Discover what happened on May 6 with HISTORY's summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.

May 6

Discover what happened on May 6 with HISTORY&#8217;s summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.

What Happened on May 6 | HISTORY

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Channel Tunnel

2013

Around the world, 1937 brought conflict, disaster and innovation. Wars in Spain and Asia highlighted growing tensions ahead of WWII. Stalin’s Great Purge killed and imprisoned millions. A killer typhoon, dirigible disaster and mysterious aviator disappearance grabbed global headlines. The majestic Golden Gate Bridge debuted, while engineers built the first jet engine. As Depression endured, Americans paid $26 to rent an average house and 10 cents for a gallon of gas. Top diversions included swing music, Tolkien’s hobbit and Disney’s dwarves.

1937

In 1954, a year of breakthroughs, the first successful polio vaccine rolled out and the U.S. Supreme Court ruled school segregation unconstitutional. In England, Roger Bannister became the first man to run a mile in under four minutes. Two pop-culture titans, movie star Marilyn Monroe and baseball slugger Joe DiMaggio, tied the knot. And Bill Haley and His Comets released “Rock Around the Clock,” one of the earliest and most successful rock ‘n’ roll records.

1954

1935

1940

2004

1876

As the Cold War heated up in 1955, the U.S.S.R. and seven of its European satellite countries formed the Warsaw Pact defense alliance to counter NATO. In the U.S., the first McDonald’s restaurant opened in Des Plaines, Illinois, while Disneyland debuted in Anaheim, California and the Mickey Mouse Club premiered on TV. Rosa Parks refused to go to the back of the bus in Alabama, and the racially inspired murder of 14-year-old Emmett Till sparked national outrage.

1955

After a devastating Windsor Castle fire and assorted family crises, Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II called 1992 her “annus horribilis,” or horrible year. The police beating of Rodney King in Los Angeles sparked one of the worst riots in U.S. history, while exploding sewers in Mexico killed hundreds. On the brighter side, South Africa ended apartheid, the U.S. and Russia declared the Cold War over, Mae Jemison became the first Black woman in space and a big purple dinosaur named Barney hit TV, singing about love, kindness and cleaning up.

1992

In 1991, the Soviet Union dissolved into 15 separate states, the Persian Gulf war both began and ended and a coup in Haiti overthrew that country’s first democratically elected president. In the U.S., Los Angeles police beat motorist Rodney King on videotape, and Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls won their first NBA championship. Nirvana released its landmark single “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” helping bring indie music mainstream, while movies like “Slacker” and “My Own Private Idaho” heralded the ascendance of independent film.

1991

In 1942, the U.S. Navy defeated the Japanese Navy in the Battle of Midway, a turning point of the war in the Pacific, while in Germany, Nazi officials met to plan the “Final Solution” and Anne Frank’s family went into hiding. As FDR ordered Japanese Americans into wartime incarceration camps, false reports of a Japanese attack set California skies ablaze with anti-aircraft fire in the “Battle of Los Angeles.” Americans supported the war effort with scrap drives and victory gardens.

1942

America’s Founding Fathers decided that one elected civilian—the U.S. president—would lead the executive branch of the federal government, a governmental structure that has remained in place for more than 200 years.

U.S. Presidents

Crime has been a dark and powerful undercurrent in human society throughout history. Uncover the facts behind some of the most daring robberies, brazen scams and brutal murders ever committed.

Crime

Sports and recreation are an integral part of human history, from the ancient Olympics to the Kentucky Derby, Jackie Robinson, Negro League Baseball, the Super Bowl and more.

Sports

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History.com Editors

Art history tells the complex story of human civilization through art, literature and design. It ranges from prehistoric art of the Neolithic period through Renaissance masterpieces, Impressionism, Modernism, the Bauhaus and contemporary art.

Art, Literature and Film History

World War II was the biggest and deadliest war in history, involving more than 30 countries. Sparked by the 1939 Nazi invasion of Poland, the war dragged on for six bloody years until the Allies defeated the Axis powers of Nazi Germany, Japan and Italy in 1945. Explore the battles, leaders and atrocities from the war and its impact on geopolitics and humankind.

World War II

The Cold War rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union lasted for decades and resulted in anti-communist suspicions and international incidents that led two superpowers to the brink of nuclear disaster.

Cold War

Explore the wars, battles, leaders, civilizations, regimes, prominent figures and major events from the continent that encompasses 2 percent of the Earth’s surface. From Stonehenge to the Great Awakening to the French Revolution to the rise and fall of Communism in Russia, see how Europe’s often tumultuous history unfolded.

European History

Natural disasters and changes in the environment, such as global warming, the San Francisco Earthquake, Hurricane Katrina, the Galveston Hurricane, the Krakatoa eruption and others, have profoundly shaped human history. Explore both the sudden and long-term impacts of natural and human-made disasters.

This Day In History: May 6

English Channel tunnel opens

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The Hindenburg disaster

Roger Bannister runs first four‑minute mile

Paula Jones accuses Bill Clinton of sexual harassment

FDR creates the Works Progress Administration (WPA)

John Steinbeck wins a Pulitzer for “The Grapes of Wrath”

Final episode of “Friends” airs on NBC

“Duchess of Devonshire” painting stirs interest—and theft

West Germany joins NATO

Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev reviews Cold War in speech at Westminster College

Harry Gant is oldest NASCAR winner—again

All American forces in the Philippines surrender unconditionally

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