On 7 May in poetry and history
Poets born or who died on this date, plus historical events that happened on this day across history.
610 poets with calendar dates · 6,535 events with calendar dates in the catalogue
4 birthdays · 7 world events on 7 May
Birthdays
World events on this day
-
Lusitania Is Torpedoed off Ireland
The German submarine U-20 torpedoed RMS Lusitania off the coast of County Cork, Ireland, on 7 May 1915. The liner sank rapidly, killing nearly 1,200 passengers and crew, including 128 Americans. The attack intensified anti-German feeling and influenced opinion in the neutral United States.
-
WHO Launches the Expanded Programme on Immunization
The World Health Organization launched the Expanded Programme on Immunization to improve access to routine childhood vaccines. It targeted diseases including measles, polio, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, and tuberculosis.
-
New Orleans is founded
In 1718, the French founded New Orleans near the mouth of the Mississippi River. The city became the administrative centre of French Louisiana. Its location made it a meeting place of French, African, Indigenous, Caribbean and later Spanish cultures.
-
Beethoven Completes Ninth Symphony
Ludwig van Beethoven premiered his Ninth Symphony in Vienna in 1824, incorporating Friedrich Schiller's 'Ode to Joy' in the final movement's choral finale. This was the first major symphony to include vocal soloists and chorus, breaking classical conventions. Composed when Beethoven was completely deaf, the work expressed universal brotherhood and joy transcending individual suffering, becoming one of Western music's most celebrated compositions.
-
The Outbreak of the European Absinthe Ban
Driven by intense pressure from powerful temperance groups, traditional wine lobbies, and widespread public moral panic surrounding the violent crimes of 'absinthism', France formally banned the manufacture and sale of absinthe, following similar prohibitions in Switzerland and the United States. The high-proof, emerald-green anise spirit, infused with wormwood (*Artemisia absinthium*), had been the most popular alcoholic beverage of nineteenth-century urban culture. The prohibition forced a sudden restructuring of continental European drinking habits and distillery economies.
-
Sinking of the RMS Lusitania
The sinking of the RMS Lusitania on May 7, 1915, by a German U-boat resulted in the deaths of nearly 1,200 civilians, including many Americans. This tragic event escalated tensions between Germany and the United States, contributing to America's entry into World War I. The Lusitania disaster highlighted the dangers of unrestricted submarine warfare and had lasting implications for international maritime law.
-
Called to the Bar
On May 7, 1840, Philip James Bailey was called to the bar, officially becoming a barrister. Despite this achievement, he never pursued a legal career, instead focusing on his literary ambitions. This moment symbolized the tension between societal expectations and his true calling as a poet.