May 5 in History

Iran–Contra affair: Start of Congressional televised hearings in the United Stat

1987 — Iran–Contra affair: Start of Congressional televised hearings in the United States

May 5 spans 51 recorded events across recorded history — from 553 – 2023. Below is a curated digest of the most significant moments tied to this date.

By · Wikipedia

Historical Events 51 events 553 – 2023

Did you know

In 1987, Iran–Contra affair: Start of Congressional televised hearings in the United States. This featured entry focuses on the immediate decision and its direct historical impact.

Did you know

The United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate formed committees in January 1987 to investigate the Iran–Contra affair. This helps explain why the event mattered beyond the initial announcement.

Did you know

The committees held joint hearings and issued a joint report. This clarifies the institutional and public response around the event.

Did you know

The hearings ran from 5 May 1987 to 6 August 1987, and the report was published in November, with a dissenting Minority Report signed by six Republican congressmen and two Republican senators. This shows how the event shaped policy and public communication in the same period.

Did you know

In 1987, Iran–Contra affair: Start of Congressional televised hearings in the United States had consequences that extended beyond the first headline. The key context is the institutions involved, the policy shift, and how the public response evolved afterward.


Second_Council_of_Constantinople
The Second Council of Constantinople begins.
Ecumenical council held in 553 in response to the Three Chapters controversy
The Second Council of Constantinople is the fifth of the first seven ecumenical councils recognized by both the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church. It is also recognized by the Old Catholics and others. Protestant opinions and recognition of it are varied. Some Protestants, such as Calvinists, recognize the first four councils, whereas Lutherans and most Anglo-Catholics accept all seven. Constantinople II was convoked by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I under the presidency of Patriarch Eutychius of Constantinople. It was held from 5 May to 2 June 553. Participants were overwhelmingly Eastern bishops—only sixteen Western bishops were present, including nine from Illyricum and seven from Africa, but none from Italy—out of the 152 total.
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553
Isabella_I_of_Jerusalem
Queen Isabella I of Jerusalem marries Henry II, Count of Champagne.
Queen of Jerusalem (r. 1190/1192–1205)
Isabella I was the queen of Jerusalem who reigned from the early 1190s to her death. She received the homage of her vassals as the rightful heir to the throne after the death of her half-sister Queen Sibylla in 1190, but Sibylla's widower, Guy of Lusignan, held onto the kingdom until 1192. Isabella became queen upon her coronation in 1198. Having little political ambition, she passed the government on to three successive husbands, Conrad of Montferrat, Henry II of Champagne, and Aimery of Lusignan, all of whom included her in the issuing of their charters. Isabella's co-reign with Aimery saw the compilation of the Livre au Roi, a law treatise establishing the rights and obligations of queens regnant of Jerusalem.
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1192
John,_King_of_England
Rebel barons renounce their allegiance to King John of England — part of a chain of events leading to the signing of the Magna Carta.
King of England from 1199 to 1216
John was King of England from 1199 until his death in 1216. He lost the Duchy of Normandy and most of his other French lands to King Philip II of France, resulting in the collapse of the Angevin Empire and contributing to the subsequent growth in power of the French Capetian dynasty during the 13th century. The baronial revolt at the end of John's reign led to the sealing of Magna Carta, a document considered a foundational milestone in English and later British constitutional history.
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1215
Kublai_Khan
Kublai Khan becomes ruler of the Mongol Empire.
Emperor of Yuan China from 1271 to 1294
Kublai Khan, also known by his temple name as the Emperor Shizu of Yuan and his regnal name Setsen Khan, was the founder and first emperor of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty of China. He proclaimed the dynastic name "Great Yuan" in 1271, and ruled Yuan China until his death in 1294.
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1260
Adolf,_King_of_the_Romans
Election of Count Adolf of Nassau as King of the Romans in the Dominican monastery of Frankfurt.
King of Germany from 1292 to 1298
Adolf was the count of Nassau from about 1276 and the elected king of Germany from 1292 until his deposition by the prince-electors in 1298. He was never crowned by the pope, which would have secured him the imperial title. He was the first physically and mentally healthy ruler of the Holy Roman Empire ever to be deposed without a papal excommunication. Adolf died shortly afterwards in the Battle of Göllheim fighting against his successor Albert of Habsburg.
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1292
Christopher_Columbus
On his second voyage to the New World, Christopher Columbus sights Jamaica, landing at Discovery Bay and declares Jamaica the property of the Spanish crown.
Italian navigator and explorer (1451–1506)
Christopher Columbus was an Italian explorer and navigator from the Republic of Genoa who completed four Spanish transatlantic voyages in the name of the Catholic Monarchs, opening the way for the widespread European exploration and colonization of the Americas. His expeditions were the first known European contact with the Caribbean and Central and South America.
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1494
Shimazu_Tadatsune
Daimyō (Lord) Shimazu Tadatsune of the Satsuma Domain in southern Kyūshū, Japan, completes his successful invasion of the Ryūkyū Kingdom in Okinawa.
16/17th-century Japanese warlord; leader of Satsuma Domain
Shimazu Tadatsune was a tozama daimyō of Satsuma, the first to hold it as a formal fief (han) under the Tokugawa shogunate, and the first Japanese to rule over the Ryūkyū Kingdom. As lord of Satsuma, he was among the most powerful lords in Japan at the time, and formally submitted to Tokugawa Ieyasu in 1602, to prove his loyalty, being rewarded as a result with the name Matsudaira Iehisa; Matsudaira being a branch family of the Tokugawa, and "Ie" of "Iehisa" being taken from "Ieyasu", this was a great honor. As of 1603, his holdings amounted to 605,000 koku.
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1609
Charles_I_of_England
King Charles I of England dissolves the Short Parliament.
King of England, Scotland and Ireland from 1625 to 1649
Charles I was King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649.
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1640
Cromwell's_Act_of_Grace
Cromwell's Act of Grace, aimed at reconciliation with the Scots, proclaimed in Edinburgh.
1654 act of the Parliament of England
Cromwell's Act of Grace, or, more formally, the Act of Pardon and Grace to the People of Scotland, was an Act of the Parliament of England that declared that the people of Scotland were pardoned for any crimes they might have committed during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It was proclaimed at the Mercat Cross in Edinburgh on 5 May 1654. General George Monck, the English military governor of Scotland, was present in Edinburgh, having arrived the day before for two proclamations also delivered at the Mercat Cross, the first of which declared Oliver Cromwell to be the protector of England, Ireland and Scotland, and that Scotland was united with the Commonwealth of England.
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1654
Russia
Russia and Prussia sign the Treaty of St.
Petersburg.
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country in Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the largest country in the world, spanning eleven time zones and sharing land borders with fourteen countries. With a population of over 140 million, Russia is the most populous country in Europe and the ninth-most populous in the world. It is a highly urbanised country, with sixteen of its urban areas having more than 1 million inhabitants. Moscow, the most populous metropolitan area in Europe, is the capital and largest city of Russia, while Saint Petersburg is its second-largest city and a major cultural centre.
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1762
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Born on May 5

20 people 1985 – 2004
Jenna Davis
Jenna Davis
American actress and YouTuber
Jenna Davis is an American actress, Internet personality, and singer-songwriter. She is best known for voicing the titular character of the horror film M3GAN (2022) and its sequel, M3GAN 2.0 (2025). As a child actress,…
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2004
Kirsty Muir
Kirsty Muir
Scottish freestyle skier
Kirsty Muir is a Scottish freestyle skier representing Great Britain who competes in big air and slopestyle. She came second in the big air event at the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics, and won the slopestyle competition at…
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2004
Carlos Alcaraz
Carlos Alcaraz
Spanish tennis player
Carlos Alcaraz Garfia is a Spanish professional tennis player. He has been ranked world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), and finished as the year-end No. 1 in 2022 and 2025.…
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2003
Nathan Chen
Nathan Chen
American figure skater
Nathan Wei Chen is an American figure skater. He is the 2022 Olympic champion in both the men's singles and team event, a three-time World champion, the 2017 Four Continents champion, a three-time Grand Prix Final…
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1999
Justin Kluivert
Justin Kluivert
Dutch footballer
Justin Dean Kluivert is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or winger for Premier League club Bournemouth and the Netherlands national team.
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1999
Aryna Sabalenka
Aryna Sabalenka
Belarusian tennis player
Aryna Siarhiejeŭna Sabalenka is a Belarusian professional tennis player. She is the current world No. 1 in women's singles by the WTA and is a former No. 1 in doubles. Sabalenka has won 24 WTA Tour-level singles titles,…
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1998
Logan Gilbert
Logan Gilbert
American baseball player
Logan Keith Gilbert is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2021 and was an All-Star in 2024.
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1997
Mitch Marner
Mitch Marner
Canadian hockey player
Mitchell "Mitch" Daniel Marner is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is a right winger for the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected fourth overall by the Toronto Maple…
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1997
Christopher Eubanks
Christopher Eubanks
American tennis player
Christopher Eubanks is an American former professional tennis player. He had a career-high ATP singles ranking of No. 29, achieved on 31 July 2023 and a best doubles ranking of No. 142, reached on 12 August 2024. His…
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1996
Mayar Sherif
Mayar Sherif
Egyptian tennis player
Mayar Sherif Ahmed Abdel-Aziz is an Egyptian professional tennis player. She has a career-high WTA ranking of No. 31 in singles, making her the highest ranked Egyptian singles player, male or female, in the Open Era.…
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1996
James Conner
James Conner
American football player
James Earl Conner is an American professional football running back for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Pittsburgh Panthers. In 2014, he garnered AFCA…
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1995
Celeste
Celeste
British singer
Celeste Epiphany Waite, known by the mononym Celeste, is an English singer and songwriter. She began her career in 2014 providing vocals for electronic producers such as Avicii, Tieks and Real Lies, while also…
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1994
Raúl Jiménez
Raúl Jiménez
Mexican footballer
Raúl Alonso Jiménez Rodríguez is a Mexican professional footballer who plays as a striker for EFL Championship club Wolverhampton Wanderers and the Mexico national team.
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1991
Tatiana Schlossberg
Tatiana Schlossberg
American journalist and author (died 2025)
Tatiana Celia Kennedy Schlossberg was an American environmental journalist and author. She worked as a science and climate reporter for The New York Times and wrote for several other publications, including The…
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1990
Agnes Knochenhauer
Agnes Knochenhauer
Swedish curler
Agnes Ellinor Knochenhauer is a Swedish curler from Stockholm. She currently plays second on Team Anna Hasselborg. With Hasselborg, Knochenhauer has won three Olympic medals, gold at the 2018 Winter Olympics in…
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1989
Adele
Adele
English singer-songwriter
Adele Laurie Blue Adkins is an English singer and songwriter. Regarded as a British cultural icon, she is known for her mezzo-soprano vocals and sentimental songwriting. Her accolades include 16 Grammy Awards, 12 Brit…
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1988
Mervyn Westfield
English cricketer
Mervyn Simon Westfield is an English cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-fast bowler who until September 2010 played for Essex. In January 2012, he became the first English cricketer to be…
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1988
Graham Dorrans
Graham Dorrans
Scottish footballer
Graham Dorrans is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Johnstone Burgh.
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1987
Emanuele Giaccherini
Emanuele Giaccherini
Italian footballer
Emanuele Giaccherini is an Italian former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder.
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1985
P. J. Tucker
P. J. Tucker
American basketball player
Anthony Leon "P.J." Tucker Jr. is an American former professional basketball player. Regarded as a reliable corner three-point shooter and perimeter defender all throughout his career, Tucker won an NBA championship…
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1985
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Died on May 5

20 people 2011 – 2026
Chris Phelan
Irish-Australian rugby league player (born 1955)
Chris Phelan was an Irish-born Australian rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s. He was a state representative versatile forward for Queensland and a two-time New South Wales Rugby League premiership-winner…
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2026
Jeannie Epper
Jeannie Epper
American stuntwoman and actress (born 1941)
Jean Luann Epper was an American stuntwoman and actress. She performed stunts in over 100 feature films and television series and is perhaps best known as Lynda Carter's stunt double on the 1970s television series…
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2024
Bernard Hill
Bernard Hill
English actor (born 1944)
Bernard Hill was an English actor. He was known for his versatile performances in both television and film, and his career spanned over fifty years.
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2024
César Luis Menotti
César Luis Menotti
Argentine footballer and manager (born 1938)
César Luis Menotti, known as El Flaco ("Slim"), was an Argentine football player and manager who won the 1978 FIFA World Cup as the head coach of the Argentina national team.
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2024
Millie Small
Millie Small
Jamaican singer-songwriter (born 1947)
Millicent Dolly May Small CD was a Jamaican singer who is best known for her international hit "My Boy Lollipop" (1964). The song reached number two in both the UK and US charts and sold over seven million copies…
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2020
Binyamin Elon
Binyamin Elon
Israeli Orthodox rabbi and politician (born 1954)
Rabbi Binyamin "Benny" Elon was an Israeli Orthodox rabbi and politician who served as a member of the Knesset for Moledet and the National Union between 1996 and 2009. A ninth-generation Jerusalemite, Elon lived in…
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2017
Ely Ould Mohamed Vall
Ely Ould Mohamed Vall
Mauritanian politician (born 1953)
Colonel Ely Ould Mohamed Vall was a Mauritanian political and military figure. Following a coup d'état in August 2005, he served as the transitional military leader of Mauritania until 19 April 2007, when he…
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2017
Jobst Brandt
Jobst Brandt
American cyclist, engineer, and author (born 1935)
Jobst Brandt was an American mechanical engineer, inventor, bicycle enthusiast, educator, and author.
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2015
Hans Jansen
Hans Jansen
Dutch linguist, academic, and politician (born 1942)
Johannes Juliaan Gijsbert "Hans" Jansen was a Dutch politician, scholar of contemporary Islam and author.
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2015
Michael Otedola
Michael Otedola
Nigerian journalist and politician, 9th Governor of Lagos State (born 1926)
Michael Agbolade Otedola KSS was a Nigerian politician who served as governor of Lagos State during the Nigerian Third Republic.
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2014
Sarah Kirsch
Sarah Kirsch
German poet and author (born 1935)
Sarah Kirsch was a German poet.
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2013
Robert Ressler
Robert Ressler
American FBI agent and author (born 1937)
Robert Kenneth Ressler was an American FBI agent and author. He played a significant role in the psychological profiling of violent offenders in the 1970s and is often credited with coining the term "serial killer",…
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2013
Surendranath
Indian cricketer (born 1937)
Surendra Nath was an Indian cricketer who played in eleven Test matches between 1958 and 1961. He was primarily a medium-pace swing bowler, who enjoyed a particularly successful tour of England in 1959.
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2012
Carl Johan Bernadotte
Carl Johan Bernadotte
Count of Wisborg (born 1916)
Carl Johan Arthur, Prince Bernadotte, Count of Wisborg, was the fourth son and fifth and youngest child of King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden and his first wife, Princess Margaret of Connaught.
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2012
Aatos Erkko
Aatos Erkko
Finnish journalist and publisher (born 1932)
Aatos Juho Michel Erkko was a Finnish newspaper editor, newspaper publisher, and the main owner of the Sanoma Corporation and the newspaper Helsingin Sanomat, of which he was also the editor in chief.
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2012
George Knobel
George Knobel
Dutch footballer, coach, and manager (born 1922)
George Knobel was a Dutch football manager.
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2012
Roy Padayachie
South African lawyer and politician, South African Minister of Communications (born 1950)
Radhakrishna Lutchmana "Roy" Padayachie was a South African politician and activist. He was a cabinet minister between November 2010 and his death in May 2012. At the same time he represented the African National…
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2012
Claude Choules
Claude Choules
English-Australian soldier (born 1901)
Claude Stanley Choules was a British-born military serviceman from Pershore, Worcestershire, who at the time of his death was the oldest combat veteran of the First World War. He served with the Royal Navy from 1915…
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2011
Yosef Merimovich
Yosef Merimovich
Israeli footballer and manager (born 1924)
Yosef "Yosale" Merimovich was a football player and manager. A one-club man, he played as a forward for Maccabi Tel Aviv between 1947 and 1958, winning six championships and six cups. Born in Cyprus, he represented the…
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2011
Dana Wynter
Dana Wynter
British actress (born 1931)
Dana Wynter was a German-born British actress who was raised in the United Kingdom and southern Africa. She appeared in film and television for more than 40 years, beginning in the 1950s. One of her best-known film…
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2011
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May 5 in the Blog

World Health Organization Founded — May 5, 1948
World Health Organization Founded — May 5, 1948

61 countries signed the WHO's constitution in 1948 in Geneva, Switzerland, to establish global health as a human right, achieving universal coverage…

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Related questions

More questions about May 5

What happened on May 5?

A featured event on this date is 1987: Iran–Contra affair: Start of Congressional televised hearings in the United States. This page also lists 51 events from other years on the same day.

Why is May 5 remembered in history?

May 5 brings together events, births, and deaths across many eras, which makes it useful for seeing how one calendar date connects different historical turning points.

Who was born on May 5?

Notable birthdays on this date include Jenna Davis, Kirsty Muir, Carlos Alcaraz.

See birthdays

Who died on May 5?

Notable deaths on this date include Chris Phelan, Jeannie Epper, Bernard Hill.

See deaths
Short answer

What happened on May 5 in history?

On May 5, one notable event in history was 1987: Iran–Contra affair: Start of Congressional televised hearings in the United States..

This date currently highlights 51 recorded events on thisDay.info, spanning 553 – 2023.

DateMay 5
Featured year1987
Locationthe United States
Events listed51

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