A closer look at key historic events that took place on May 5:
In 1949, The Council of Europe is founded
The organization was the first to work for European integration. It was established by the Treaty of London and signed by ten countries, with the aim of promoting democracy, human rights, and the rule of law in Europe. It has 47 member countries and is a completely separate entity from the European Union.
Robert Schuman Ministre des Affaires etrangeres de la France signe les Statuts de la Creation du Conseil de l’Europe – traite de Londres
In 1945, a Japanese balloon bomb kills six in the US
In what were the only deaths by enemy action on US soil during WWII, six people were killed by a Japanese balloon bomb during a picnic at Gearhart Mountain, Oregon.
Mitchell Recreation Area is a small picnic area near Bly, Oregon, United States. It is also known as Mitchell Monument. It is the only location in the continental U.S. where Americans were killed during World War II as a direct result of enemy action. The site is maintained by the United States Forest Service and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Michael McCullough Wikimedia Commons
Contemporary painting of the Battle of Puebla, fought in Mexico on 5 May 1862. A text in the bottom-left corner of the painting reads “A derecha la batalla ga[na]da a los france[se]s el 5 de mayo de [18]62. Garta de Am..” (To the right, the battle which was won against the French on 5 May 1862. Garta de Am…). 1870. Wikimedia Commons
In 1809, Mary Kies receives a US patent
She became the first woman to receive a US patent for her technique of weaving straw with silk, a process was largely used in the creation of hats and other headware.
Mary Kies’ patented technique wove silk and straw together to make fetching bonnets like this 1815 specimen. MFA Boston
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