashed into the Sunshine Skyway Bridge over Tampa Bay. A large part of the bridge collapsed, and 35 people sadly lost their lives.
• 1987 – LOT Flight 5055 crashed in Warsaw, Poland, killing all 183 people on board.
• 1988 – The New Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, was officially opened.
• 1992 – Armenian forces captured Shusha during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, which was a big moment in that conflict.
• 2001 – A terrible stampede at a football stadium in Ghana led to the deaths of 129 fans.
• 2020 – The COVID-19 recession caused the U.S. unemployment rate to reach 14.9 percent, which was the highest it had been since the Great Depression.
• 2022 – United States President Joe Biden signed the 2022 Lend-Lease Act into law. This law helps send military equipment to Ukraine and other Eastern European countries.

Famous Births on May 9th

Many interesting people were born on May 9th throughout history:

• 1147 – Minamoto no Yoritomo, a powerful Japanese leader known as a shōgun.
• 1540 – Maharana Pratap, an important Indian ruler.
• 1800 – John Brown, an American activist who fought against slavery.
• 1837 – Adam Opel, a German engineer who founded the famous Opel Company that makes cars.
• 1860 – J. M. Barrie, the Scottish writer who created the beloved story of Peter Pan.
• 1874 – Howard Carter, an English archaeologist famous for discovering the tomb of Tutankhamun.
• 1882 – Henry J. Kaiser, an American businessman who built many ships during World War II.
• 1921 – Sophie Scholl, a brave German activist who resisted the Nazi regime.
• 1936 – Glenda Jackson, an English actress and politician.
• 1946 – Candice Bergen, a well-known American actress.
• 1949 – Billy Joel, a famous American singer-songwriter and pianist.
• 1951 – Joy Harjo, an American poet and musician who became the U.S. Poet Laureate.
• 1962 – Dave Gahan, the lead singer of the popular English band Depeche Mode.
• 1965 – Steve Yzerman, a legendary Canadian ice hockey player and manager.
• 1979 – Rosario Dawson, an American actress.
• 1984 – Prince Fielder, a famous American baseball player.
• 1989 – Daniel Rosenfeld, also known as C418, a German musician who composed the music for the video game Minecraft.

Notable Deaths on May 9th

Here are some of the notable people who passed away on May 9th:

• 1657 – William Bradford, an English-American politician who was the second Governor of Plymouth Colony.
• 1707 – Dieterich Buxtehude, a famous German-Danish organist and composer.
• 1805 – Friedrich Schiller, a very important German poet, playwright, and historian.
• 1850 – Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac, a French chemist and physicist known for his work with gases.
• 1931 – Albert Abraham Michelson, a German-American physicist who won the Nobel Prize for his work on the speed of light.
• 1970 – Walter Reuther, an important American union leader.
• 1978 – Aldo Moro, a former Prime Minister of Italy.
• 1986 – Tenzing Norgay, the Nepalese mountaineer who, with Edmund Hillary, was one of the first two people to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
• 2010 – Lena Horne, a celebrated American singer, actress, and activist.
• 2020 – Little Richard, a legendary American singer, songwriter, and pianist, known as one of the founders of rock and roll.

Holidays and Celebrations

May 9th is a day for several special holidays and observances around the world:

• Christian Feast Days: Many Christian churches celebrate saints like Beatus of Lungern, Pachomius the Great, and George Preca.
• Liberation Day in Guernsey and Jersey: This day celebrates the end of the German occupation of the Channel Islands during World War II.
• Europe Day: This day celebrates peace and unity in Europe, marking the anniversary of the "Schuman Declaration" which led to the creation of the European Union. It's celebrated in the EU, Kosovo, Moldova, and Ukraine.
• Victory Day: Many countries, especially those that were part of the Soviet Union, celebrate this day to remember the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. This includes Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and others.
  • Victory and Peace Day in Armenia: This day marks the capture of Shusha in 1992 and also celebrates the end of World War II.

Images for kids

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