Top 5 Historical Events on May 5
As we journey through the month of May, let’s uncover the top 5 events that happened on May 5 throughout history. These remarkable moments have left a lasting impact on our world.
1. Cinco de Mayo (1862)
Cinco de Mayo is the celebration of the Mexican army’s unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. The Mexican force of 2,000 men was badly outnumbered by the well-equipped French, who had 6,000 soldiers. Under the command of General Ignacio Zaragoza, the Mexicans fortified the town of Puebla and fought off the French assault. What is even more amazing is that the Mexican force lost fewer than 100 men while the French lost 500. At the time, the French were considered the premier fighting force in the world, while the Mexicans were thought to be “a deluded and ill-equipped mob.” A year later, France returned in force and, with the help of Mexican political defectors, captured Mexico City. Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian of Austria became Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico. He would be tried and executed by the Mexicans in 1867. But on that one glorious day in 1862, the Mexicans stopped the French steamroller in its tracks. That was cause for celebration, and they have been celebrating ever since.
It should be noted that Cinco de Mayo is not Mexican Independence Day. That’s September 16th. Rather, Cinco de Mayo is observed primarily in the United States and other locations around the world as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride. In the U.S., the day is taken very seriously in certain communities and less seriously in most of the country. In Mexico, the day is observed only in the state of Puebla, although other parts of the country are becoming familiar with the holiday. It is a day to celebrate the culture, achievements and experiences of people with a Mexican background who live in the United States. The observation of May 5th in the United States began in California. The Mexicans living there had come to help build the railroads in the 1860’s after securing U.S. independence from Mexico. Mexico was in the process of modernizing itself, which included defeating a well-equipped and well-fed French army. They won that engagement, but lost the next three years to the French. It was still a bizarre and (other than as a coat hook) pointless adventure by the French Emperor Napoleon III, an adventure seemingly founded on nothing more than offense at being told the United States would not repay loans France had made to finance that country’s own Civil War. This is from the ruler of a country that had tried, in the 1830’s, to recreate an imperial French colonial system in North America, with the ruling natives being French and Catholic and dealing, if at all, with the plebeian English speakers only in the cruelest, most condescending and contemptuous way.
2. Alan Shepard’s Historic Space Flight (1961)
Alan Shepard, on May 5, 1961, flew a flight noted in the books as the initial American human to take a trip in space. Capable of sitting on top of a Freedom 7 spacecraft, the occasion took place in the midst of the space age, starting in 1957 with the Soviet Union’s Sputnik. Shepard flew Mercury-Redstone 3 to space, a 15-minute suborbital and somewhat less important mission, basically step one for the United States in the race to the moon.
For NASA, the mission was a major accomplishment, and for America, it was a turning point in demonstrating its ability to put human beings into space. Shepard’s ship got to an altitude of about 116 miles over the Earth and traveled 303 miles downrange from its launching pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. Shepard enjoyed about five minutes of weightlessness. For a few moments, he manually controlled Freedom 7’s attitude and its pitch, testing the systems and demonstrating the capability of humans to function in space.
Alan Shepard’s voyage paved the way for later American space ventures, including John Glenn’s orbital flight in 1962 and the Apollo moon landings later in that decade. Shepard, himself, would go on to command the Apollo 14 mission, becoming the fifth person to walk on the Moon. His first flight is still a milestone event in the history of space exploration, signifying the start of human spaceflight for the United States.
3. The Birth of Karl Marx (1818)
Karl Marx was a philosopher, economist, historian, and revolutionary socialist who was born on May 5, 1818, in Trier, Prussia (now in Germany). His writings and ideas—most famously in The Communist Manifesto and Das Kapital—have influenced world politics and intellectual thought to an extraordinary extent. Marx’s theory of historical materialism, the idea that history is the result of material conditions rather than ideal ideas, has heavily influenced a range of thinkers and inspired many political movements worldwide.
The critique of capitalism by Marx formed the cornerstone from which modern socialism and communism were built. Being politically active for the entirety of his life, Marx was banished from multiple lands. His work is still applicable today when we discuss workers’ rights, examining capital and labor, and critiquing global capitalism Marx’s accomplishments demonstrate that. The ideas of a genius continue to move and inflame minds as long as there are societies before the 21st century.
4. Cy Young Pitches First Perfect Game in MLB (1904)
The first perfect game of the modern era in Major League Baseball was accomplished on May 5, 1904, by Cy Young, undoubtedly one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history. Young’s perfect game occurred while he was playing for the Boston Americans in a contest against the Philadelphia Athletics. A perfect game is defined as a game in which opposing players are unable to reach base safely. It is one of the rarest of all baseball feats.
Young threw a perfect game in that historic game to beat his team 3-0. He did not allow any baserunners or walks, and he struck out eight batters in addition to this. This started a stretch of Cy Young pitching 24 consecutive hitless innings and 45 straight scoreless innings, another (of his) record(s), which prove he might of been the best inning eater of any pitcher to ever play the game.
The perfect game pitched by Cy Young served as a benchmark for pitching greatness in baseball; his 22-year major league career is highlighted by his 511-win record, the most in baseball history and one that will certainly stand the test of time. Furthermore, his greatness as a pitcher is remembered each year when Major League Baseball presents the Cy Young Award to the best pitcher in both the American and National Leagues, ensuring that Young’s name will be forever linked to pitching greatness.
5. Napoleon’s Die (1821)
One of history’s most illustrious military commanders, Napoleon Bonaparte, the ex-emperor of France, breathed his last on May 5, 1821, on the isolated Saint Helena island, in the heart of the Atlantic Ocean. His death served as the end of a stunning epoch in European history, shaped by his lustful quests for potentiality and rush to grow—the Napoleonic Wars.
For years, Napoleon’s health had been failing, and he had a variety of illnesses, which many historians say included a stomach tumor, the official cause of death given by his British jailers. In his last days, he was surrounded by a small group of his followers and his doctor, who recorded his slide toward death and his thoughts about his life and the end of his glory.
Even after he died, Napoleon’s army was still a force to be reckoned with. His military theories and political ideals continued to affect Europe and the world for years. Finally, in 1840, his body was brought back to France in an act of national healing and put to rest at Les Invalides, in Paris. His grave there is still one of the most-visited sites of pilgrimage for people who love, or love to argue about, French history. People are still studying and discussing Napoleon today, looking at his equally powerful roles as a liberal reformer and a militaristic predator.
