Discover what happened on May 6 in history, along with notable events that shaped aviation, athletics, and modern space exploration.
What Happened on May 6 in History?
Important events on this day include the Hindenburg disaster, Roger Bannister breaking the four-minute mile, and the founding of SpaceX.
MAY 6 – TODAY IN HISTORY:
1835 – James Gordon Bennett published the “New York Herald” for the first time.
1840 – The first adhesive postage stamps went on sale in Great Britain.
1851 – The mechanical refrigerator was patented by Dr. John Gorrie.
1851 – Linus Yale patented the clock-type lock.
1861 – Arkansas became the ninth state to secede from the Union.
1877 – Chief Crazy Horse surrendered to U.S. troops in Nebraska.
1889 – The Universal Exposition opened in Paris, France, marking the dedication of the Eiffel Tower. Also at the exposition was the first automobile in Paris, the Mercedes-Benz.
1915 – Babe Ruth, then a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, hit his first major league home run.
1937 – The German airship Hindenburg crashed and burned while attempting to dock in Lakehurst, NJ. Thirty-six people (of the 97 on board) were killed.
1941 – Bob Hope gave his first USO show at California’s March Field.
1946 – The New York Yankees became the first major league baseball team to travel by plane.
1954 – Runner Roger Bannister of Britain became the first man to break the four minute mile.
1957 – Senator John Fitzgerald Kennedy was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his book “Profiles in Courage”.
1959 – The Pablo Picasso painting of a Dutch girl was sold for $154,000 in London. It was the highest price paid (at the time) for a painting by a living artist.
1960 – President Dwight Eisenhower signed the Civil Rights Act of 1960.
1962 – The first nuclear warhead was fired from the Polaris submarine.
1982 – Diana Ross received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The Supremes were not honored until 1994.
1965 – Keith Richards fell asleep while improvising with a new guitar. The next morning he couldn’t remember the riffs, but “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” had been preserved on a tape recorder.
1989 – Cedar Point, in Sandusky, OH, opened Magnum XL-200. It was the first roller coaster to break the 200 feet height barrier.
1990 – Dominic Cuzzacrea ran the 26.2-mile Buffalo, New York, marathon in 3 hours and 6 minutes, all while flipping a pancake.
1994 – The Pearl Jam vs. Ticketmaster fight began when the band canceled their summer tour and filed a complaint with the Justice Department, charging that the company had a monopoly on the concert ticket business.
1994 – The Channel Tunnel officially opened. The tunnel under the English Channel links England and France.
1994 – Former Arkansas state worker Paula Jones filed suit against President Bill Clinton. The case alleged that he had sexually harassed her in 1991.
1997 – Army Staff Sgt. Delmar G. Simpson was sentenced to 25 years in prison for raping six trainees at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland.
1997 – Four health-care companies agreed to a settlement of $600 million to hemophiliacs who had contracted AIDS from tainted blood between 1978-1985.
1999 – A parole board in New York voted to release Amy Fisher. She had been in jail for 7 years for shooting (but not killing) her lover’s wife, Mary Jo Buttafuoco, in the face.
2001 – Chandra Levy’s parents reported her missing to police in Washington, DC. Levy’s body was found on May 22, 2002 in Rock Creek Park.
2002 – “Spider-Man” became the first movie to make more than $100 million in its first weekend.
2002 – Elon Musk founded SpaceX with the goals of making space flight cheaper and colonizing Mars.
2004 – NBC aired the final episode of “Friends”. 52.46 million viewers turned in to make it the 4th most watched TV series finale in U.S. history.
2005 – In Augusta, GA, a statue of James Brown was unveiled. The bronze life size statue was to commemorate Brown’s musical accomplishments.
2013 – Three women missing for more than a decade were found alive in Cleveland, OH. Ariel Castro was taken into custody.
2023 – The coronation of Charles III and Camilla as King and Queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms was held in Westminster Abbey, London.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS ON MAY 6:
David Carpenter – 96 years old (1930) – Serial killer
Richard Shelby – 92 years old (1934) – Lawyer and politician
James Turrell – 83 years old (1943) – Sculptor and illustrator
Jimmie Dale Gilmore – 81 years old (1945) – Country singer-songwriter, guitarist, actor, and producer
Bob Seger – 81 years old (1945) – Singer-songwriter and guitarist
Martha Nussbaum – 79 years old (1947) – Philosopher and author
Jeffery Deaver – 76 years old (1950) – Journalist and author
Tom Bergeron – 71 years old (1955) – Television host
Roma Downey – 66 years old (1960) – Irish-American actress and producer
John Flansburgh – 66 years old (1960) – Singer-songwriter and guitarist
George Clooney – 65 years old (1961) – Actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
Chris Shiflett – 55 years old (1971) – Singer-songwriter and guitarist
Mark Eaton – 49 years old (1977) – Ice hockey player and coach
John Abraham – 48 years old (1978) – Football player
Brooke Bennett – 46 years old (1980) – Swimmer
Jason Witten – 44 years old (1982) – Football player
Gabourey Sidibe – 43 years old (1983) – Actress
Chris Paul – 41 years old (1985) – Basketball player
Meek Mill – 39 years old (1987) – Rapper
Adrienne Warren – 39 years old (1987) – Actress
Ryan Anderson – 38 years old (1988) – Basketball player
Cameron Heyward – 37 years old (1989) – Football player
Angel Reese – 24 years old (2002) – Basketball player
Sadie Sandler – 20 years old (2006) – Actress
DAYS OF THE YEAR FOR MAY 6:
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For additional information check out websites like: www.on-this-day.com, www.born-today.com, www.famousbirthdays.com, www.daysoftheyear.com, and www.nationaldaycalendar.com.
