May 8

President Harry Truman born (1884); Coca-Cola is sold for the first time at a pharmacy in Atlanta (1886); Mount Pelée in Martinique erupts, beginning the deadliest volcanic event of the 20th century (1902); Germany surrenders, ending World War II in Europe (1945); Smallpox is eradicated (1980).

May 7

Edwin H. Land, inventor of instant photography, born (1909); Ishirō Honda, Japanese film director and cowriter of 1954 film "Godzilla," born (1911); German submarine sinks RMS Lusitania, killing 1,198 (1915); Eva "Evita" Perón born (1919); Sony Corporation founded (1946).

May 6

Famed neurologist Sigmund Freud born (1856); Baseball great Willie Mays born (1931); Hindenburg disaster kills 36 (1937); Roger Bannister becomes first person to run a mile in under 4 minutes (1954); Actress and singer Marlene Dietrich dies (1992).

May 5

Napoleon Bonaparte dies while in exile (1821); Cinco de Mayo commemorates Mexican victory in the Battle of Puebla (1862); Alan Shepard becomes first American in outer space (1961); Singer-songwriter Adele born (1988); "Spider-Man" becomes the first movie to top $100M in its opening weekend (2002)

May 4

Abraham Lincoln buried in Springfield, Illinois (1865); US officially takes over Panama Canal construction (1904); Actress Audrey Hepburn born (1929) First Grammy Awards ceremony held (1959); Yugoslavian dictator Josip Tito dies (1980).

May 3

Philosopher Niccolò Machiavelli born (1469); Boxer Sugar Ray Robinson born (1921); Musician James Brown born (1933); Margaret Mitchell wins Pulitzer for "Gone With the Wind" novel (1937); First bulk spam email is sent (1978).

May 2

Leonardo da Vinci dies (1519); Playwright Tennessee Williams wins Pulitzer Prize for "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" (1955); Fashion designer Donatella Versace born (1955); Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson born (1972); Osama bin Laden is killed by US special forces (2011).