today.nukz.net: Almanac May 5 :: Søren Kierkegaard

Søren Aabye Kierkegaard (5 May 1813 – 11 November 1855) was a Danish philosopher, theologian and religious author. He was a critic of idealist intellectuals and philosophers of his time, such as Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling and Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel. He was also critical of the state and practice of Christianity, primarily that of the Church of Denmark. He is widely considered to be the first existentialist philosopher.

Events

553 – The Second Council of Constantinople begins.
1215 – Rebel barons renounce their allegiance to King John of England — part of a chain of events leading to the signing of the Magna Carta.
1260 – Kublai Khan becomes ruler of the Mongol Empire.
1494 – Christopher Columbus lands on the island of Jamaica and claims it for Spain.
1640 – King Charles I of England dissolves the Short Parliament.
1762 – Russia and Prussia sign the Treaty of St. Petersburg.
1789 – In France, the Estates-General convenes for the first time since 1614.
1809 – Mary Kies becomes the first woman awarded a U.S. patent, for a technique of weaving straw with silk and thread.
1809 – The Swiss canton of Aargau denies citizenship to Jews.
1811 – In the second day of fighting at the Peninsular War Battle of Fuentes de Onoro the French army, under Marshall Massena, drive in the Duke of Wellington's overextended right flank, but French frontal assaults fail to take the town of Fuentes de Onoro and the Anglo-Portuguese army holds the field at the end of the day.
1821 – Emperor Napoleon I dies in exile on the island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean.
1835 – In Belgium, the first railway in continental Europe opens between Brussels and Mechelen.
1860 – Giuseppe Garibaldi sets sail from Genoa, leading the expedition of the Thousand to conquer the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and giving birth to the Kingdom of Italy.
1862 – Cinco de Mayo: troops led by Ignacio Zaragoza halt a French invasion in the Battle of Puebla in Mexico.
1864 – American Civil War: The Battle of the Wilderness begins in Spotsylvania County, Virginia.
1865 – In North Bend, Ohio (a suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio), the first train robbery in the United States takes place.
1866 – Memorial Day first celebrated in United States at Waterloo, New York.
1877 – Indian Wars: Sitting Bull leads his band of Lakota into Canada to avoid harassment by the United States Army under Colonel Nelson Miles.
1886 – The Bay View Tragedy: A militia fires into a crowd of protesters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, killing seven.
1891 – The Music Hall in New York City (later known as Carnegie Hall) has its grand opening and first public performance, with Tchaikovsky as the guest conductor.
1904 – Pitching against the Philadelphia Athletics at the Huntington Avenue Grounds, Cy Young of the Boston Americans throws the first perfect game in the modern era of baseball.
1905 – The trial in the Stratton Brothers case begins in London, England; it marks the first time that fingerprint evidence is used to gain a conviction for murder.
1920 – Authorities arrest Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti for alleged robbery and murder.
1925 – Scopes Trial: serving of an arrest warrant on John T. Scopes for teaching evolution in violation of the Butler Act.
1925 – The government of South Africa declares Afrikaans an official language
1936 – Italian troops occupy Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
1940 – World War II: Norwegian refugees form a government-in-exile in London
1940 – World War II: Norwegian Campaign – Norwegian squads in Hegra Fortress and Vinjesvingen capitulate to the Nazis after all other Norwegian forces in southern Norway had laid down their arms.
1941 – Emperor Haile Selassie returns to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; the country commemorates the date as Liberation Day or Patriots' Victory Day.
1944 – German troops execute 216 civilians in the village of Kleisoura in Greece
1945 – World War II: Canadian and UK troops liberate the Netherlands and Denmark from Nazi occupation when Wehrmacht troops capitulate.
1946 – The International Military Tribunal for the Far East begins in Tokyo with twenty-eight Japanese military and government officials accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
1949 – The Treaty of London establishes the Council of Europe in Strasbourg as the first European institution working for European integration.
1950 – Bhumibol Adulyadej crowns himself King Rama IX of Thailand.
1955 – West Germany gains full sovereignty.
1961 – The Mercury program: Mercury-Redstone 3 – Alan Shepard becomes the first American to travel into outer space, making a sub-orbital flight of 15 minutes.
1964 – The Council of Europe declares May 5 as Europe Day.
1972 – Alitalia Flight 112 crashes into Mount Longa near Palermo, Sicily, killing all 115 aboard, making it the deadliest single-aircraft disaster in Italy.
1980 – Operation Nimrod: The British Special Air Service storms the Iranian embassy in London after a six-day siege.
1981 – Bobby Sands dies in the Long Kesh prison hospital after 66 days of hunger-striking, aged 27.
1987 – Iran-Contra affair: start of Congressional televised hearings in the United States of America
1991 – A riot breaks out in the Mt. Pleasant section of Washington, D.C. after police shoot a Salvadoran man.
1994 – The signing of the Bishkek Protocol between Armenia and Azerbaijan effectively freezes the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
1994 – American teenager Michael P. Fay is caned in Singapore for theft and vandalism, a punishment that many in the United States deemed to be excessive for a teenager committing a non-violent crime. However, significant numbers of Americans were also in favor of it.
2006 – The government of Sudan signs an accord with the Sudan Liberation Army.
2007 – All 114 aboard Kenya Airways Flight 507 die when the pilots lose control of the plane and it crashes in Douala, Cameroon.
2010 – Mass protests in Greece erupt in response to austerity measures imposed by the government as a result of the Greek debt crisis.

Births

867 – Uda, Emperor of Japan (d. 931)
1210 – King Afonso III of Portugal (d. 1279)
1479 – Guru Amar Das, third Sikh Guru (d. 1574)
1546 – Thomas Cecil, 1st Earl of Exeter, English politician (d. 1623)
1684 – Françoise Charlotte d'Aubigné, niece of Madame de Maintenon and ancestress of the Heir to the Belgian throne (d. 1739)
1747 – Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1792)
1749 – Jean-Frédéric Edelmann, French composer (d. 1794)
1764 – Robert Craufurd, British general (d. 1812)
1800 – Louis Christophe François Hachette, French publisher (d. 1864)
1813 – Søren Kierkegaard, Danish philosopher (d. 1855)
1818 – Karl Marx, German political philosopher (d. 1883)
1826 – Empress Eugénie de Montijo of France, wife of Napoleon III (d. 1920)
1830 – John Batterson Stetson, American hat manufacturer (d. 1906)
1832 – H.H. Bancroft, American historian and publisher (d. 1918)
1833 – Ferdinand von Richthofen, German geographer (d. 1905)
1834 – Viktor Hartmann, Russian architect and painter (d. 1873)
1846 – Henryk Sienkiewicz, Polish author, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1916)
1864 – Nellie Bly, American journalist and writer (d. 1922)
1866 – Thomas B. Thrige, Danish industrialist (d. 1938)
1869 – Hans Pfitzner, German composer (d. 1949)
1883 – Archibald Wavell, British general (d. 1950)
1883 – Agustín Barrios, Paraguayan guitarist and composer (d. 1944)
1887 – Geoffrey Fisher, Archbishop of Canterbury (d. 1972)
1889 – Herbie Taylor, South African cricketer (d. 1973)
1890 – Christopher Morley, American writer (d. 1957)
1899 – Freeman Gosden, American radio comedian (Amos-Amos 'n' Andy) (d. 1982)
1901 – Blind Willie McTell, American singer (d. 1959)
1903 – James Beard, American chef and cookbook writer (d. 1985)
1906 – Charles Exbrayat, French novelist (d. 1989)
1908 – Kurt Böhme, German bass (d. 1989)
1909 – Miklós Radnóti, Hungarian poet (d. 1944)
1911 – Gilles Grangier, French film director (d. 1996)
1911 – Andor Lilienthal, Hungarian chess grandmaster (d. 2010)
1914 – Tyrone Power, American actor (d. 1958)
1915 – Alice Faye, American actress (d. 1998)
1919 – Georgios Papadopoulos, Greek dictator (d. 1999)
1921 – Arthur Leonard Schawlow, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1999)
1923 – Richard Wollheim, British philosopher (d. 2003)
1925 – Leo Ryan, United States Congressman (d. 1978)
1926 – Ann B. Davis, American actress
1927 – Pat Carroll, American actress
1927 – Sylvia Fedoruk, Canadian scientist and politician
1928 – Nora Denney, American actress (d. 2005)
1931 – Michel Regnier, Belgian comic-book writer (Achille Talon) (d. 1999)
1932 – Will Hutchins, American actor
1934 – Ace Cannon, American saxophonist
1934 – Johnnie Taylor, American singer (d. 2000)
1935 – Douglas Marland, American television writer (d. 1993)
1935 – Bernard Pivot, French journalist and television host
1935 – Robert Rehme, American film producer
1936 – Patrick Gowers, British composer
1936 – Ervin Lázár, Hungarian writer (d. 2006)
1937 – Johnnie Taylor, American singer (d. 2000)
1937 – Delia Derbyshire, British electronic music composer (d. 2001)
1938 – Michael Murphy, American actor
1939 – Cesare Fiorio, Italian sporting director of various Formula One teams
1940 – Lasse Åberg, Swedish artist, actor and musician
1940 – Lance Henriksen, American actor and painter
1940 – Michael Lindsay-Hogg, American film director
1941 – Alexander Ragulin, Russian hockey player (d. 2004)
1942 – Marc Alaimo, American actor
1942 – István Bujtor, Hungarian actor (d. 2009)
1942 – Tammy Wynette, American musician (d. 1998)
1943 – Michael Palin, British writer, actor, and comedian
1943 – Ignacio Ramonet, Spanish journalist and writer
1944 – Bo Larsson, Swedish footballer
1944 – John Rhys-Davies, English-born Welsh actor
1944 – Roger Rees, Welsh-American actor
1948 – Bill Ward, British drummer
1951 – Rudolf Finsterer, German rugby player and coach
1952 – Campbell McComas, Australian impersonator and broadcaster (d. 2005)
1954 – Dave Spector, American television personality and commentator
1955 – Melinda Culea, American actress
1955 – Lisa Jane Persky, American actress
1956 – Robert Marien, Québécois actor, singer and songwriter
1957 – Richard E. Grant, British actor
1957 – Peter Howitt, British actor and film director
1958 – Ron Arad, Israeli aircraft navigator missing in action
1958 – Robert DiPierdomenico, Australian rules footballer
1959 – Johann Gajda, German footballer
1959 – Ian McCulloch, English singer (Echo & the Bunnymen)
1959 – Brian Williams, American news anchor
1960 – Jeremy Wade, English Biologist and extreme angler
1961 – Hiroshi Hase, Japanese professional wrestler and politician
1962 – Jenifer McKitrick, American songwriter
1962 – Nicolas Vanier, French adventurist, writer and moviemaker
1963 – Simon Rimmer, English chef
1963 – Heidi Kozak, American actress
1963 – James LaBrie, Canadian singer (Dream Theater)
1963 – Scott Westerfeld, American author
1964 – John Lee, Korean-born American football player
1965 – Glenn Seton, Australian racing driver
1966 – Shawn Drover, Canadian drummer (Megadeth)
1966 – Josh Weinstein, American writer
1967 – Takehito Koyasu, Japanese seiyu (voice actor)
1967 – Maro Mavri, Greek fashion-model and actress
1967 – Charles Nagy, American baseball player
1970 – Soheil Ayari, French racer
1970 – Kyan Douglas, American TV-personality
1970 – LaPhonso Ellis, American basketball player
1970 – Todd Newton, American TV-personality, two-time game-show host
1971 – Harold Miner, American basketball player
1971 – Mike Redmond, American baseball player
1972 – Brad Bombardir, Canadian ice-hockey player
1972 – James Cracknell, British rower
1972 – Žigmund Pálffy, Slovak ice-hockey player
1972 – Mikael Renberg, Swedish ice-hockey player
1972 – Devin Townsend, Canadian musician (Strapping Young Lad)
1973 – Casino Versus Japan, American composer
1973 – Tina Yothers, American actress
1974 – Seiji Ara, Japanese racing driver
1976 – Dieter Brummer, Australian actor
1976 – Jean-François Dumoulin, Canadian race car driver
1976 – Anastasios Pantos, Greek footballer
1976 – Juan Pablo Sorín, Argentine footballer
1977 – Choi Kang-hee, South Korean actress
1978 – Santiago Cabrera, Chilean actor
1978 – Bruno Cheyrou, French footballer
1978 – Morgan Pehme, American filmmaker and writer
1978 – John Wilshere, Papua New Guinean rugby league footballer
1979 – Vincent Kartheiser, American actor
1980 – Yossi Benayoun, Israeli footballer
1980 – DerMarr Johnson, American basketball player
1980 – Hank Green, Musician, video blogger and founder of ecogeek.org
1981 – Marcelle Bittar, Brazilian model
1981 – Craig David, English singer
1981 – Chris Duncan, American baseball player
1981 – Danielle Fishel, American actress
1982 – Jay Bothroyd, English footballer
1982 – Wouter D'Haene, Belgian flatwater-canoeist
1982 – Randall Gay, American football player
1983 – Henry Cavill, Jersey actor
1983 – Annie Villeneuve, French Canadian singer and songwriter
1983 – Scott Ware, American football player
1984 – Wade MacNeil, Canadian guitarist (Alexisonfire)
1985 – Shoko Nakagawa, Japanese actress, illustrator and singer
1985 – Emanuele Giaccherini, Italian footballer
1985 – Tsepo Masilela, South African footballer
1985 – Marcos Rogério, Brazilian footballer
1985 – Terrence Wheatley, American football player
1987 – Jessie Cave, English actress
1987 – Marija Šestic, Bosnian singer
1988 – Adele, English singer
1988 – Jessica Dubroff, American pilot trainee (d. 1996)
1988 – Brooke Hogan, American singer and television personality
1988 – Skye Sweetnam, Canadian singer
1989 – Chris Brown, American singer and actor
1989 – Larissa Wilson, English actress
1990 – Song Jieun, South Korean singer (Secret)
1991 – Xenofon Fetsis, Greek footballer
1999 – Nathan Chen, American figure skater

Deaths

200 – Sun Ce, warlord of the Han Dynasty (b. 175)
311 – Galerius, Roman Emperor
984 – Gerberga of Saxony, Queen of Western Francia
1028 – King Alfonso V of Castile, León, and Galicia (b. 994)
1194 – King Casimir II of Poland (b. 1138)
1219 – King Leo II of Armenia (b. 1150)
1309 – King Charles II of Naples (b. 1254)
1426 – Ephraim of Nea Makri, Greek Orthodox saint (b. 1384)
1525 – Frederick III of Saxony (b. 1463)
1586 – Henry Sidney, Lord Deputy of Ireland (b. 1529)
1604 – Claudio Merulo, Italian composer (b. 1533)
1671 – Edward Montagu, 2nd Earl of Manchester, English politician (b. 1602)
1672 – Samuel Cooper, English painter (b. 1609)
1705 – Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1640)
1760 – Laurence Shirley, 4th Earl Ferrers, English murderer (b. 1720)
1766 – Jean Astruc, French physician and scholar (b. 1684)
1808 – Pierre Jean George Cabanis, French physiologist (b. 1757)
1811 – Robert Mylne, Scottish architect (b. 1734)
1821 – Napoleon Bonaparte (b. 1769)
1827 – Frederick Augustus I of Saxony (b. 1750)
1833 – Sophia Campbell, Australian artist (b. 1777)
1855 – Sir Robert Inglis, Bt, English politician (b. 1786)
1859 – Peter Gustav Dirichlet, German mathematician (b. 1805)
1860 – John Charles Prince, Canadian bishop (b. 1804)
1892 – August Wilhelm von Hofmann, German chemist (b. 1818)
1896 – Silas Adams, American lawyer and politician (b. 1839)
1900 – Ivan Aivazovsky, Russian painter (b. 1817)
1916 – John MacBride, Irish Nationalist and member of the Easter Rising (b. 1865)
1921 – Alfred Hermann Fried, Austrian writer and pacifist, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1864)
1931 – Glen Kidston, British aviator and racing driver (b. 1899)
1941 – Natalija Obrenovic, Queen of Serbia (b. 1859)
1942 – Qemal Stafa, Albanian politician (b. 1920)
1944 – Bertha Benz Wife of Karl Benz, and the first person to drive an automobile over a long distance
1945 – Peter Van Pels, Jewish Refugee (b. 1926)
1947 – Ty LaForest, Canadian baseball player (b. 1917)
1959 – Carlos Saavedra Lamas, Argentine politician, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1878)
1962 – Ernest Tyldesley, English cricketer (b. 1889)
1965 – Nikos Gounaris, Greek tenor (b. 1915)
1971 – Violet Jessop, Titanic survivor (b. 1887)
1977 – Ludwig Erhard, German politician (CDU) and Chancellor of Germany from 1963 until 1966 (b. 1897)
1981 – Bobby Sands, Irish activist (b. 1954)
1983 – Horst Schumann, Nazi physician (b. 1901)
1985 – Sir Donald Bailey, British civil engineer (b. 1901)
1988 – Michael Shaara, American author (b. 1928)
1992 – Jean-Claude Pascal, French singer (b. 1927)
1994 – Mario Quintana, Brazilian poet (b. 1906)
1995 – Mikhail Botvinnik, Russian chess player, grandmaster and world champion (b. 1911)
1997 – Walter Gotell, German actor (b. 1924)
1999 – Vasilis Diamantopoulos, Greek actor (b. 1920)
2000 – Gino Bartali, Italian cyclist (b. 1914)
2000 – Bill Musselman, American basketball head coach (b. 1940)
2001 – Clifton Hillegass, American writer and publisher (b. 1918)
2001 – Raymond Kessler, American midget wrestler
2002 – Hugo Banzer, Bolivian dictator (b. 1926)
2002 – Paul Klipsch, American engineer, noted for his loudspeaker designs (b. 1904)
2002 – George Sidney, American film director (b. 1916)
2003 – Sam Bockarie, RUF Rebel commander (b. 1964)
2003 – Walter Sisulu, South African activist (b. 1912)
2004 – Ritsuko Okazaki, Japanese singer-songwriter (b. 1959)
2005 – Elisabeth Fraser, American television, film, and stage actress (b. 1920)
2005 – Edgar Ponce, Mexican actor and dancer (b. 1974)
2006 – Naushad Ali, Indian composer (b. 1919)
2007 – Theodore Harold Maiman, American physicist, noted for making the first working laser (b. 1927)
2008 – Irv Robbins, Canadian-American entrepreneur (b. 1917)
2008 – Jerry Wallace, American singer (b. 1928)
2010 – Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, 12th president of Nigeria (b. 1951)
2010 – Giulietta Simionato, Italian mezzo-soprano (b. 1910)
2011 – Yosef Merimovich, Israeli football player and manager (b. 1924)
2011 – Claude Choules, last surviving World War I veteran (b. 1901)