6th May is the 126th day of the year (127th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. 239 days remain until the end of the year. Today also marks International No Diet Day. Find out some of the important events that occurred on this day in history.

 

Historical events

1541 — King Henry VIII of England orders that a Bible in English be placed in every church in England.

1733 — The first international boxing match: Bob Whittaker beats Tito di Carni.

1753 — French King Louis XV observes the transit of Mercury at Mendon Castle.

1804 — Suriname sold to Great Britain (until Feb 1816).

1837 — Deere and Company founder John Deere creates the first steel plough.

1840 — World’s first adhesive postage stamp, the “Penny Black”, is first used in Great Britain.

1844 — Johan Thorbecke argues general right to vote.

1848 — Otto Tank ends slavery in Suriname colony.

1851 — Dr John Gorrie patents a “refrigeration machine”.

1851 — Linus Yale patents the Yale lock.

1889 — Exposition Universelle (World’s Fair) in Paris opens with the recently completed Eiffel Tower serving as the entrance arch.

 

6th May in the 20th Century

1902 — Start of Sherlock Holmes “Adventure of Shoscombe Old Place” (BG).

1902 — Zulu assault at Holkrantz, South Africa.

1906 — “Temporary” permit to erect overhead wires on Market Street, San Francisco allows United Railroads to run electric streetcars.

1910 — George V becomes the king of the United Kingdom upon the death of his father, Edward VII.

1935 — Pulitzer prize awarded to Audrey Wurdemann for “Bright Ambush”.

1938 — Dutch writer Maurits Dekker sentenced to 50 days for “offending a friendly head of state” (Adolf Hitler).

1948 — “Sally” opens at Martin Beck Theater NYC for 36 performances.

1953 — Tony Blair, British politician and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, is born.

1957 — Pulitzer prize awarded to 35th US President John F. Kennedy (Profiles in Courage).

1966 — Canadian Minister of Finance announces a $20 Centennial gold coin.

1966 — The Rolling Stones release “Paint it Black” in the US.

1974 — Stolen “Guitar Player” painting by Jan Vermeer found in London.

1978 — South Africa military goes into Angola.

1987 — American rapper Meek Mill is born.

1990 — Former president P. W. Botha quits South Africa’s ruling National Party.

1990 — Actor Tom Cruise gets ticketed for careless operation of a vehicle in South Carolina.

1994 — Anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela and the ANC finally confirmed winners in South Africa’s first post-apartheid election.

1997 — King of pop Michael Jackson and Bee Gees inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

1997 — The Bank of England gains independence from political control. This is the most significant change in the bank’s 300-year history.

 

6th May in the 21st Century

2001 — During a trip to Syria, 264th Pope John Paul II becomes the first pope to enter a mosque.

2002 — Entrepreneur Elon Musk founds SpaceX.

2002 — “The Good Stuff” single released by Kenny Chesney (Billboard Song of the Year 2002).

2004 — TV sitcom “Friends” airs season finale in 10th and final season in US (52.5 million viewers).

2007 — “Shrek the Third” directed by Chris Miller and Raman Hui with voices by Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz and Eddie Murphy premieres in Westwood Ca.

2012 — François Hollande elected 24th President of France.

2013 — Wal-Mart becomes the largest company by revenue on the Fortune 500 list.

2013 — The US Senate passes a bill enabling taxing of online sales.

2014 — Boko Haram’s leader, Abubakar Shekau, releases a 57-minute video boasting about abducting schoolgirls in Nigeria.

2017 — 84 abducted schoolgirls released in exchange for Boko Haram suspects in Nigeria.

2017 — France bans too thin fashion models and makes labelling of digitally enhanced photos mandatory.