What Happened on May 7?

May 7 is National Tourism Day — celebrating travel and discovery — on the same date the Lusitania sank in 1915, Germany surrendered in 1945, French forces fell at Dien Bien Phu in 1954, and Sony was founded in 1946.

• 1824 — Beethoven's Ninth Symphony premieres in Vienna

  On May 7, 1824, Ludwig van Beethoven conducted the first performance of his Ninth Symphony in Vienna — including the 'Ode to Joy' that later became the European Union anthem. Read the full story →

• 1915 — A German U-boat sinks the passenger liner Lusitania

  On May 7, 1915, a German submarine torpedoed the British liner Lusitania off Ireland — killing 1,198 people, including 128 Americans, and pushing the U.S. toward World War I. Read the full story →

• 1945 — Germany signs unconditional surrender at Reims, France

  On May 7, 1945, German commanders signed total surrender at Allied headquarters in Reims — ending World War II in Europe, with VE Day celebrated May 8. Read the full story →

• 1946 — Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo — later Sony — is founded in Japan

  On May 7, 1946, engineers Masaru Ibuka and Akio Morita founded Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo in war-ravaged Tokyo — the company that became Sony and revolutionized electronics. Read the full story →

• 1954 — French forces surrender at Dien Bien Phu, ending the Indochina War

  On May 7, 1954, besieged French troops surrendered at Dien Bien Phu in Vietnam — a defeat that ended French colonial rule in Indochina. Read the full story →

Famous birthdays

Eva Perón (1919–1952) · Johannes Brahms (1833–1897) · Rabindranath Tagore (1861–1941) · Alexander Van der Bellen (1944)

Days & observances

National Tourism Day · National Barrier Awareness Day · National Roast Leg of Lamb Day · National Packaging Design Day