What Happened on May 9?

May 9 is Europe Day — honoring the 1950 Schuman Declaration that helped build the European Union — and Victory Day across much of the former Soviet world. The same date saw America's first public television broadcast in 1927 and bold attempts to rewrite history in London's Tower of London.

• 1671 — Colonel Thomas Blood attempts to steal the Crown Jewels

  Irish adventurer Thomas Blood disguised himself and tried to snatch the Crown Jewels from the Tower of London on May 9, 1671 — and was caught red-handed. Read the full story →

• 1865 — President Johnson declares armed resistance in the South 'virtually at an end'

  On May 9, 1865, President Andrew Johnson proclaimed that major Confederate resistance had ended — a milestone toward reuniting the nation after the Civil War. Read the full story →

• 1927 — First regularly scheduled public television broadcast in the United States

  Station WGY in Schenectady, New York, aired a public TV program on May 9, 1927 — an early milestone toward the television age. Read the full story →

• 1945 — Victory Day marks Nazi Germany's surrender in Eastern Europe

  Russia and many former Soviet republics observe May 9 as Victory Day — when World War II fighting against Nazi Germany ended in Europe in 1945. Read the full story →

• 1950 — Robert Schuman proposes a united Europe, launching Europe Day

  French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman announced a plan on May 9, 1950, to pool French and German coal and steel production — the first step toward today's European Union. Read the full story →

Famous birthdays

Billy Joel (1949) · John Brown (1800–1859) · Glenda Jackson (1936–2023) · Rosario Dawson (1979)

Days & observances

Europe Day · Victory Day · National Moscato Day · National Butterscotch Brownie Day