- 1821 5 May Former emperor of France, Napoleon Bonaparte, dies in exile on the South Atlantic island of St Helena.
- 1980 5 May The SAS storms the Iranian embassy in London, freeing 19 hostages held by terrorists.
- 1981 5 May IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands, who had been elected an MP, dies in the Maze prison, Northern Ireland.
World War One Centenary
- Find out more about how the BBC is covering the World War One Centenary, and see the latest programmes and online content
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