May 5 Birthday
May 5 is Cinco de Mayo, which commemorates the Battle of Puebla, where 4,000 Mexican troops defeated 6,000 French soldiers. It is not Mexican Independence Day (that is September 16) and is barely celebrated in most of Mexico. The celebration is primarily a Mexican-American phenomenon, particularly strong in California. Also born this day: Karl Marx, whose 1848 Communist Manifesto would shape the political trajectory of the 20th century more than any other single text. And Adele, whose album 21 spent 24 weeks at number one. People born on May 5 fall under the zodiac sign of Taurus. The birthstone is Emerald and the birth flower is Lily of the Valley. Historical events on May 5 include 1862: Mexican army defeats French at Battle of Puebla (Cinco de Mayo), 1961: Alan Shepard becomes first American in space, 1981: Bobby Sands dies on hunger strike. Famous people born on May 5 include Karl Marx (1818), Werner Heisenberg (1901), Adele (1988).