Today in history 55

Here are some historical events that occurred on this day, May 5th, in the past:

1554: Mary Queen of Scots is forced to abdicate the Scottish throne in favor of her one-year-old son, James VI, who becomes King of Scotland.

1809: The USS Chesapeake, a United States Navy frigate, is attacked and captured by the HMS Leopard, a British Royal Navy ship, off the coast of Virginia.

1862: The Battle of Yorktown begins during the American Civil War, as Union forces led by General George McClellan begin a siege of Confederate forces led by General John Magruder.

1916: The Easter Rising, a rebellion against British rule in Ireland, begins in Dublin.

1945: World War II: The German town of Braunau am Inn is liberated by American forces.

1955: The first successful kidney transplant is performed by Dr. Joseph Murray and Dr. David Hume at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts.

1961: Alan Shepard becomes the first American in space, aboard the Mercury-Redstone 3 spacecraft.

1980: The United States Olympic hockey team, composed of amateur and collegiate players, defeats the heavily favored Soviet Union team 4-3 in the "Miracle on Ice" game during the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York.

1994: The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is signed into law by President Bill Clinton.

These are just a few of the many historical events that have occurred on May 5th.