By: HISTORY.com Editors

1945

As the Nazi threat dies, the Red Army rises

Published: May 05, 2025Last Updated: July 17, 2025

On May 5, 1945, Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin forwards to President Harry S. Truman his response to British Prime Minister Winston Churchill over the latter's concern that the Red Army has arrested 16 Polish peace negotiators.

Churchill, fearing that Soviet forces were already beginning to exact retribution for losses suffered during the war (the Polish negotiators had been charged with “causing the death of 200 Red Army officers”), had written a telegram to President Harry S. Truman. In it, he expressed his concern that Soviet demands of reparations from Germany, and the possibility of ongoing Soviet occupation of Central and Eastern Europe, “constitutes an event in the history of Europe to which there has been no parallel.” Churchill clearly foresaw the “Iron Curtain” beginning to drop. Consequently, he sent a “holding force” to Denmark to cut off any farther westward advance by Soviet troops.

Timeline

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Discover more of the major events, famous births, notable deaths and everything else history-making that happened on May 5th

1816

The Examiner publishes John Keats’ first poem

The first published poem by 20-year-old John Keats appears in The Examiner on May 5, in 1816. Unlike many writers of his day, Keats came from a lower-middle-class background. His father worked at a stable in London and eventually married the owner’s daughter. John was the first of the couple’s five children. John was sent […]

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1821

Napoleon dies in exile

Napoleon Bonaparte, the former French ruler who once ruled an empire that stretched across Europe, dies as a British prisoner on the remote island of Saint Helena in the southern Atlantic Ocean. The Corsica-born Napoleon, one of the greatest military strategists in history, rapidly rose in the ranks of the French Revolutionary Army during the […]

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1862

Outnumbered Mexican army defeats French at Battle of Puebla

Cinco de Mayo is a Mexican holiday that marks Mexico’s victory over France on May 5, 1862. Learn the meaning, history and facts about the festivities.

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1868

Martha Jones becomes first Black woman to receive a U.S. patent

On May 5, 1868, Martha Jones of Amelia County, Virginia is believed to be the first Black woman to receive a U.S. patent for inventing a machine that husks and shells corn all in one procedure. The Patent No. 77,494 granted to Jones three years after the Civil War for her “Improvement to the Corn […]

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1904

Cy Young pitches first perfect game in MLB history

On May 5, 1904, 37-year-old Cy Young pitches the first perfect game in modern Major League Baseball history as the Boston Americans defeat the Philadelphia Athletics, 3-0. Young strikes out eight of the 27 batters he faces and benefits from excellent defense in a game that is completed in only 83 minutes. “Unparalleled feat,” a […]

1:46m read

1905

British murder trial begins, the first to be solved by fingerprint evidence

Trial starts in the murder case of Thomas and Ann Farrow, shopkeepers in South London. The case would be the first resolved on the basis of fingerprint evidence. The neighbors had found the Farrows in their home, badly bludgeoned, on March 27 of that year. Thomas was already dead, but Ann was still breathing. She […]

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1919

Italian delegates announce return to Paris peace conference

On May 5, 1919, the delegation from Italy—led by Prime Minister Vittorio Orlando and Foreign Minister Sidney Sonnino—announce that they will return to the Versailles Peace Conference in Paris, France, after leaving abruptly 11 days earlier during contentious negotiations over the territory Italy would receive after the First World War. Italy’s entrance into World War […]

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1921

Chanel No. 5 perfume launches

On May 5, 1921, a date of symbolic importance to its iconic creator, the perfume Chanel No. 5 officially debuts in Coco Chanel’s boutique on the Rue Cambon in Paris. The new fragrance immediately revolutionized the perfume industry and remained popular for a century. Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel was the daughter of a clothing peddler and […]

2:28m read

1945

Six killed in Oregon by Japanese bomb

In Gearhart Mountain, Oregon, Mrs. Elsie Mitchell and five neighborhood children are killed while attempting to drag a Japanese balloon out of the woods. Unbeknownst to Mitchell and the children, the balloon was armed, and it exploded soon after they began tampering with it. They were the first and only known American civilians to be […]

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1955

Allies end occupation of West Germany

The Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) becomes a sovereign state when the United States, France and Great Britain end their military occupation, which had begun in 1945. With this action, West Germany was given the right to rearm and become a full-fledged member of the western alliance against the Soviet Union. In 1945, the […]

1961

Alan Shepard becomes the first American in space

Navy Commander Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr. is launched into space aboard the Freedom 7 space capsule, becoming the first American astronaut to travel into space.

1:22m read

1978

Ben & Jerry’s opens its first ice cream shop

Opened by childhood friends Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield.

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1981

IRA militant Bobby Sands dies

On May 5, 1981, imprisoned Irish-Catholic militant Bobby Sands dies after refusing food for 66 days in protest of his treatment as a criminal rather than a political prisoner by British authorities. His death immediately touched off widespread rioting in Belfast, as young Irish-Catholic militants clashed with police and British Army patrols and started fires. […]

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2002

“Spider-Man” becomes first movie to top $100 million in opening weekend

Directed by Sam Raimi and starring Tobey Maguire in the title role, the eagerly awaited comic book adaptation Spider-Man is released on Friday, May 3, 2002, and quickly becomes the fastest movie ever to earn more than $100 million at the box office, raking in a staggering $114.8 million by Sunday, May 5. After a […]

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2004

Human remains found in suitcase near Virginia Beach

On May 5, 2004, a suitcase holding what is later identified as the partial remains of William McGuire, a 39-year-old Navy veteran and computer analyst is pulled from the water near Virginia Beach. A second suitcase of body parts was found nearby on May 11, and a third washed up near the Chesapeake Bay Bridge […]

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Citation Information

Article Title: As the Nazi threat dies, the Red Army rises
Author: HISTORY.com Editors
Website Name: History
URL: https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/may-5/as-the-nazi-threat-dies-the-red-army-rises

Date Accessed: October 29, 2026
Publisher: A&E Television Networks
Last Updated: July 17, 2025
Original Published Date: May 05, 2025

As the Nazi threat dies, the Red Army rises

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Citation Information