In History, Today on May 5

Kublai Khan becomes ruler of the Mongol Empire.

Christopher Columbus lands on the island of Jamaica and claims it for Spain.

The Swiss canton of Aargau denies citizenship to Jews.

Napoleon Bonaparte dies in exile on the island of Saint Helena.

The Battle of Puebla takes place during the French intervention in Mexico, leading to a Mexican victory over French forces.

Carnegie Hall officially opens in New York City with a concert conducted by Tchaikovsky.

John T. Scopes is arrested for teaching evolution in violation of Tennessee's Butler Act, leading to the famous Scopes Trial.

The Mauthausen concentration camp is liberated by American forces during World War II.

Alan Shepard becomes the first American in space aboard the Freedom 7 spacecraft.

Operation Nimrod, the SAS storm the Iranian Embassy in London ending a six-day siege.

Bobby Sands, a member of the Provisional Irish Republican Army, dies on hunger strike in HM Prison Maze.

The Channel Tunnel, linking England and France, officially opens.

French President Jacques Chirac was re-elected for a second term, defeating far-right candidate Jean-Marie Le Pen in the presidential runoff election.

Protests erupted in Greece against austerity measures imposed by the government as part of a bailout agreement with the European Union and the International Monetary Fund.

The World Health Organization declared the spread of polio an international public health emergency due to outbreaks in several countries.

A wildfire in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada, forced the evacuation of over 80,000 residents and became one of the costliest disasters in Canadian history.

The United States recorded its highest single-day death toll from COVID-19, with over 2,700 deaths reported.