This Day In History, May 7th.
Five Historical Events That Happened on May 7th.
The Hagia Sophia's dome fell following an earthquake in Constantinople (now Istanbul) in the year 558 CE.
The French army, led by Joan of Arc, beat the English in the Battle of Orléans in 1429, during the Hundred Years' War.
1,198 persons lost their lives when a German submarine sank the British ocean liner RMS Lusitania in 1915 off the coast of Ireland.
In Reims, France, in 1945, Germany formally ended World War II in Europe by signing a declaration of unconditional surrender.
The first mission to fix the Hubble Space Telescope was launched in 1992 by three astronauts on board the Space Shuttle Endeavour.
May 7th, 558 CE, the dome of the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople (now Istanbul) collapsed during an earthquake.
The Hagia Sophia was established in the sixth century as a Christian church during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I. The old structure's dome fell owing to an earthquake in 558 CE, and the cathedral was rebuilt on a bigger scale. The Hagia Sophia has operated as a church, a mosque, and now a museum over the ages, and it is regarded as one of the finest architectural achievements of its period.
In 1429, during the Hundred Years' War, the French army under the leadership of Joan of Arc defeated the English at the Battle of Orléans.
The Hundred Years' War was a series of hostilities waged between England and France over many centuries, with the Battle of Orléans serving as a watershed point. Joan of Arc, an adolescent peasant girl who claimed to have received heavenly instruction, was instrumental in France's victory. She galvanized French forces and led them to numerous significant triumphs, notably the relief of the siege of Orléans. Joan of Arc was later kidnapped by the English, convicted for heresy, and burnt at the stake in 1431, yet she became a national hero and a symbol of French resistance.
In 1915, the British ocean liner RMS Lusitania was torpedoed by a German submarine off the coast of Ireland, resulting in the deaths of 1,198 people.
During World War I, the sinking of the RMS Lusitaniawas an important event. The Lusitania was a British passenger liner going from New York to Liverpool when it was sunk off the coast of Ireland by a German U-boat on May 7, 1915. The attack claimed the lives of 1,198 people, including 128 Americans, and sparked international anger. The sinking of the Lusitania influenced the United States' decision to join the Allies in World War I. The incident is frequently mentioned as an example of unrestricted submarine warfare, a method utilized by Germany throughout the war and criticized for its impact on civilian populations.
In 1945, Germany signed an unconditional surrender in Reims, France, effectively ending World War II in Europe.
Germany signed an unconditional surrender to the Allies in Reims, France, on May 7, 1945, officially ending World War II in Europe. After months of intensive combat, including the Battle of Berlin, which had taken a high toll on both German and Allied soldiers, the capitulation came. General Alfred Jodl, the chief of staff of the German Armed Forces, signed the surrender on behalf of German President Karl Dönitz, who had taken control after Adolf Hitler's death. The signing of the surrender marked the end of one of history's bloodiest and most devastating battles.
In 1992, three astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour launched the first mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope.
The Hubble Space Telescope circles the Earth and has offered scientists with unparalleled vistas of the universe. However, it was revealed shortly after its release in 1990 that a fault in its mirror was hurting its ability to focus. In December 1993, a crew of astronauts on the Space Shuttle Endeavour was dispatched on a mission to repair the telescope. Prior to that, on May 7, 1992, three astronauts onboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour launched the first mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope. During the trip, they fitted a new camera, rebuilt the telescope's solar panels, and performed other repairs and improvements to allow the telescope to work properly. The repair mission was an incredible feat in space exploration, allowing astronomers to make ground-breaking discoveries about the universe.