On This Day in History: May 7

Holy Roman Emperor, Otto I, also known as Otto the Great dies on May 7, 973 and is succeeded by his son Otto II, The transition was peaceful, as Otto I had arranged for his son to rule alongside him as co-Emperor and be recognized as the heir. Expand +

Sixteen year-old Holy Roman Emperor Otto III travels to Rome at the request of Pope John XV for support against the Roman noble Crescentius II, who controlled much of Rome and had previously deposed Pope John XIV; but arrives in Rome around May 7 996, after John XV had died. Expand +

William of Rubruck, a Flemish Franciscan friar, departs from Constantinople on May 7, 1253, on a diplomatic and missionary mission to the Mongol Empire on behalf of King Louis IX of France. He reached the court of Möngke Khan at Karakorum in January 1254. Expand +

The Second Council of Lyon convened by Pope Gregory X, on March 31, 1272 opens on May 7, 1274; focusing on reunification of the Eastern and Western Churches and crusade plans for the Holy Land.

American merchant sea captain Robert Gray, enters Grays Harbor (WA State) on, May 7, 1792, during his second exploration trip of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Gray is credited to be the first non-Native American to enter the Columbia River and Grays Harbor, both of which he named.

Japanese Emperor Kōkaku abdicates on May 7, 1817, in favor of his son, Emperor Ninkō. This event marked a significant moment in Japanese history, as Kōkaku was the first emperor to remain on the throne past the age of 40 in two centuries.  Expand +

The first performance of Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, takes place on May 7, 1824 at the Imperial and Royal Court Theater in Vienna, Austria. Despite Beethoven's advanced deafness, he was on stage alongside conductor Michael Umlauf, The premiere was met with an enthusiastic response from the audience.

Nakahama Manjirō, a 14-year old fisherman arrives to the United States on May 7, 1843 by way of a whaling ship. He is considered the "U.S, first Japanese immigrant. Manjirō, went on to become influential in ending Japan’s centuries of isolation and was called by some, the "U.S.'s first ambassador to Japan" More

The passenger liner RMS Lusitania was sunk on, May 7, 1915, by a German submarine during World War I, killing 1,198 people. More

A German delegation, including General Alfred Jodl, Chief of Staff of the German Army, signed the unconditional surrender document on May 7, 1945, at General Dwight D. Eisenhower's headquarters in Reims, France. This act marked the end of the European phase of World War II. Expand +

The French forces are defeated at Dien Bien Phu on May 7, 1954, after a 56-day siege by Viet Minh forces led by General Vo Nguyen Giap; bringing an end to French colonial efforts in Indochina. Vietnam was partitioned by the Geneva Accords of 1954 into Communist North Vietnam and non-Communist South Vietnam. Expand +

Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev becomes Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet (head of state), on May 7, 1960, an important step in his rise to power, eventually taking control of the Soviet Union in 1964 when he became General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, a position he held until his death in 1982. More