A Day in the Past

On this day: 6 May

138 things happened on 6 May, from AD 973 to 2026. UK stories come first, then the rest of the world.

Printable worksheet Take the quiz

In the UK 16

UK history first: stories from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

1857 169 years ago

UK story

The East India Company disbands the 34th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry whose sepoy Mangal Pandey had earlier revolted against the British in the lead up to the War of Indian Independence.

War & peace Find out more: East India Company (Wikipedia)

Around the world 28

1935 91 years ago

New Deal: Under the authority of the newly-enacted Federal Emergency Relief Administration, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issues Executive Order 7034 to create the Works Progress Administration.

Laws & government Find out more: New Deal (Wikipedia)
1941 85 years ago

American entertainer Bob Hope performed his first show with the United Service Organizations, beginning a 50-year involvement with them.

Find out more: Bob Hope (Wikipedia)
1998 28 years ago

Kerry Wood strikes out 20 Houston Astros to tie the major league record held by Roger Clemens. He threw a one-hitter and did not walk a batter in his fifth career start.

Sport Find out more: Kerry Wood (Wikipedia)

Quick quiz

Every answer is somewhere on this page. Have a go, then check!

  1. In which year did this happen: “King Charles III and Queen Camilla were crowned at Westminster Abbey in London”?

    1. 2023
    2. 1857
    3. 1954
    Show the answer

    A: 2023. 2023 — that’s 3 years ago. Find it on the page

  2. In which year did this happen: “Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and French President François Mitterrand”?

    1. 1915
    2. 1840
    3. 1994
    Show the answer

    C: 1994. 1994 — that’s 32 years ago. Find it on the page

  3. Which of these happened first?

    1. Vita Sackville-West and her husband Harold Nicolson purchased the Kent
    2. Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and French President François Mitterrand
    3. King Charles III and Queen Camilla were crowned at Westminster Abbey in London
    Show the answer

    A: Vita Sackville-West and her husband Harold Nicolson purchased the Kent. 1930: Vita Sackville-West and her husband Harold Nicolson purchased the Kent · 1994: Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and French President François Mitterrand · 2023: King Charles III and Queen Camilla were crowned at Westminster Abbey in London Find it on the page

  4. “Vita Sackville-West and her husband Harold Nicolson purchased the Kent” happened in 1930. How many years ago was that?

    1. 96 years
    2. 86 years
    3. 106 years
    Show the answer

    A: 96 years. 2026 − 1930 = 96. Find it on the page

Born on this day 35

Famous people whose birthday is 6 May.

Remembering 21

Well-known people who died on 6 May.

Special days 17

Festivals, holidays and saints’ days celebrated on 6 May somewhere in the world.

For older readers 21 Show stories about war, disasters, crime and other difficult history

Content note: these entries mention things like war, violence, deaths, disasters or crime. They are part of history, but they can be upsetting. Grown-ups and teachers: you may want to read them first. They come straight from Wikipedia and have not been rewritten for children.

Where these facts come from

Stories with a heading have been written for young readers by A Day in the Past, using the linked articles as sources. Other entries show text from Wikipedia’s “May 6” page and its “On this day” feed, written by Wikipedia contributors and shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. Each “Read more” link goes to the article an entry is based on. Photos are credited under each picture. Spotted a mistake? Please tell us.