What Happened On This Day – 7 May
· 2000 Vladimir Putin becomes President of Russia
The former KGB officer enjoys high approval ratings
in his country as living standards in Russia have improved drastically
under his rule. Internationally, he has been criticized for his authoritarian
style of government.
· 1946 Sony is founded
The company started as Tokyo Telecommunications
Engineering. It is now one of the leading manufacturers of electronic products.
· 1945 Germany's Nazi regime surrenders unconditionally
The capitulation ended World War II, one of the
bloodiest conflicts of all time. According to estimates, between 40 and 71
million people died in the war and the Holocaust initiated by Adolf Hitler's
Nazi regime.
· 1915 A German U-Boat sinks the RMS Lusitania
1198 lives were lost in the attack, making it the
deadliest shipwreck during World War I. The fact that some of the dead were
U.S. citizens influenced the country's decision to enter the war in 1917.
· 1895 Alexander Popov demonstrates the world's first radio receiver
The Russian physicist had initially built the
device as a lightning detector. He achieved the first radio transmission
between two buildings the following year.
Births On This Day – 7 May
· 1892 Josip Broz Tito
Yugoslav marshal, politician, 1st President of
Yugoslavia
· 1861 Rabindranath Tagore
Indian author, poet, Nobel Prize laureate
· 1840 Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Russian composer
· 1812 Robert Browning
English poet
· 1711 David Hume
Scottish economist, historian, philosopher
Deaths On This Day – 7 May
· 2011 Seve Ballesteros
Spanish golfer
· 1940 George Lansbury
English politician
· 1840 Caspar David Friedrich
German painter
· 1825 Antonio Salieri
Italian composer
