May 9
May 9 is the 129th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (130th in leap years). There are 236 days remaining.
Events:
- 1945 - In the Soviet Union, May 9th commemorated the signing in 1945 of the capitulation of Germany, the most important Axis force in the World War II, to the Allied forces. In Soviet Russia, as before in the Soviet Union, the 9th of May is celebrated as the end of the Great Patriotic War, the preferred term for the 4-year long German-Russian war. (According to the Societ Russian public knowledge, other military conflicts of the World War II had negligible importance.) A certain controversy surrounds this holiday: in some other countries (for instance, France and Germany) the 8th of May is considered to be the day of capitulation. This is documented by historic radio announcements of Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin: both said that the capitulation was declared on May 7th and signed on May 8th, in the presence of the highest military officials of the Allied forces, including the Soviet Union. Later, the Soviet Union has changed the date to May 9th for somewhat obscure political reasons.
- 1946 - King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy abdicated and was succeeded by Humbert II.
- 1950 - Robert Schuman presented his proposal on the creation of an organised Europe, indispensable to the maintenance of peaceful relations. This proposal, known as the "Schuman declaration", is considered to be the beginning of the creation of what is now the European Union. Now, May 9th is recognised across Europe as Europe Day.
Births:
- 1439 - Pope Pius III (Francesco Todeschini)
- 1800 - John Brown, American abolitionist
- 1837 - Adam Opel, German engineer and industrialist
- 1873 - Anton Cermak, mayor of Chicago
- 1873 - Howard Carter, British archaeologist
- 1892 - Zita of Bourbon-Parma, empress of Austria-Hungary
- 1921 - Sophie Scholl, resistance fighter with White Rose in Nazi Germany
- 1927 - Wim Thoelke, show master
- 1936 - Glenda Jackson, actress and politician
- 1942 - John Ashcroft, Attorney General of the United States
- 1949 - Billy Joel, American musician
- 1968 - Marie-José Perec, French athlete
Deaths:
- 1791 - Francis Hopkinson, American author and signer of the Declaration of Independence
- 1805 - Friedrich Schiller, German poet and historian
- 1905 - Mrs. Jarvis - the model for Mother's Day
- 1949 - Louis II of Monaco
Holidays and Observances:
- 2002 - Feast of the Ascension (Western Christianity)
- Roman Empire - Feast of the Lemures (See Larvae)
See Also:
May 8 - May 10 - April 9 - June 9 -- listing of all days
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December