1. On May 5, 1783, the Society of the Cincinnati was founded in Newburgh, New York. The organization was formed by officers of the Continental Army and their French counterparts to promote fraternal bonds and preserve the memory of the Revolutionary War.
2. The first organized baseball game in New York City was played on May 5, 1845, at the Elysian Fields in Hoboken, New Jersey. The game was between the New York Base Ball Club and the Knickerbocker Club and ended in a 23-1 victory for the New York club.
3. The Empire State Building officially opened on May 5, 1931. At the time of its completion, it was the tallest building in the world and remained so until the completion of the World Trade Center in 1972.
4. On May 5, 1961, Alan Shepard became the first American to enter space when he piloted the Mercury-Redstone mission. Shepard's suborbital flight lasted only 15 minutes, but it was a major milestone in the Space Race with the Soviet Union.
5. The first Earth Day was celebrated on May 5, 1970, in New York City. The event was organized by environmental activist Denis Hayes and attracted an estimated 20 million participants across the United States, leading to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of several key environmental laws.