THE DAY IN HISTORY · MAY 7
May 7 in history
What happened on May 7: 4 moments from the Maps of History atlases, in 1864, 1915, 1945 and 1954, each linked to the map that shows it.
— Battle of the Wilderness
5–7 May 1864 — Grant’s first battle against Lee rages for two days in burning scrub, with 18,000 Union casualties. At the Brock Road crossroads afterward, the army turns south rather than back. The men cheer: their general is continuing the campaign instead of retreating.
READ THIS MOMENT → · SEE IT ON THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR MAP → · THE FULL STORY →
— Sinking of the Lusitania
7 May 1915 — Off the Irish coast, U-20 torpedoes the liner Lusitania. Of the 1,198 civilians who drown, 128 are American. The submarine war’s dead deserve their own remembrance; outrage at their loss also starts the countdown on American neutrality.
READ THIS MOMENT → · SEE IT ON THE WWI MAP → · THE FULL STORY →
At a schoolhouse in Reims, Germany signs unconditional surrender. The war in Europe is over at one minute past midnight tomorrow.
READ THIS MOMENT → · SEE IT ON THE WW2 MAP →
— Battle of Dien Bien Phu
13 Mar–7 May 1954 — Giap’s peasant army hauls artillery up jungle mountains and destroys a French fortress of 15,000 at Dien Bien Phu. A European empire has been beaten in open battle. Within weeks, Geneva partitions Vietnam.
READ THIS MOMENT → · SEE IT ON THE COLD WAR MAP → · THE FULL STORY →
THE FREE PRINTABLE STUDY GUIDE
Get a printable atlas study guide of your choice free. I’ll send you a few short letters, then one when a new atlas opens. That’s all. — Paul
NO TRACKING · YOUR ADDRESS IS USED FOR THE DISPATCH AND NOTHING ELSE · UNSUBSCRIBE ANYTIME