On This Day for May 5 - Mexican victory in the Battle of Puebla, Karl Marx is featured, and more

This message contains graphics. If you do not see the graphics, click here to view. May 05 FEATURED BIOGRAPHY Karl Marx READ MORE   FEATURED EVENT 1862 Mexican victory in the Battle of Puebla READ MORE   Advertisement Advertisement   MORE EVENTS ON THIS DAY 2001: American publisher Clifton Keith Hillegass, the creator of the popular series of literary study guides known as Cliff Notes, died in Nebraska. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about literary classics.] 1988: English pop singer and songwriter Adele—whose soulful emotive voice and traditionally crafted songs made her one of the most broadly popular performers of her generation—was born. [Test your knowledge of pop music.] 1981: Bobby Sands, an officer of the Irish Republican Army (IRA), died during a hunger strike while in prison. 1973: American racehorse Secretariat (1970–89) won the Kentucky Derby en route to capturing the U.S. Triple Crown, which also includes the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes. [Can you identify these well-known horses?] 1961: Alan Shepard, Jr., made a 15-minute suborbital flight in the Freedom 7 spacecraft, becoming the first U.S. astronaut to travel in space. [ Take our famous astronauts and cosmonauts quiz.] 1960: Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev told the Supreme Soviet of the U.S.S.R. that a U.S. spy plane piloted by Francis Gary Powers had been shot down on May 1 over the Soviet Union; Khrushchev referred to the flight as an "aggressive act" by the United States. [Read about 10 famous players in the espionage game.] SEE ALL EVENTS ON THIS DAY ALSO BORN ON THIS DAY 1988 Adele British singer-songwriter 1989 Chris Brown American singer 1818 Karl Marx German philosopher 1813 Søren Kierkegaard Danish philosopher 1914 Tyrone Power American actor 1942 Tammy Wynette American singer SEE ALL BIOS ON THIS DAY   Advertisement   FOLLOW: To unsubscribe from Britannica e-mails, click here. Encyclopædia Britannica 325 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 200 Chicago, Illinois 60654 United States © 2021 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. Privacy Policy • Help