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Benito Mussolini

Benito Mussolini

:For other people called Mussolini, see Mussolini (disambiguation). Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (Predappio near Forlì, July 29, 1883 – Giulino di Mezzegra near Como, April 28, 1945) led Italy from 1922 to 1943. He created a fascist state through the use of state terror and propaganda. Using his charisma, total control of the media and intimidation of political rivals, he disassembled the existing democratic government system. His entry into World War II on the side of Nazi Germany made Italy a target for Allied attacks and ultimately led to his downfall and death.

Early years

Mussolini was born in a medium sized village named Predappio in the province of Forlì, in Emilia-Romagna. His father, Alessandro, was a blacksmith. His mother, Rosa Maltoni, was a teacher who believed education was extremely important. He was named Benito after Mexican reformist President Benito Juárez. Like his father, Benito became a socialist. By age eight, he was banned from his mother's church, and a few years later he was expelled from school, due to stabbing a fellow student and throwing an ink pot at a teacher. He did, however, receive good grades, and he qualified as an elementary schoolmaster in 1901. In 1902 he emigrated to Switzerland. Unable to find a permanent job there and arrested for vagrancy, he was expelled and returned to Italy to do his military service. After further trouble with the police, he joined the staff of a newspaper in the Italian town of Trento in 1908. At this time he wrote a novel, subsequently translated into English as The Cardinal's Mistress. Mussolini had a brother, Arnaldo, who would later become the editor of Il Popolo d'Italia, the official newspaper of Benito Mussolini's regime.

Birth of Fascism

The word "Fascio" had existed in Italian politics for some time. A section of revolutionary syndicalists broke with the Socialists over the issue of Italy's entry into the First World War. Mussolini agreed with them. These syndicalists formed a group called Fasci d'azione rivoluzionaria internazionalista in October 1914. Massimo Rocca and Tulio Masotti asked Mussolini to settle the contradiction of his support for interventionism and still being the editor of Avanti and an official party functionary in the Socialist Party. (1) Two weeks later, he joined the Milan fascio. In November, 1914, supported by his then mistress Margherita Sarfatti, he founded a new newspaper, Il Popolo d'Italia, (The Italian People) and the pro-war group Fasci d'Azione Rivoluzionaria. Mussolini was attracted to fasces, the ancient Roman symbol of the life-and-death power of the state, bundles of the lictors' rods of chastisement which, when bound together, were stronger than when they were apart — presaging the renewed Roman imperium Mussolini promised to bring about. Mussolini claimed that it would help strengthen a relatively new nation (which had been united only in the 1860s in the Risorgimento), although some would say that he wished for a collapse of society that would bring him to power. Italy was a member of the Triple Alliance, thereby allied with Imperial Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It did not join the war in 1914 but did in 1915 — as Mussolini wished — on the side of Britain and France. 1915 Called up for military service, Mussolini was wounded in grenade practice in 1917 and returned to edit his paper. Fascism became an organized political movement following a meeting in Milan on March 23, 1919 (Mussolini founded the Fasci di Combattimento on February 23, however). After failing in the 1919 elections, Mussolini at last entered parliament in 1921. The Fascisti formed armed squads of war veterans called squadristi to terrorize socialists and communists. The government seldom interfered. In return for the support of a group of industrialists and agrarians, Mussolini gave his approval (often active) to strikebreaking, and he abandoned revolutionary agitation. When the liberal governments of Giovanni Giolitti, Ivanoe Bonomi, and Luigi Facta failed to stop the spread of anarchy, and after Fascists had organised the demonstrative and threatening Marcia su Roma ("March on Rome") (October 28th 1922), Mussolini was invited by Vittorio Emanuele III to form a new government. He became the youngest Premier in the history of Italy on October 31. Although many people believe that Mussolini became prime minister because of the march on Rome, this is not true. The King, Victor Emmanuel III, knew that if he did not choose a government under either the Fascist or Socialist party, Italy would be in a civil war in the near future. So, he asked Mussolini to become Prime Minister. This obviated the need for the march on Rome, but all of the fascists were already coming, from all around Italy. He knew he could not send them back, so he decided to go on with the march, even though he did not need it. Mussolini's Fascist state, established nearly a decade before Adolf Hitler's rise to power, would provide a model for Hitler's later economic and political policies. Both a movement and a historical phenomenon, Italian Fascism was, in many respects, an adverse reaction to both the perceived failure of laissez-faire economics and fear of international Bolshevism (a short-lived Soviet influence was established in Bavaria just about this time), although trends in intellectual history, such as the breakdown of positivism and the general fatalism of postwar Europe were also factors. Fascism was a product of a general feeling of anxiety and fear among the middle-class of postwar Italy, arising out of a convergence of interrelated economic, political, and cultural pressures. Italy had no long-term tradition of parliamentary compromise, and public discourse took on an inflammatory tone on all sides. Under the banner of this authoritarian and nationalist ideology, Mussolini was able to exploit fears in an era in which postwar depression, the rise of a more militant left, and a feeling of national shame and humiliation stemming from its 'mutilated victory' at the hands of the World War I peace treaties seemed to converge. Italian influence in the Aegean and abroad seemed impotent and disregarded by the greater powers, and Italy lacked colonies. Such unfulfilled nationalistic aspirations tainted the reputation of liberalism and constitutionalism among many sectors of the Italian population. In addition, such democratic institutions had never grown to become firmly rooted in the young nation-state. And as the same postwar depression heightened the allure of Marxism among an urban proletariat even more disenfranchised than their continental counterparts, fear regarding the growing strength of trade unionism, communism, and socialism proliferated among the elite and the middle class . Fascism emerged as a "third way" — as Italy's last hope to avoid imminent collapse of 'weak' Italian liberalism or communist revolution. While failing to outline a coherent program, it evolved into new political and economic system that combined corporatism, nationalism, and anti-communism in a state designed to bind all classes together under a capitalist system. It was a new capitalist system in which the state seized control of the organization of vital industries. The appeal of this movement, the promise of a more orderly capitalism during an era of interwar depression, however, was not isolated to Italy, or even Europe.

Fascist dictatorship

At first Mussolini was supported by the Liberals in parliament. With their help, he introduced strict censorship and altered the methods of election so that in 1925–1926 he was able to assume dictatorial powers and dissolve all other political parties. Skillfully using his absolute control over the press, he gradually built up the legend of Il Duce, the title he bestowed upon himself: a man who never slept, was always right, and could solve all the problems of politics and economics. He introduced the Press Laws in 1925 which stated that all journalists must be registered Fascists. However, not all newspapers were taken into public ownership and Corriere della Sera sold on average 10 times as many copies as the leading Fascist newspaper 'Il Popolo D'Italia'. Italy was soon a police state. The assassination of the prominent Socialist Giacomo Matteotti in 1924, began a prolonged political crisis in Italy, which did not end until the beginning of 1925 when Mussolini asserted his personal authority over both country and party to establish a personal dictatorship. Mussolini's skill in propaganda was such that he had surprisingly little opposition to suppress. At various times after 1922, Mussolini personally took over the ministries of the interior, of foreign affairs, of the colonies, of the corporations, of the army and the other armed services, and of public works. Sometimes he held as many as seven departments simultaneously, as well as the premiership. He was also head of the all-powerful Fascist party (formed in 1921) and the armed local Fascist militia, the MVSN or Blackshirts that terrorized incipient resistances in the cities and provinces. He would later form an institutionalised militia that carried official state support, the OVRA. In this way he succeeded in keeping power in his own hands and preventing the emergence of any rival. But it was at the price of creating a regime that was overcentralized, inefficient, and corrupt. OVRA Most of his time was spent on propaganda, whether at home or abroad, and here his training as a journalist was invaluable. Press, radio, education, films — all were carefully supervised to manufacture the illusion that fascism was the doctrine of the 20th century, replacing liberalism and democracy. The principles of this doctrine were laid down in the article on fascism, written by Giovanni Gentile and signed by Mussolini that appeared in 1932 in the Enciclopedia Italiana. In 1929, a concordat with the Vatican was signed, by which the Italian state was at last recognized by the Roman Catholic Church, and the independence of Vatican City was recognized by the Italian state. Under the dictatorship, the effectiveness of parliamentary system was virtually abolished though its forms were publicly preserved. The law codes were rewritten. All teachers in schools and universities had to swear an oath to defend the Fascist regime. Newspaper editors were all personally chosen by Mussolini himself, and no one could practice journalism who did not possess a certificate of approval from the Fascist party. The trade unions were also deprived of any independence and were integrated into what was called the "cooperative" system. The aim (never completely achieved), inspired by medieval guilds, was to place all Italians in various professional organizations or "corporations", all of them under governmental control. Mussolini played up to his financial backers at first by transferring a number of industries from public to private ownership. But by the 1930s he had begun moving back to the opposite extreme of rigid governmental control of industry. A great deal of money was spent on highly visible public works, and on international prestige projects such as The Rex, Blue Riband ocean liner [http://www.greatoceanliners.net/rex.html], but the economy suffered from his strenuous efforts to make Italy self-sufficient. A concentration on heavy industry proved problematic, because Italy lacked the basic resources. In foreign policy, Mussolini soon shifted from the pacifist anti-imperialism of his lead-up to power, to an extreme form of aggressive nationalism. An early example of this was his bombardment of Corfu in 1923. Soon after this he succeeded in setting up a puppet regime in Albania and in ruthlessly consolidating Italian power in Libya, loosely a colony since 1912. It was his dream to make the Mediterranean mare nostrum ("our sea" in Latin). In 1935, at the Stresa Conference, he helped create an anti-Hitler front in order to defend the independence of Austria. But his successful war against Abyssinia (Ethiopia) in 1935–1936 was opposed by the League of Nations, this eventually led to Hitler seeking an alliance with fascist Italy. His active intervention in 1936-1939 on the side of Franco in the Spanish Civil War ended any possibility of reconciliation with France and Britain. As a result, he had to accept the German annexation of Austria in 1938 and the dismemberment of Czechoslovakia in 1939. At the Munich Conference in September 1938 he posed as a moderate working for European peace. But his "axis' with Germany was confirmed when he made the "Pact of Steel" with Hitler in May 1939. Clearly the subordinate partner, Mussolini followed the Nazis in adopting a racial policy that led to persecution of the Jews and the creation of apartheid in the Italian empire. Before this, Jews were not specifically persecuted by Mussolini's government, and were permitted to be high members of the Party. In fact, Mussolini has been said to have saved more Jews than even Oskar Schindler. Later, he would refuse to allow Jews to be deported to concentration camps until Germany occupied Italy during the war (a period depicted in the movie, The Garden of the Finzi-Continis). Members of TIGR, a Slovene anti-fascist group, plotted to kill Mussolini in Kobarid in 1938, but this was unsuccessful.

The Axis of Blood and Steel

The term "Axis Powers" was coined by Mussolini, in November 1936, when he spoke of a Rome-Berlin axis in reference to the treaty of friendship signed between Italy and Germany on October 25, 1936. Later, in May 1939, Mussolini would describe the relationship with Germany as a "Pact of Steel", something he had earlier referred to as a "Pact of Blood".

World War II

October 25] As World War II (WWII) approached, Mussolini announced his intention of annexing Malta, Corsica, and Tunis. He spoke of creating a "New Roman Empire" that would stretch east to Palestine and south through Libya and Egypt to Kenya. In April 1939, after a brief war, he annexed Albania, a campaign which strained his military. His armed forces are generally considered to have been unprepared for combat when the German invasion of Poland led to World War II. Mussolini thus decided to remain 'non-belligerent' until he was quite certain which side would win. On June 10, 1940, as the Germans under General Guderian reached the English Channel, Mussolini declared war on Britain and France. In October, Italy attacked Greece and lost in result 1/3 of Albania, until Germany attacked Greece as well. In June 1941, he declared war on the Soviet Union and in December he declared war on the United States. Following Italian defeats on all fronts and the Anglo-American landing in Sicily in 1943, most of Mussolini's colleagues (Count Galeazzo Ciano, the foreign minister and also Mussolini's son-in-law, included) turned against him at a meeting of the Fascist Grand Council on July 25, 1943. King Vittorio Emanuele III called Mussolini to his palace and stripped the dictator of his power. Upon leaving the palace, Mussolini was swiftly arrested. He was then sent to Gran Sasso, a mountain recovery in central Italy (Abruzzo), in complete isolation. Mussolini was replaced by the Maresciallo d'Italia, General Pietro Badoglio, who immediately declared in a famous speech "La guerra continua a fianco dell'alleato germanico" ("The war continues at the side of our Germanic allies"), but was instead working to negotiate a surrender; in a few days (September the 8th) Badoglio would sign an armistice with Allied troops. Rescued by the Germans several months later in a spectacular raid commanded by General Kurt Student, Mussolini set up the Italian Social Republic, a Republican Fascist state (RSI, Repubblica Sociale Italiana) in northern Italy. He lived in Gargnano during this period. But he was little more than a puppet under the protection of the German Army. In this "Republic of Salò", Mussolini returned to his earlier ideas of socialism and collectivization. He also executed some of the Fascist leaders who had abandoned him, including his son-in-law, Galeazzo Ciano. During this period he wrote his memoirs entitled My Rise and Fall.

Death

memoir On April 27, 1945, in the afternoon, near the village of Dongo (Como Lake), just before the Allied armies reached Milan, Mussolini and his mistress Claretta Petacci, were caught by the Italian partisans as he headed for Chiavenna to board a plane for escape to Switzerland. The day after, April 28, they were both executed along with their sixteen-man train, mostly ministers and officials of the Italian Social Republic. The execution took place in the village of Giulino di Mezzegra, and was conducted by "Colonnello Valerio", the partisan commander charged by the CLN (National Liberation Committee) with the task of executing the death sentence issued against Mussolini. The next day the bodies of Il Duce and his mistress were hung, upside down, in Piazzale Loreto (Milan) along with those of other fascists, to be abused by the crowds. Mussolini's body was then buried in an unmarked grave in a Milan cemetery until the 1950s, when his body was moved back to Predappio. It was actually stolen briefly in the late '50s by new-fascists, then again returned to Predappio. Here he was buried in a crypt (the only posthumous honor granted to Mussolini; his tomb is flanked by marble fasces and a large idealized marble bust of himself sits above the tomb.) fasces Mussolini was survived by his wife, Donna Rachele Mussolini, by two sons, Vittorio and Romano Mussolini, and his daughters Edda, the widow of Count Ciano and Anna Maria. A third son, Bruno, had been killed in an air accident while testing a military plane. Mussolini's granddaughter Alessandra, daughter of Romano Mussolini, is currently a deputy in the Republican Chamber and Member of the European Parliament for the right party Alternativa Sociale. After his death, an Italian proverb was created that refers to him: "Those who are always right, always end up in Loreto Square".

Trivia


- In December 2004 he was voted the 34th greatest Italian in a television poll.

References

#The Birth of Fascist Ideology, From Cultural Rebellion to Political Revolution, Zeev Sternhell, with Mario Sznajder and Maia Asheri, trans. by David Maisel, Princeton University Press, NJ, 1994. pg 214. #Mussolini, Torino : Einaudi, Renzo De Felice, 1995.

Writings of Mussolini


- Giovanni Hus (Jan Hus), il verdico Rome (1913) Published in America under John Hus (New York: Albert and Charles Boni, l929) Republished by the Italian Book Co., NY (1939) under John Hus, the Veracious.
- The Cardinal's Mistress (trans. Hiram Motherwell, New York: Albert and Charles Boni, 1928)

See also


- Military history of Italy during World War II
- Revolutionary minded Italians of the inter-war period
- The Italian Economy under Fascism, 1922-1939

External links


- [http://home.comcast.net/~lowe9101/mussolini/ Mussolini In Pictures]
- [http://www.comandosupremo.com/Mussolini.html Comando Supremo: Benito Mussolini]
- [http://www.snopes.com/history/govern/trains.htm Did Mussolini really make the trains run on time?]
- [http://www.phpsolvent.com/images/mussolini.jpg Photograph of Mussolini's corpse and article about the theft of his body]
- [http://www.ilduce.net/ Site about Benito Mussolini] In Italian
- [http://www.publiceye.org/fascist/corporatism.html Is Mussolini quote on corporatism accurate?] Mussolini, Benito Mussolini, Benito Mussolini, Benito Mussolini, Benito Mussolini, Benito Mussolini, Benito Mussolini, Benito Mussolini, Benito Mussolini, Benito Mussolini, Benito Mussolini, Benito ja:ベニート・ムッソリーニ simple:Benito Mussolini

Mussolini (disambiguation)

The name Mussolini can refer to several people:
- Alessandro Mussolini, a blacksmith, and the father of Benito Mussolini
  - Benito Mussolini, fascist dictator of Italy from 1922 to 1943
    - Romano Mussolini, a musician and painter, and the son of Benito Mussolini
      - Alessandra Mussolini, an Italian politician, and the daughter of Romano Mussolini
    - Edda Mussolini, daughter of Benito Mussolini

Forlì

Forlì, , is a comune and city in Emilia-Romagna, Italy, famed as the birthplace of Fascist leader Benito Mussolini. Its 110,209 inhabitants are Forlivesi, because in Antiquity it was called Forum Livii . Current mayor is Nadia Masini. Together with Cesena, Forlì is the capital city of the province of Forlì-Cesena.

History

The surroundings of Forlì have been inhabited since the Paleolithic: a site, Ca' Belvedere of Monte Poggiolo, has revealed thousands of chipped flints in strata dated 800,000 years before present, which indicates a flint-knapping industry producing sharp-edged tools in a pre-Acheulean phase of the Paleolithic [http://web.unife.it/progetti/notes/epoggiol.htm]. About the city of Forlì, the legend would make its founder (188 BC) the consul Marcus Livius Salinator, who confronted Hasdrubal and vanquished him at the banks of the Metaurus River (207 BCE). The old city was destroyed in 88 BC during the civil wars of Marius and Sulla and rebuilt by the praetor Livius Clodius afterwards. Presumambly Forum Livii was a middle-sized city producing agricultural products, which were marketed through the Via Aemilia road. After the collapse of the West, the city formed part of the realms of Odoacer and the Ostrogoth kingdom before becoming an outlier of the Byzantine power of the Exarchate of Ravenna. In the time of the Lombards, the city was contested and was repeatedly retaken by Lombard forces, in 665, 728, 742 until its final incorporation with the Papal States in 757, part of the Donation of Pepin. By the 9th century, but perhaps a century earlier, the city had wrested control from its bishops and was established as one of the independent Italian city-states, the communes that signalled the first revival of urban Italian life. Forlì became a republic for the first time in the 889. In the medieval struggles between Guelphs and Ghibellines, Forlì remained with the Ghibelline factions, partly as a means of preserving its independence, rather than out of loyalty to the temporal power of the papacy. It supported all the Holy Roman Emperors in their adventures in Italy. Their fiercest rivals were Faenza and Bologna. In the centuries, popes many times tried to resume the control of Forlì, sometimes by violence sometimes by allurements. More local competition was involved in loyalties: in 1241, during Frederick II's struggles with Pope Gregory IX the people of Forlì offered their loyal support to Frederick II during the capture of the rival city, Faenza, and, as a sign of gratitude, they were granted an augmentation of the communal coat-of-arms with the Hohenstaufen eagle, together with other privileges. With the collapse of Hohenstaufen power in 1257, Guido da Montefeltro the staunchest imperial lieutenant, was forced to take refuge in Forlì, the only remaining stronghold in Italy of the Ghibelline political power. He accepted the position of capitano del popolo and gained for Forlì some notable victories: against the Bolognesi at the Ponte di San Procolo, on June 15, 1275; against a Guelph allied force, including Florentine troops, at Civitella on November 14, 1276; and at Forlì itself against a powerful French contingent sent by Pope Martin IV, on May 15, 1282, in a battle cited by Dante Alighieri (who was hosted in the city in 1303 by Scarpetta III Ordelaffi). The following year the exhausted city's Senate was forced to accede anyway to papal power and Guido to take his leave. The commune soon submitted to a local condottiere rather than accept a representative of direct papal control, and Simone Mestaguerra had himself proclaimed Lord of Forlì. He did not succeed in leaving the new signory peacefully to an heir, however, and Forlì passed to Maghinardo Pagano, than to Uguccione della Faggiuola (1297), and to others, until in 1302 the Ordelaffi came into power. Local factions with papal support ousted the family several times, in 1327–1329 and again in 1359–1375, and at other turns of events the bishops were expelled by the Ordelaffi: Fra Bartolomeo da Sanzetto (1351), was expelled by Francesco degli Ordelaffi and Bishop Giovanni Capparelli (1427), banished by Antonio degli Ordelaffi. Bishop Luigi Pirano (1437) took an active part in the Council of Ferrara. The most renowned of the Ordelaffi was Pino III, who held the Signiory of Forlì from 1466 to 1480. Pino was a ruthless lord, but anyway enriched its city with new walls and buildings and was a sponsor of art. When he died just 40 years old, perhaps by poison, the situation of Forlì was weakened as contingents of Ordelaffi fought one another, until Pope Sixtus IV claimed the signory for his nephew Gerolamo Riario. Riario was married to Caterina Sforza the indomitable Lady of Forlì, whose name is associated with the city's last independent history. Forlì was seized in 1488 by Visconti and in 1499 by Cesare Borgia, after whose death it was more directly subject to the pope than it had ever been before (apart from an ephimeral return of Ordelaffi in 1503-1504). The diseappearing of Forlì from great history ended in June 1796, when the Jacobine French troops, while Napoleon was here on February 7, 1797. Thenceforth Forlì took part in the struggles for Italy's freedom The diocese of Forlì was established early, for its bishop, venerated as Saint Mercurialis attended the Council of Rimini in 359; later legend moved him back into the Apostolic age. In Melozzo da Forlì the commune produced its single famous painter, who worked in Rome and other Italian cities during the brief years of the High Renaissance. Other famous forlivese are Gian Battista Morgagni, Carlo Cignani, Giuseppe Merenda and Aurelio Saffi.

External links


- [http://www.eng.unibo.it/PortaleEn/Not+Only+Unibo/User+Guide+to+Forli/historical_background "Forlì and its historical background"]
- [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06137a.htm Catholic Encyclopedia]: Diocese of Forlì
- [http://www.almanaccodiforli.it Almanacco di Forlì]: An yearly book of the most important events and chronicles of Forlì
- [http://www.viviforli.it Vivi Forlì]: Events and Fun in Forlì
- [http://www.alessandroronchi.net/forli Un'altra Forlì]: Political events of Forlì
- [http://www.queen.it/citta/forli/monum/chiese/campani.htm Chiesa di San Mewrcuriale: Campanile] (in Italian) ja:フォルリ

1883

1883 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar).

Events


- January 10 - A fire at the Newhall Hotel in Milwaukee kills 71
- January 16 - The Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act, establishing the United States Civil service, is passed
- January 19 - The first electric lighting system employing overhead wires begins service (Roselle, New Jersey) It was built by Thomas Edison.
- February 16 - Ladies Home Journal is published for the first time.
- February 23 - Alabama becomes the first U.S. state to enact an antitrust law.
- February 28 - The first vaudeville theater is opened, in Boston, Massachusetts.
- March - An Australian Catholic school, Star of the Sea College is founded in Elsternwick, Victoria (now known as Gardenstown) by the Irish Presentation Sisters.
- May 24 - Brooklyn Bridge is opened to traffic after 14 years of construction.
- May 30 - In New York City, a rumor that the Brooklyn Bridge was going to collapse causes a stampede which crushes twelve people.
- June 30 - First appearance of The Black Arrow by Robert Louis Stevenson as a serial in Young Folks; A Boys' and Girls' Paper of Instructive and Entertaining Literature
- July 3 - SS Daphne disaster in Glasgow leaves 124 dead.
- July 4 - Worlds first rodeo held in Pecos, TX.
- July 22 – Zulu king Cetshwayo barely escapes rebel attack with his life.
- August - King William's College is opened on the Isle of Man.
- August 12 - The last quagga dies at the Artis Magistra zoo in Amsterdam.
- August 26 - 28 - Krakatau volcano eruption (local time)- 163 villages destroyed, 36380 dead.
- September 15 - The Bombay Natural History Society is founded.
- September 29 - A consortium of flour mill operators in Minneapolis, Minnesota form the Minneapolis, Sault Ste. Marie and Atlantic Railway as a means to get their product to the Great Lakes ports but avoid the high tariffs of Chicago, Illinois.
- October 1 - Sydney Boys High School is founded in Sydney, Australia. It is the first boys public school in Australia.
- October 15 - The Supreme Court of the United States declares part of the Civil Rights Act of 1875 to be unconstitutional since it allowed individuals and corporations to discriminate based on race.
- October 20 - Peru and Chile signed the Treaty of Ancón, by which the Tarapacá province was ceded to the latter, bringing an end to Peru's involvement in the War of the Pacific.
- October 30 - Two Clan na Gael dynamite bombs explode in the London underground, injuring several people. Next day Home Secretary Vernon Harcourt drafts 300 policemen to guard the underground and introduces the Explosives Bill. Public continues as before.
- November 3 - American Old West: Self-described "Black Bart the Po-8" gets away with his last stagecoach robbery, but leaves an incriminating clue that eventually leads to his capture.
- November 18 - US and Canadian railroads institute five standard continental time zones, ending the confusion of thousands of local times.
- November 28 - Whitman College is chartered as a four-year college in Walla Walla, Washington.

Unknown date


- Heinrich Hermann Robert Koch (German.bacteriologist) discovers the cholera bacillus.
- Antonio Gaudi begins to build Sagrada Familia cathedral.
- Fabian Society founded.
- Orient Express begins operation.

Births

January-June


- January 3 - Clement Attlee, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1967)
- January 6 - Khalil Gibran, Lebanese poet, painter, and novelist (d. 1931)
- January 10 - Francis X. Bushman, American actor (d. 1966)
- January 10 - Aleksei Nikolaevich Tolstoi, Russian writer (d. 1945)
- January 21 - Olav Aukrust, Norwegian poet (d. 1929)
- February 15 - Sax Rohmer, English author (d. 1959)
- February 7 - Eubie Blake, American musician and composer (d. 1983)
- February 22 - Marguerite Clark, American silent film actress (d. 1940)
- February 23 - Karl Jaspers, German philosopher (d. 1969)
- February 23 - Victor Fleming, American film director (d. 1949)
- March 19 - Walter Haworth, British chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1950)
- March 19 - Joseph Stilwell, American soldier (d. 1946)
- April 1 - Lon Chaney, Sr., American actor (d. 1930)
- April 11 - Hozumi Shigeto, Japanese author (d. 1951)
- April 15 - Stanley Bruce, eighth Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1967)
- April 30 - Jaroslav Hašek, Czech writer (d. 1923)
- May 1 - Tom Moore, Irish actor (d. 1955)
- May 18 - Walter Gropius, German architect (d. 1969)
- May 20 - King Faisal I of Iraq (d. 1933)
- May 21 - Swan Glassey, inventor (d. 1962)
- May 23 - Douglas Fairbanks, American actor (d. 1939)
- May 31 - Lauri Kristian Relander, President of Finland (d. 1942)
- June 5 - John Maynard Keynes, English economist (d. 1946)
- June 7 - Sylvanus G. Morley, American scholar and World War I spy (d. 1948)
- June 21 - Lluís Companys i Jover, President of Catalonia (d. 1940)
- June 24 - Victor Franz Hess, Austrian-born physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1964)
- June 28 - Pierre Laval, Prime Minister of France (d. 1945)

July-December


- July 3 - Franz Kafka, Austrian writer (d. 1924)
- July 4 - Rube Goldberg, American cartoonist (d. 1970)
- July 29 - Porfirio Barba-Jacob, Colombian writer (d. 1942)
- July 29 - Benito Mussolini, dictator of Italy (d. 1945)
- August 19 - Elsie Ferguson, American actress (d. 1961)
- August 23 - Jesse Pennington, English footballer (d. 1970)
- August 23 - Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright IV, American general (d. 1953)
- August 30 - Theo van Doesburg, Dutch artist, painter, architect, and poet (d. 1931)
- September 15 - Esteban Terradas i Illa, Catalan mathematician, scientist, and engineer (d. 1950)
- October 8 - Otto Heinrich Warburg, German phsyician and physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1970)
- October 26 - Paul Pilgrim, American athlete (d. 1958)
- November 4 - Nikolaos Plastiras, Greek general and politician (d. 1953)
- November 8 - Arnold Bax, English composer (d. 1953)
- November 11 - Ernest Ansermet, Swiss conductor (d. 1969)
- November 18 - Carl Vinson, U. S. Congressman (d. 1981)
- November 25 - Harvey Spencer Lewis, American Rosicrucian mystic (d. 1939)
- November 25 - Merrill C. Meigs, American newspaper publisher and aviation promoter (d. 1968)
- December 3 - Anton Webern, Austrian composer (d. 1945)
- December 13 - Belle da Costa Greene, librarian, bibliographer, archivist (d. 1950)
- December 16 ? Max Linder, French actor (d. 1925)
- December 22 - Edgar Varèse, French composer (d. 1965)
- December 25 - Maurice Utrillo, French artist and illustrator (d. 1955)

Unknown date


- Alberto Gerchunoff, Argentine writer (d. 1949)
- T. F. O'Rahilly, Irish academic
- Lothrop Stoddard, American eugenicist and racist (d. 1950)

Deaths


- January 10 - Samuel Mudd, American doctor to John Wilkes Booth (b. 1833)
- January 23 - Gustave Doré, French artist (b. 1832)
- January 24 - Friedrich von Flotow, German composer (b. 1812)
- February 13 - Richard Wagner, German composer (b. 1813)
- February 17 - Napoleon Coste, French guitarist and composer (b. 1806)
- March 14 - Karl Marx, German philosopher (b. 1818)
- April 30 - Edouard Manet, French painter (b. 1832)
- May 24 - Abdel Kadir, Algerian leader (b. 1808)
- May 26 - Edward Sabine, Irish astronomer (b. 1788)
- July 22 - Edward Ord, U.S. Army officer (b. 1818)
- September 3 - Ivan Turgenev, Russian writer (b. 1818)
- October 30 - Robert Volkmann, German composer (b. 1815)
- December 13 - Victor de Laprade, French poet and critic (b. 1812) Category:1883 ko:1883년 ms:1883 simple:1883 th:พ.ศ. 2426

Como

:For other uses, see Como (disambiguation) ---- Como is a city in Lombardy, Italy, 45 km north of Milan; the capital of the province of Como, it borders Lake Como.

Geographical features

Population

Lake Como In 2001 Como had 78,315 inhabitants (36,805 male and 41,510 female), with a density of 2097.4 people/km2. (Source: ISTAT)

History

Some famous historical people associated with Como are:
- Pliny the Elder
- Pliny the Younger
- Pope Innocent XI
- Alessandro Volta
- Giuseppe Terragni Considerable historic buildings in Como are: 1. The cathedral, built between XIV and XVIII centuries, which is connected to the ancient town hall of the city, the "broletto", 2. The romanic church of S. Abbondio, with beautiful paintings dating to the XI century. 3. Casa del Fascio, designed by Giuseppe Terragni. Possibly Terragni's most famous work, it stands as an early "landmark of modern European architecture". http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Casa_del_Fascio.html

Economy

The economy of Como was traditional based on industry (world-famous silk manufacturers): in recent years tourism has started to increase as an important sector: many VIPs have settled on the shores of the Lake of Como (for example Madonna, George Clooney, Versace, Sylvester Stallone) granting an international fame to the city.

External links

[http://www.comune.como.it/ Official homepage Comune di Como (Italian/English)] Category:Cities in Lombardy Category:Towns in Lombardy ja:コモ

April 28

April 28 is the 118th day of the year (119th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 247 days remaining.

Events


- 1253 - Nichiren, a Japanese Buddhist monk, propounds Nam Myoho Renge Kyo for the first time and declares it to be the essence of Buddhism, in effect founding Nichiren Buddhism.
- 1788 - Maryland becomes the 7th state to ratify the Constitution of the United States.
- 1789 - Mutiny on the HMS Bounty. Captain William Bligh and 18 sailors are set adrift and the rebel crew sets sail for Pitcairn Island.
- 1796 - The Armistice of Cherasco is signed by Napoleon Bonaparte and Vittorio Amedeo III, the King of Sardinia, expanding French territory along the Mediterranean coast.
- 1862 - American Civil War: Admiral David Farragut captures New Orleans, Louisiana.
- 1920 - Azerbaijan is added to the Soviet Union.
- 1930 - The first night game in organized baseball history takes place in Independence, Kansas.
- 1932 - A vaccine for yellow fever is announced for use on humans.
- 1945 - Benito Mussolini and his mistress Clara Petacci are executed by members of the Italian resistance movement.
- 1947 - Thor Heyerdahl and five crewmates set out from Peru on the Kon-Tiki to prove that Peruvian natives could have settled Polynesia.
- 1950 - King of Thailand, Bhumibol Adulyadej, got married with his queen,Queen Sirikit, after their quiet engagement in Lausanne, Switzerland on July 19, 1949.
- 1952 - Dwight D. Eisenhower resigns as Supreme Commander of NATO in order to run for President of the United States.
- 1952 - Occupied Japan: The United States occupation of Japan ends.
- 1965 - United States troops land in the Dominican Republic to "forestall establishment of a Communist dictatorship" and to evacuate U.S. citizens.
- 1967 - Expo 67 opens in Montréal, Québec, Canada
- 1969 - Charles de Gaulle resigns as President of France.
- 1970 - Vietnam War: U.S. President Richard M. Nixon formally authorizes American combat troops to fight communist sanctuaries in Cambodia.
- 1977 - The Red Army Faction trial ends, with Andreas Baader, Gudrun Ensslin and Jan-Carl Raspe found guilty of four counts of murder and more than 30 counts of attempted murder.
- 1977 - The Budapest Treaty on the International Recognition of the Deposit of Microorganisms for the Purposes of Patent Procedure is signed.
- 1978 - President of Afghanistan Mohammed Daoud Khan is overthrown and assassinated in a coup led by pro-communist rebels.
- 1981 - Galician current Statute of Autonomy
- 1987 - U.S. engineer Ben Linder is killed in an ambush by US-funded Contras in northern Nicaragua.
- 1988 - Near Maui, Hawaii, a flight attendant is sucked out of Aloha Flight 243, a Boeing 737, and falls to her death when an upper part of the plane's cabin area rips off in mid-flight. Metal fatigue is later found to be the cause of the failure.
- 1990 - After 6,237 performances, the Broadway musical A Chorus Line closes.
- 1994 - Former Central Intelligence Agency official Aldrich Ames pleads guilty to giving U.S. secrets to the Soviet Union and later Russia.
- 1996 - Whitewater scandal: President Bill Clinton gives 4 1/2 hour videotaped testimony for the defense.
- 1996 - Port Arthur massacre: Martin Bryant kills 35 people and wounds another 18 in Tasmania, Australia.
- 1997 - The 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention goes into effect. Russia, Iraq and North Korea were notable nations who had not ratified the treaty.
- 2001 - Millionnaire Dennis Tito becomes the world's first space tourist.
- 2003 - Apple Computer's iTunes Music Store launches, selling 1 million songs in its first week.
- 2003 - Iraq, 15 unarmed teenagers were killed by american forces in front of a school during a demostration; marking the beginning of the Falluja riots that took place during April 2003.
- 2004 - Pictures of abuse and torture of prisoners by U.S. armed forces at Abu Ghraib prison are first shown on 60 minutes.
- 2005 - The Patent Law Treaty goes into effect.

Births


- 1442 - King Edward IV of England (d. 1483)
- 1630 - Charles Cotton, English poet (d. 1687)
- 1686 - Michael Brokoff, Czech sculptor (d. 1721)
- 1715 - Franz Sparry, composer (d. 1767)
- 1758 - James Monroe, 5th President of the United States (d. 1831)
- 1819 - Ezra Abbot, American Bible scholar (d. 1884)
- 1838 - Tobias Michael Carel Asser, Dutch jurist, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (d. 1913)
- 1874 - Karl Kraus, Austrian journalist and author (d. 1936)
- 1878 - Lionel Barrymore, American actor (d. 1954)
- 1886 - Ğabdulla Tuqay, Russian poet (d. 1913)
- 1889 - António de Oliveira Salazar, dictator of Portugal (d. 1970)
- 1900 - Jan Oort, Dutch astronomer (d. 1992)
- 1903 - Johan Borgen, Norwegian author (d. 1979)
- 1906 - Kurt Gödel, Austrian mathematician (d. 1978)
- 1906 - Paul Sacher, Swiss conductor (d. 1999)
- 1908 - Oskar Schindler, Austrian businessman (d. 1974)
- 1912 - Odette Sansom, French spy (d. 1995)
- 1916 - Ferruccio Lamborghini, Italian automobile manufacturer (d. 1993)
- 1921 - Rowland Evans, American journalist and commentator (d. 2001)
- 1924 - Kenneth Kaunda, President of Zambia
- 1926 - Harper Lee, American author
- 1928 - Yves Klein, French painter (d. 1962)
- 1928 - Eugene M. Shoemaker, American planetary scientist (d. 1997)
- 1930 - James Baker, American politician
- 1930 - Carolyn Jones, American actress (d. 1983)
- 1937 - Saddam Hussein, former leader of Iraq
- 1938 - Madge Sinclair, Jamaican actress (d. 1995)
- 1941 - Ann-Margret, Swedish-born actress
- 1941 - K. Barry Sharpless, American chemist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1943 - Jacques Dutronc, French singer and actor
- 1944 - Jean-Claude Van Cauwenberghe, Belgian politician
- 1948 - Terry Pratchett, English author
- 1948 - Marcia Strassman, American actress
- 1950 - Jay Leno, American comedian and television host
- 1952 - Mary McDonnell, American actress
- 1953 - Kim Gordon, American musician (Sonic Youth)
- 1955 - Paul Guilfoyle, American actor
- 1956 - Jimmy Barnes, Scottish-born singer
- 1958 - Hal Sutton, American golfer
- 1960 - John Cerutti, baseball player and announcer (d. 2004)
- 1966 - John Daly, American golfer
- 1966 - Too $hort, American rapper
- 1970 - Nicklas Lidström, Swedish Hockey player
- 1970 - Diego Simeone, Argentine footballer
- 1973 - Elisabeth Röhm, American actress
- 1974 - Penélope Cruz, Spanish actress
- 1974 - Richel Hersisia, Dutch boxer
- 1979 - Jorge Garcia, American actor
- 1981 - Jessica Alba, American actress

Deaths


- 1192 - Conrad of Montferrat, King of Jerusalem
- 1498 - Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland, English politician (killed in battle)
- 1533 - Nicholas West, English bishop and diplomat (b. 1461)
- 1695 - Henry Vaughan, Welsh poet (b. 1621)
- 1710 - Thomas Betterton, English actor
- 1726 - Thomas Pitt, British Governor of Madras (b. 1653)
- 1772 - Johann Friedrich Struensee, physician of Christian VII of Denmark (b. 1737)
- 1781 - Cornelius Harnett, American delegate to the Continental Congress]] (b. 1723)
- 1813 - Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov, Russian field marshal (b. 1745)
- 1816 - Johann Heinrich Abicht, German philosopher (b. 1862)
- 1841 - Peter Chanel, French saint (b. 1803)
- 1853 - Ludwig Tieck, German writer (b. 1773)
- 1858 - Johannes Peter Müller, German physiologist (b. 1801)
- 1905 - Fitzhugh Lee, American Confederate general (b. 1835)
- 1926 - Zip the Pinhead, American freak show performer (b. 1857)
- 1945 - Benito Mussolini, Italian fascist dictator (b. 1882)
- 1945 - Clara Petacci, Italian mistress of Benito Mussolini (shot) (b. 1912)
- 1945 - Roberto Farinacci, Italian fascist (b. 1892)
- 1954 - Léon Jouhaux, French labor leader, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1879)
- 1973 - Clas Thunberg, Finnish speed skater (d. 1893)
- 1978 - Sardar Mohammed Daoud, President of Afghanistan (shot) (b. 1909)
- 1970 - Ed Begley, American actor (b. 1901)
- 1992 - Francis Bacon, Anglo-Irish painter (b. 1909)
- 1992 - Iceberg Slim, American writer (b. 1918)
- 1993 - Jim Valvano, American basketball coach (b. 1946)
- 1999 - Rory Calhoun, American actor (b. 1922)
- 1999 - Arthur Leonard Schawlow, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1921)
- 2000 - Penelope Fitzgerald, English writer (b. 1916)
- 2002 - Alexander Lebed, Russian general (b. 1950)
- 2002 - Lou Thesz, American wrestler (b. 1916)
- 2005 - Chris Candido, professional wrestler (b. 1972)

Holidays and observances


- Roman Empire - first day of the Floralia in honor of Flora
- Bahá'í Faith - Feast of Jamál (Beauty) - First day of the third month of the Bahá'í Calendar
- [http://www.ilo.org/public/english/protection/safework/worldday/ World Day for Safety and Health at Work]
- Feast day of the following saints in the Roman Catholic Church:
  - Saints Theodora and Didymus
  - Arthemius
  - Saints Vitalis and Valeria
  - Patritius
  - Luchesius
  - Louis Marie Grignon of Montfort
  - Peter Chanel

External links


- [http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/april/28 BBC: On This Day] ---- April 27 - April 29 - March 28 - May 28 – listing of all days ko:4월 28일 ms:28 April ja:4月28日 simple:April 28 th:28 เมษายน

1945

1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar).

Events

January


- January 5 - The Soviet Union recognizes the new pro-Soviet government of Poland.
- January 7 - British General Bernard Montgomery holds a press conference at Zonhoven describing his contribution to the Battle of the Bulge.
- January 12 - World War II: The Soviet Union begin a very large offensive in Eastern Europe against the Nazis.
- January 13 - A Soviet patrol arrests Raoul Wallenberg in Hungary.
- January 16 - Adolf Hitler moves into his underground bunker, the so-called Führerbunker
- January 17 - World War II: Soviets occupy Warsaw
- January 17 - Holocaust: Nazis begin to evacuate from Auschwitz concentration camp
- January 20 - Franklin D. Roosevelt is inaugurated to an unprecedented fourth term as President of the United States.
- January 20 - Hungary drops out of the Second World War, agreeing to an armistice with the Allies.
- January 24 - First successful launch of the German A4b-Rocket
- January 27 - The Red Army arrives at Auschwitz and Birkenau in Poland and find the Nazi concentration camp where 1.3 million people were murdered.
- January 28 - World War II: Supplies begin to reach China over the newly reopened Burma Road.
- January 30 - The Wilhelm Gustloff with about 10,000 Nazi troops and refugees from Gotenhafen in the Gdansk Bay sunk with three torpedoes from the Soviet submarine S-13. More 9,300 drowned in the Baltic Sea.
- January 31 - Eddie Slovik is executed by firing squad for desertion, the first American soldier since the American Civil War and last to date to be executed for this offence.

February


- February 2 - World War II: President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill leave to meet with Soviet leader Joseph Stalin at the Yalta Conference.
- February 3 - World War II: Russia agrees to enter the Pacific Theatre conflict against Japan.
- February 4 - World War II: President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin begin the Yalta Conference (ends February 11)
- February 6 - Reggae musician Bob Marley (Robert Nesta) is born at Nine Miles, St. Ann, Jamaica.
- February 6 - French writer Robert Brasillach executed for collaboration with the Germans
- February 7 - World War II: General Douglas MacArthur returns to Manila
- February 9 - Walter Ulbricht becomes the leader of German communists in Moscow
- February 10 - World War II: The SS General von Steuben sunk by the Soviet submarine S-13.
- February 13 - World War II: Soviet Union forces capture Budapest, Hungary from the Nazis.
- February 13 - World War II: The British Air Force bombs Dresden, Germany.
- February 14 - Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay and Peru join the United Nations.
- February 16 - World War II: American forces land on Corregidor island in the Philippines.
- February 16 - American forces recapture the Bataan Peninsula
- February 19 - World War II: Battle of Iwo Jima - about 30,000 United States Marines landed on Iwo Jima starting the battle.
- February 21 - Last launch of an A4-rocket at Peenemünde
- February 23 - World War II: Following the American victory at the Battle of Iwo Jima, a group of United States Marines reach the top of Mount Surabachi on the island and are photographed raising the American flag. The photo will later win a Pulitzer Prize.
- February 23 - World War II: The capital of the Philippines, Manila, is liberated by American forces.
- February 23 - World War II: Capitulation of German garrison in Poznań, city is liberated by Red Army and Polish forces.
- February 24 - Egyptian Premier Ahmed Maher Pasha is killed in Parliament after reading a decree.

March


- March 1 - Jesse Holman Jones starts his term of office as U.S. Secretary of Commerce, serving under President Franklin D. Roosevelt
- March 2 - Launch of the Natter from Stetten am kalten Markt. The Natter was the first manned rocket and developed as anti-aircraft weapon. The launch failed and the pilot died.
- March 3 - World War II: Previously neutral Finland declares war on the Axis powers.
- March 3 - A possible experimental atomic test blast occurs at the Nazis' Ohrdruf military testing area [http://www.recorder.ca/cp/World/050314/w031435A.html].
- March 6 - Communist-led government formed in Romania
- March 7 - World War II: American troops seize the bridge over the Rhine River at Remagen, Germany and begin to cross.
- March 8 - Josip Broz Tito forms a government in Yugoslavia
- March 9-March 10 - World War II: American B-29 bombers attack Japan with incendiary bombs. Tokyo is fire-bombed killing 100,000 citizens.
- March 16 - World War II: The Battle of Iwo Jima ends but small pockets of Japanese resistance persist.
- March 17 - World War II: Japanese city of Kobe is fire-bombed by 331 B-29 bombers, killing over 8,000.
- March 18 - World War II: 1,250 American bombers attack Berlin.
- March 19 - World War II: Adolf Hitler orders that all industries, military installations, shops, transportation facilities and communications facilities in Germany be destroyed.
- March 19 - Off the coast of Japan, bombers hit the aircraft carrier USS Franklin, killing 800 of her crew and crippling the ship.
- March 21 - World War II: British troops liberate Mandalay, Burma
- March 22 - The Arab League was formed with the adoption of a charter in Cairo, Egypt.
- March 30 - World War II: Soviet Union forces invade Austria and take Vienna. Alger Hiss congratulated in Moscow for his part in bringing about the Western betrayal at the Yalta Conference.
- From February 14, 1936, to March 1, 1945, AG Weser launched a total of 162 U-boats.

April


- April 1 - World War II: United States troops land on Okinawa in the last campaign of the war. The Battle of Okinawa starts.
- April 4 - World War II: American troops liberate Ohrdruf death camp in Germany.
- April 7 - World War II: The Japanese battleship Yamato is sunk 200 miles north of Okinawa while in-route to a suicide mission.
- April 9 - Abwehr conspirators Wilhelm Canaris, Hans Oster, and Hans Dohanyi are hanged at Flossenberg concentration camp along with pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
- April 10 - The Allied Forces liberated their first Nazi concentration camp, Buchenwald.
- April 12 - United States President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1933-1945) dies in office; Vice President Harry S. Truman (1945-1953) takes the Oath of Office.
- April 15 - Bergen-Belsen concentration camp liberated.
- April 16 - World War II: The Goya sunk by the Soviet submarine L-3.
- April 25 - Founding negotiations of United Nations in San Francisco
- April 25 - World War II: Elbe Day, United States and Russian troops link up at the Elbe River, cutting Germany in two
- April 27 - U.S. Ordinance troops find the coffins of Frederick Wilhelm I, Frederick the Great, Paul Von Hindenburg,and his wife
- April 28 - Italian dictator Benito Mussolini and his mistress, Clara Petacci, are hanged upside down by Italian partisans as they attempt to flee the country.
- April 29 - Start of Operation Manna.
- April 30 - Adolf Hitler and his wife of one day, Eva Braun, commit suicide as Red Army approaches Führerbunker in Berlin. Karl Dönitz succeeds Hitler as President of Germany. Joseph Goebbels succeeds Hitler as Chancellor of Germany.

May


- May 1 - Joseph Goebbels and his wife commit suicide after killing their 6 children. Karl Dönitz appoints Count Lutz Schwerin von Krosigk as the new Chancellor of Germany.
- May 1 - World War II: Troops of Yugoslav 4th Army together with Slovene 9th Corpus NOV enter Trieste.
- May 2 - World War II: The Soviet Union announces the fall of Berlin. Soviet soldiers hoist the red flag over the Reichstag building.
- May 2 - World War II: Troops of New Zealand Army 2nd Division enter Trieste a day after the Yugoslavs. German Army in Trieste surrenders to the New Zealand Army.
- May 2 - The last postage stamp utilized by Manzhouguo is issued.
- May 3 - World War II: Sinkings of the floating-jails Cap Arcona, Thielbek and Deutschland by the RAF in the Lübeck Bay.
- May 3 - Rocket scientist Wernher von Braun and 120 members of his team surrender to US forces. They later help start the US space program.
- May 4 - World War II: Liberation of the concentration camp Neuengamme near Hamburg by the British army.
- May 4 - World War II: Reddition of the North Germany army by Marshal Bernard Montgomery.
- May 4 - World War II: Holland liberated by Canadians troops. [http://www-lib.usc.edu/~anthonya/war/lib.htm]
- May 5 - World War II: Prague uprising against the Nazis.
- May 5 - Ezra Pound, poet and author, is arrested by American soldiers in Italy for treason.
- May 5 - World War II: US armored unit liberates prisoners of Mauthausen concentration camp - including Simon Wiesenthal
- May 5 - World War II: Canadian soldiers liberate the city of Amsterdam from Nazi occupation.
- May 5 - World War II: Admiral Karl Dönitz orders all U-boats to cease offensive operations and return to their bases.
- May 5 - World War II: A Japanese balloon bomb killed five children and a woman, Elsie Mitchell near Lakeview, Oregon, when it exploded as they dragged it from the woods. They were the only people killed by enemy attack on the United States mainland during World War II.
- May 6 - World War II: Axis Sally delivers her last propaganda broadcast to Allied troops (first was on December 11, 1941).
- May 7 - World War II: General Alfred Jodl signs unconditional surrender terms at Reims, France, ending Germany's participation in the war. The document will take effect the next day.
- May 8 - World War II: V-E Day (Victory in Europe, as Nazi Germany surrenders) commemorates the end of World War II in Europe.
- May 8 - World War II: British 8th Army together with Slovene partisan troops and motorized detachment of Yugoslav 4th Army arrives to Carinthia and Klagenfurt.
- May 8-May 29 - In Algeria