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On this day in history - May 6

What Happened On This Day – May 6

  • 2004 The final episode of Friends is aired

    The immensely popular sitcom about Rachel, Monica, Phoebe, Joey, Chandler, and Ross had been produced since 1994. The final episode “The Last One” was watched by 52 million viewers.

  • 1994 The Channel Tunnel linking the United Kingdom with France is opened

    Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and French President François Mitterrand inaugurated the “Chunnel”. It measures just over 50 km (31 mi) and is the tunnel with the world's longest undersea portion.

  • 1976 A massive earthquake hits northeast Italy

    939 people died and 157,000 were left homeless in Italy's worst earthquake, which measured 6.5 on the Richter scale.

  • 1954 Roger Bannister becomes the first person to run a mile in under 4 minutes

    The British athlete took 3 minutes and 59.4 seconds to cover 1609 meters. The current record by Moroccan Hicham El Guerrouj stands at 3:43.13 (as at February 2014).

  • 1937 The Hindenburg zeppelin filled with hydrogen goes up in flames

    The footage showing a colossal fireball engulfing the German airship during a landing attempt in Lakehurst, NJ, has become iconic for the end of the zeppelin era. 35 lives were lost in the crash.

Illustration of stork, signifying birth

Births On This Day,
May 6

  • 1961 George Clooney

    American actor, director, producer, screenwriter

  • 1953 Tony Blair

    Scottish/English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

  • 1915 Orson Welles

    American actor, director, producer, screenwriter

  • 1856 Sigmund Freud

    Austrian neurologist

  • 1758 Maximilien de Robespierre

    French lawyer, politician

Illustration of tombstone, signifying death

Deaths On This Day,
May 6

  • 1992 Marlene Dietrich

    German/American actress, singer

  • 1952 Maria Montessori

    Italian physician, educator

  • 1919 L. Frank Baum

    American author

  • 1862 Henry David Thoreau

    American writer, philosopher

  • 1859 Alexander von Humboldt

    German geographer, explorer