07/05/2026
ON THIS DAY
7 May 1765.
HMS Victory, flagship of the British naval hero Admiral Horatio Nelson, was launched at Chatham in Kent. It’s best known for its role during the British victory at the Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October 1805.
7 May 1663.
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London, was opened. In 1672 it caught fire and a larger one was built on the same site. It was subsequently rebuilt twice more. The 3rd building was also destroyed in a fire in 1809. The building that stands today opened in 1812.
7 May 1812.
Robert Browning, one of the leading Victorian poets, was born in London. His poems have been praised for their irony and dark humour and criticised for their length and their often very difficult syntax and vocabulary.
7 May 1824.
Premiere of Ludwig van Beethoven’s brilliant 9th Symphony (“Ode to Joy”) took place in Vienna, Austria. The performance was conducted by Michael Umlauf under Beethoven’s supervision.
7 May 1833.
Johannes Brahms was born in Hamburg. He lived most of his life in Vienna and composed many major classical works for orchestra, including 4 symphonies, 2 piano concertos, a Violin Concerto and a Double Concerto for Violin and Cello.
7 May 1840.
Classical composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was born in Votkinsk, Russia. His best known musical works were the 1812 Overture and his ballets Swan Lake, The Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty.
7 May 1901.
Gary Cooper (Frank James Cooper) was born in Helena, Montana, USA. He won Best Actor Oscar twice, one for his performance in the western High Noon. The American Film Institute (AFI) ranked him at No 11 in its list of the 25 Greatest Male Stars of Hollywood Cinema.
7 May 1915.
German U-20 submarine torpedoed and sank the Cunard liner RMS Lusitania, killing 1,198 people. As 128 Americans were on board, citizens of a neutral power, the sinking aroused indignation in the USA and contributed to the later American entry into the war.
7 May 1919.
Eva (“Evita”) Peron (María Eva Duarte) was born in Los Toldos, Argentina. She was wife of Argentine President Juan Peron, leader of Labour Party (1945–1947) and Justicialist Party (1947–1974). Eva was subject of the Andrew Lloyd-Webber-Tim Rice musical and film Evita.
7 May 1921.
Acclaimed historian Asa Briggs was born in Keighley. He was a leading specialist on the Victorian era writing several seminal books on the subject. He also wrote a definitive 5-volume history of British broadcasting.
7 May 1940.
Angela Carter (Angela Olive Stalker) was born in Eastbourne. She’s best known for her acclaimed novel The Bloody Chamber. The Times ranked Carter in 10th place in its list of the 50 Greatest British Writers since 1945.
7 May 1940.
George Lansbury died (aged 81). He led the Labour Party from 1932 to 1935. He spent his political life campaigning for social justice, women’s rights and disarmament. His granddaughter Angela became a successful actress in the theatre, films and on TV.
7 May 1944.
Comedy actor Richard O'Sullivan was born in London. He’s best known as Robin Tripp in the 1970s ITV comedy sitcoms Man About the House and Robin's Nest. He also starred as Dick Turpin in the ITV drama series and in comedy sitcoms Doctor at Large and Doctor in Charge.
7 May 1945.
German armed forces signed the “First Instrument” of “Unconditional Surrender” in Reims, France. It was not fully ratified until 9 May at a separate ceremony in Berlin involving the USSR when the “Final Instrument” of German “Unconditional Surrender” was signed.
7 May 1945.
German armed forces signed the “First Instrument” of unconditional surrender in Reims France. It was not fully ratified until 9 May at a separate ceremony in Berlin involving the USSR when the “Final Instrument” of German unconditional surrender was signed.
7 May 1968.
Singer-songwriter Reginald Kenneth Dwight decided to change his name to Elton John. He took his name from 2 members of the band Bluesology: saxophone player Elton Dean and lead singer John Baldry. On 7 January 1972 Dwight changed to his new name by deed poll.
7 May 1994.
Classic Edvard Munch painting The Scream, completed in 1893, was recovered after being stolen from an Oslo Museum 3 months earlier. The fragile painting was found by police undamaged at a hotel in Asgardstrand, about 40 miles south of Oslo, Norway.
7 May 2011.
Spanish golfer Seve Ballesteros died (aged 54). He won 90 international golf tournaments including 5 of the golf major championships between 1979 and 1988: the Open Championship 3 times and the US Masters twice.
7 May 2016.
Leicester City were presented with the Premier League trophy after winning the title. It was one of the greatest sporting upsets of all time. Leicester started the 2015-2016 season as 5,000-1 underdogs after nearly being relegated the previous season. Now in League 1.
PHOTO OF THE DAY:
This factory worker in California soon changed her name to Marilyn Monroe (1944).📷 David Conover
— Prof Frank McDonough
