Historical Events on May 7
- 1718: New Orleans in Louisiana is founded by the French Mississippi Company under the supervision of Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne on this day.
- 1763: Native Americans attempt to seize Fort Detroit from the British on this day – thereby starting Pontiac’s War (also known as Pontiac’s Rebellion).
- 1832: The Treaty of London recognizes the independence of Greece.
- 1840: Over 315 people are killed when a tornado touches down in Natchez, Mississippi. It’s considered to be the 2nd deadliest tornado in U.S history.
- 1864: Led by General Ulysses S. Grant, the Army of the Potomac branches off from the Battle of the Wilderness and heads south.
- 1915: Almost twelve hundred people – including almost one hundred and thirty Americans – are killed when the RMS Lusitania is attacked and sunk by German submarine U-20 during WWI.
- 1942: At the Battle of the Coral Sea during World War II, a U.S Navy Aircraft Carrier attacks and sinks a Japanese Navy Aircraft Carrier.
- 1945: German General Alfred Jodl signs the terms of his unconditional surrender at Reims in France.
- 1946: The Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering company, now known as Sony, is founded on this day.
- 1952: Geoffrey Dummer publishes the concept of the integrated circuit on this day.
- 2000: Vladimir Putin becomes Russia’s president.
- 2002: Over 110 people are killed when China Northern Airlines MD-82 crashes into the Yellow Sea.
- 2007: The tomb of Herod the Great is discovered by Israeli archaeologist just south of the city of Jerusalem.
Famous Birthdays on May 7
- English poet and playwright, Robert Browning is born in 1812.
- German composer and pianist, Johannes Brahms is born in 1833.
- Indian poet, author and Nobel Prize laureate, Rabindranath Tagore is born in 1861.
- Polish novelist and Nobel Prize laureate, Władysław Reymont is born in 1867.
- American actor Gary Cooper is born in 1901.
- American scientist, inventor and co-founder of Polaroid, Edwin H. Land is born in 1909.
- American TV journalist, Tim Russert is born in 1950.