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 is a two-day inferno in burning scrub: 18,000 Union casualties. Then, at the Brock Road crossroads, the army turns south instead of back — and the men cheer. This general does not retreat.
READ THIS MOMENT → · SEE IT ON THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR MAP → · THE FULL STORY →
— Sinking of the Lusitania
7 May 1915 — U-20 torpedoes the liner off the Irish coast: 1,198 civilians drown, 128 of them American. The dead of the submarine war deserve their own memory — and the outrage begins 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. A European empire is beaten in open battle; Geneva partitions Vietnam within weeks.
READ THIS MOMENT → · SEE IT ON THE COLD WAR MAP → · THE FULL STORY →
THE FREE PRINTABLE STUDY GUIDE
Join the Dispatch — a short welcome series, then a letter when a new atlas opens — and a printable atlas study guide of your choice is yours now, free.
NO TRACKING · YOUR ADDRESS IS USED FOR THE DISPATCH AND NOTHING ELSE · UNSUBSCRIBE ANYTIME