On the fifth of May, we celebrate Cinco de Mayo, the commemoration of Mexico’s victory over the French at the Battle of the Puebla in 1862. France’s Napoleon III wanted to establish a French empire in Mexico. On May 5, 1862, his well-trained army was defeated at the Battle of Puebla by a far smaller force of Mexican militia. The events of May 5 unified the Mexican people during a long struggle to maintain their own independence. Many Americans, especially those with Mexican heritage, celebrate the outcome of the battle with festivals, food, and music.
Daily Calendar for Monday, May 5, 2025
Born
- Søren Kierkegaard (philosopher) –
- Karl Marx (philosopher) –
- Nellie Bly (journalist) –
- James Beard (chef & food writer) –
- Alice Faye (actress) –
- Ann B. Davis (actress) –
- Tammy Wynette (American country music singer ) –
- Michael Palin (actor) –
- Will Arnett (actor) –
- Adele (singer) –
Died
- Napoleon I of France –
- Bobby Sands (IRA activist) –
- Hugo Banzer (former president of Bolivia) –
- Irvine Robbins (co-founder of Baskin-Robbins) –
- Claude Stanley Choules (the last known combat veteran of World War I died at the age of 110) –
Events
- The Billboard (later known as just Billboard) magazine began weekly publication–
- Cy Young became the fist major league pitcher in baseball’s modern era to throw a perfect” game”–
- Chanel No. 5 introduced–
- Kilauea erupted–
- Picasso’s Boy With a Pipe set a new world record for the most expensive painting ever sold at auction when it soared to $104,168,000 at Sotheby’s. The price, which included the auction house’s commission, easily eclipsed the old mark of $82.5 million set by van Gogh’s Portrait of Dr. Gachet, which had stood since 1990–
Weather
- In downtown Sacramento, California, the temperature soared to 100 degrees F–
- Stormy seas capsized 3 recreational fishing boats off Port Angeles in Washington–
- A supercell thunderstorm blasted Tarrant County, Texas, with hail, 80 mph winds, and torrential rains, which caused flash flooding in Fort Worth–
