1940 – World War II: Norwegian refugees formed a ‘government-in-exile’ in London. Governments in exile usually operate under the assumption that they will one day return to their native country and regain power.

1941 – Emperor Haile Selassie returns to Addis Ababa. On the same day, Chanel No. 5 is released by fashion designer. Coco Chanel.

1945 – World War II: Canadian and UK troops liberated the Netherlands and Denmark from Nazi occupation.

1955 – World famous American virologist Dr Jonas Salk witnessed a ceremonial polio vaccination in London when Margaret Jenkins from Kent became the 500,000th person in London to receive the vaccine to prevent the crippling disease poliomyelitis.

1964 – The first meeting of a ‘Clean Up TV’ campaign led by Norah Buckland and her friend Mary Whitehouse. The organization was later given the name of The National Viewers’ and Listeners’ Association.

1964 – The Council of Europe declared 5th May as Europe Day, an annual celebration of peace and unity in Europe.

1967 – The first ever all-British satellite, Ariel 3, was successfully launched into orbit from the United States

1980 – The SAS stormed the terrorist-occupied Iranian Embassy at Knightsbridge in London. Four gunmen were killed in the attack and all 19 hostages were rescued.

1981 – Riots in Northern Ireland followed the death of IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands in the Maze prison.

1997 – William Hague was elected leader of the Conservative Party.

2001 – Britain’s tourist industry hoped that the bank holiday weekend and good weather would attract visitors to areas previously closed due to foot and mouth disease.

2005 – Labour, under Tony Blair, won a historic third term in Government for Labour, but with a greatly reduced majority.

2011 – The death (in Perth, Western Australia) of Claude Stanley Choules, the last World War I combat veteran and the last military witness to the scuttling of the German fleet in Scapa Flow. He was born in Pershore, Worcestershire and was the last veteran to have served in both world wars, and also the last seaman from the First World War.

2014 – Mark Selby beats Ronnie O’Sullivan for his first World Snooker title.

2016 – The Rolling Stones instruct tell Donald Trump to stop playing their songs during his presidential campaign.

2018 – Former Manchester United Manager Sir Alex Ferguson suffers a brain haemorrhage and is hospitalised.