What happened today in history
May
What happened on May 9
On May 9 history recorded 48 notable events. 113 people who left a mark were born on this day, and 106 died. Here is the full almanac.
- 48events
- 113births
- 106deaths
- 17observances
Highlights
Highlights
1761The inaugural exhibition of the Society of Artists of Great Britain opened at Spring Gardens in London.
The Exhibition of 1761 was the inaugural art exhibition staged by the Society of Artists of Great Britain (SAGB), a group of painters, architects and sculptors. The exhibition opened on 9 May 1761 and was held at Spring Gardens in Westminster, London.
1864Second Schleswig War: The Battle of Heligoland (depicted), the last naval engagement fought by squadrons of wooden ships, took place between the Danish and Austro-Prussian fleets.
The Second Schleswig War or German-Danish War, also sometimes known as the Dano-Prussian War or Prusso-Danish War, was the second military conflict over the Schleswig–Holstein question of the 19th century. The war began on 1 February 1864, when Prussian and Au
1877
An earthquake struck northern Chile, leading to the deaths of 2,385 people, mostly victims of the ensuing tsunami, as far away as Hawaii and Fiji.
The 1877 Iquique earthquake occurred at 21:16 local time on 9 May. It had a magnitude of 8.5 on the surface-wave magnitude scale. Other estimates of its magnitude have been as high as 8.9 Mw and 9.0 Mt. It had a maximum intensity of XI (Extreme) on the Mercall
May 9
On this day
IV century
- 328
328Athanasius is elected Patriarch of Alexandria.
XI century
XIV century
XV century
XVI century
XVII century
- 1645
1645Scottish Royalist forces under Lord Montrose defeat Covenanter forces under John Urry. - 1662
1662The figure who later became Mr. Punch makes his first recorded appearance in England. - 1671
1671Thomas Blood, disguised as a clergyman, attempts to steal England's Crown Jewels from the Tower of London.
XVIII century
XIX century
- 1864
1864Second Schleswig War: The Danish navy defeats the Austrian and Prussian fleets in the Battle of Heligoland. - 1865
1865American Civil War: Nathan Bedford Forrest surrenders his forces at Gainesville, Alabama. - 1865
1865American Civil War: President Andrew Johnson issues a proclamation ending belligerent rights of the rebels and enjoining foreign nations to intern or expel Confederate ships. - 1873
1873Der Krach: The Vienna stock exchange crash begins the Panic of 1873 and heralds the Long Depression. - 1877
1877Mihail Kogălniceanu reads, in the Chamber of Deputies, the Declaration of Independence of Romania. The date will become recognised as the Independence Day of Romania.
XX century
- 1901
1901Australia opens its first national parliament in Melbourne. - 1915
1915World War I: Second Battle of Artois between German and French forces. - 1918
1918World War I: Germany repels Britain's second attempt to blockade the port of Ostend, Belgium. - 1920
1920Polish–Soviet War: The Polish army under General Edward Rydz-Śmigły celebrates its capture of Kiev with a victory parade on Khreshchatyk. - 1926
1926Admiral Richard E. Byrd and Floyd Bennett claim to have flown over the North Pole (later discovery of Byrd's diary appears to cast some doubt on the claim). - 1927
1927The Old Parliament House, Canberra, Australia, officially opens. - 1936
1936Italy formally annexes Ethiopia after taking the capital Addis Ababa on May 5. - 1941
1941World War II: The German submarine U-110 is captured by the Royal Navy. On board is the latest Enigma machine which Allied cryptographers later use to break coded German messages. - 1942
1942The Holocaust in Ukraine: The SS executes 588 Jewish residents of the Podolian town of Zinkiv (Khmelnytska oblast). The Zoludek Ghetto (in Belarus) is destroyed and all its inhabitants executed or deported. - 1945
1945World War II: The Channel Islands are liberated from Nazi occupation. - 1946
1946King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy abdicates and is succeeded by Umberto II. - 1948
1948Czechoslovakia's Ninth-of-May Constitution comes into effect. - 1950
1950Robert Schuman presents the "Schuman Declaration", considered by some to be the beginning of the creation of what is now the European Union. - 1955
1955Cold War: West Germany joins NATO. - 1960
1960The Food and Drug Administration announces it will approve birth control as an additional indication for Searle's Enovid, making Enovid the world's first approved oral contraceptive pill. - 1969
1969Carlos Lamarca leads the first urban guerrilla action against the military dictatorship of Brazil in São Paulo, by robbing two banks. - 1974
1974Watergate scandal: The United States House Committee on the Judiciary opens formal and public impeachment hearings against President Richard Nixon. - 1979
1979Iranian Jewish businessman Habib Elghanian is executed by firing squad in Tehran, prompting the mass exodus of the once 100,000-strong Jewish community of Iran. - 1980
1980In Florida, United States, Liberian freighter MV Summit Venture collides with the Sunshine Skyway Bridge over Tampa Bay, making a 430-meter (1,400 ft) section of the southbound span collapse. Thirty-five people in six cars and a Greyhound bus fall 46 metres (150 ft) into the water and die. - 1980
1980In Norco, California, United States, five masked gunmen hold up a Security Pacific bank, leading to a violent shoot-out and one of the largest pursuits in California history. Two of the gunmen and one police officer are killed and thirty-three police and civilian vehicles are destroyed in the chase. - 1987
1987LOT Flight 5055 Tadeusz Kościuszko crashes after takeoff in Warsaw, Poland, killing all 183 people on board. - 1988
1988New Parliament House, Canberra officially opens. - 1992
1992Armenian forces capture Shusha, marking a major turning point in the First Nagorno-Karabakh War. - 1992
1992Westray Mine disaster kills 26 workers in Nova Scotia, Canada. - 1999
1999Mother's Day bus crash kills 22 passengers and injures another 22, including the driver in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States.
XXI century
- 2001
2001In Ghana, 129 football fans die in what became known as the Accra Sports Stadium disaster. The deaths are caused by a stampede (caused by the firing of tear gas by police personnel at the stadium) that followed a controversial decision by the referee. - 2002
2002The 38-day stand-off in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem comes to an end when the Palestinians inside agree to have 13 suspected terrorists among them deported to several different countries. - 2018
2018Barisan Nasional, the coalition that had governed Malaysia since the country's independence in 1957, suffer a historic defeat in the 2018 Malaysian general election. - 2020
2020The COVID-19 recession causes the U.S. unemployment rate to hit 14.9 percent, its worst rate since the Great Depression. - 2022
2022Russo-Ukrainian war: United States President Joe Biden signs the 2022 Lend-Lease Act into law, a rebooted World War II-era policy attempting to expedite American equipment to Ukraine and other Eastern European countries. - 2023
2023The May 9 riots following the arrest of Imran Khan in Pakistan.
Best known
Born on May 9
1147Minamoto no Yoritomo
Japanese Samurai, Daimyo and Military ruler of Japan from 1192 to 1199
1540Maharana Pratap
Maharana of Mewar from 1572 to 1597
1555Jerónima de la Asunción
Spanish nun and Servant of God
1740Giovanni Paisiello
Italian Classical era composer
1746Gaspard Monge
French mathematician
1800John Brown (abolitionist)
American abolitionist
Best known
Died on May 9
480Julius Nepos
Western Roman emperor from 474 to 480
1280Magnus the Lawmender
King of Norway from 1263 to 1280
1443Niccolò Albergati
Italian Roman Catholic prelate
1446Mary of Enghien
Countess of Lecce
1590Charles, Cardinal de Bourbon (born 1523)
French cardinal
1657William Bradford (governor)
English Separatist leader
Holidays and observances
- Christian feast day: Beatus of Vendome
- Christian feast day: Christopher (Eastern Orthodox Church)
- Christian feast day: George Preca
- Christian feast day: Gerontius of Cervia
- Christian feast day: Gregory of Nazianzen (The Episcopal Church (US) and traditional Roman Catholic calendar)
- Christian feast day: Blessed Karolina Gerhardinger
- Christian feast day: Nicolaus Zinzendorf (Lutheran)
- Christian feast day: Pachomius the Great
- Christian feast day: Blessed Thomas Pickering
- Christian feast day: Tudy of Landevennec
- Christian feast day: May 9 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Commemoration of the end of the German occupation of the Channel Islands related observances: Liberation Day, commemorating the end of the German occupation of the Channel Islands during World War II. (Guernsey and Jersey)
- Commemoration of the end of the German occupation of the Channel Islands related observances: National Day (Alderney)
- Europe Day, commemorating the Schuman Declaration. (European Union, Kosovo, Moldova, Ukraine)
Frequently asked questions
What happened on May 9?
48 documented historical events happened on May 9, from antiquity to the present day. The best known is this: The inaugural exhibition of the Society of Artists of Great Britain opened at Spring Gardens in London. On the same day, in another year: Second Schleswig War: The Battle of Heligoland (depicted), the last naval engagement fought by squadrons of wooden ships, took place between the Danish and Austro-Prussian fleets. On Almanaccolo every event is listed in chronological order, grouped by century, and links to the Wikipedia article it comes from, so you can always read further or check the source. Alongside the events you find who was born and who died on this date, and which observances are celebrated around the world.
Who was born on May 9?
113 people with a Wikipedia article were born on May 9, including Minamoto no Yoritomo, Maharana Pratap, Jerónima de la Asunción. The list spans every era and every field — art, science, politics, sport, entertainment — ordered by year of birth, from the earliest to the most recent. The six featured people are those most has been written about: the ordering uses the length of their Wikipedia article as an indicator of prominence. For each one you find their occupation, year of birth and a link to the full biography.
Who died on May 9?
106 people with a Wikipedia article died on May 9, including Julius Nepos, Magnus the Lawmender, Niccolò Albergati. The list is in chronological order by year of death and spans all of documented history, from antiquity to the present day. For each person you find their occupation, the year and a link to the Wikipedia biography, where the full story and its sources can be read.
What is celebrated on May 9?
17 observances are celebrated on May 9 around the world: Christian feast day: Beatus of Vendome, Christian feast day: Christopher (Eastern Orthodox Church), Christian feast day: George Preca, Christian feast day: Gerontius of Cervia, Christian feast day: Gregory of Nazianzen (The Episcopal Church (US) and traditional Roman Catholic calendar), Christian feast day: Blessed Karolina Gerhardinger. The list gathers national holidays, international days and religious or civil observances falling on this date in different countries, as recorded on Wikipedia. Some are fixed and recur on the same day every year; others depend on the local calendar. Each links to the article explaining its origin and meaning.
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Source: Wikipedia · Calendar