May 7 Birthday
On May 7, 1915, the RMS Lusitania was torpedoed by U-20 off the coast of Ireland. The ship sank in eighteen minutes. 1,198 people died, including 128 Americans. The Lusitania was a passenger liner, but it was also carrying munitions — 4 million rounds of rifle ammunition — which the Germans cited as justification. The sinking did not bring the United States into the war — that would not happen for two more years — but it shifted American opinion decisively. The German embassy had placed advertisements in New York newspapers warning passengers not to sail on British ships. Most passengers did not see the ads. The wreck lies in 300 feet of water off the Old Head of Kinsale. Germany signed an unconditional surrender at Allied headquarters in Reims, France, on May 7, 1945. The signing took place at 2:41 AM in a schoolroom that served as General Eisenhower's war room. General Alfred Jodl signed for Germany. The surrender was to take effect at 11:01 PM on May 8. Stalin demanded a second signing in Berlin, which took place on May 8. The war in Europe was over. The war against Japan continued for three more months. The cost of the European war: 40 million dead, 25 million in the Soviet Union alone. Most of the dead were civilians. Space Shuttle Endeavour made its maiden flight on May 7, 1992. It was built to replace Challenger, destroyed in 1986. Endeavour was assembled from structural spares left over from the construction of Discovery and Atlantis. It was named after Captain Cook's ship through a national student competition — it is the only orbiter named by children. Endeavour flew twenty-five missions, including the first mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope. It is now on display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles, where it was transported through the city's streets in 2012, a process that took two days and required the removal of 400 trees. Tchaikovsky, born this day in 1840, wrote the 1812 Overture — complete with cannon fire and church bells — to commemorate Russia's victory over Napoleon. He hated it. "It is very loud and noisy," he wrote, "and was written without warmth or love." It is his most popular work. Eva Perón, born this day in 1919, was Argentina's First Lady from 1946 until her death from cancer at thirty-three in 1952. "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" was written about her. People born on May 7 fall under the zodiac sign of Taurus. The birthstone is Emerald and the birth flower is Lily of the Valley. Historical events on May 7 include 1915: RMS Lusitania torpedoed by German U-boat off Ireland (1,198 dead), 1945: Germany signs unconditional surrender at Reims (effective May 8), 1992: Space Shuttle Endeavour makes maiden flight (built to replace Challenger). Famous people born on May 7 include Pyotr Tchaikovsky (1840), Gary Cooper (1901), Eva Perón (1919).