THIS DAY IN HISTORY

[IceWizard]

Allies end occupation
of West Germany






1955
May 05




The Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) becomes a sovereign state when the United States,
France and Great Britain end their military occupation, which had begun in 1945. With this action,
West Germany was given the right to rearm and become a full-fledged member of the western alliance
against the Soviet Union.

In 1945, the United States, Great Britain, and France had assumed the occupation of the western
portion of Germany (as well as the western half of Berlin, situated in eastern Germany). The Soviet Union
occupied eastern Germany, as well as the eastern half of Berlin. As Cold War animosities began to harden
between the western powers and Russia, it became increasingly obvious that Germany would not be
reunified. By the late-1940s, the United States acted to formalize the split and establish western Germany
as an independent republic, and in May 1949, the Federal Republic of Germany was formally announced.

In 1954, West Germany joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the mutual defense alliance
between the United States and several European nations. All that remained was for the Americans, British,
and French to end their nearly 10-year occupation. This was accomplished on May 5, 1955, when those
nations issued a proclamation declaring an end to the military occupation of West Germany. Under the terms
of an agreement reached earlier, West Germany would now be allowed to establish a military force of up to
a half-million men and resume the manufacture of arms, though it was forbidden from producing any
chemical or atomic weapons.

The end of the Allied occupation of West Germany meant a full recognition of the republic as a member of
the western alliance against the Soviet Union. While the Russians were less than thrilled by the prospect of a
rearmed West Germany, they were nonetheless pleased that German reunification had officially become a
dead issue. Shortly after the May 5 proclamation was issued, the Soviet Union formally recognized the
Federal Republic of Germany. The two Germany’s remained separated until 1990, when they were formally
reunited and once again became a single democratic country.





ALSO ON THIS DAY



SPORTS
1904
Cy Young pitches first perfect game in MLB history

On May 5, 1904, 37-year-old Cy Young pitches the first perfect game in modern Major League
Baseball history as the Boston Americans defeat the Philadelphia Athletics, 3-0. Young strikes
out eight of the 27 batters he faces and benefits from excellent defense in a game that is ... read more


ROARING TWENTIES
1921
Chanel No. 5 perfume launches

On May 5, 1921, a date of symbolic importance to its iconic creator, the perfume Chanel No. 5
officially debuts in Coco Chanel’s boutique on the Rue Cambon in Paris. The new fragrance immediately
revolutionized the perfume industry and remained popular for a century. Gabrielle ... read more





ART, LITERATURE, AND FILM HISTORY
1967
"One Hundred Years of Solitude" is published

On May 5, 1967, Gabriel Garcia Márquez's Cien años de soledad, or One Hundred Years of Solitude, is
first published. The book, often referred to as a defining work of Latin American literature, made Márquez
a prime candidate for the Nobel Prize in Literature, which he was awarded ... read more





ART, LITERATURE, AND FILM HISTORY
2002
“Spider-Man” becomes first movie to top
$100 million in opening weekend

Directed by Sam Raimi and starring Tobey Maguire in the title role, the eagerly awaited
comic book adaptation Spider-Man was released on Friday, May 3, 2002, and quickly
became the fastest movie ever to earn more than $100 million at the box office, raking
in a staggering $114.8 ... read more





FRANCE
1821
Napoleon dies in exile

Napoleon Bonaparte, the former French ruler who once ruled an empire that stretched
across Europe, dies as a British prisoner on the remote island of Saint Helena in the
southern Atlantic Ocean. The Corsica-born Napoleon, one of the greatest military
strategists in history, ... read more


MEXICO
1862
Outnumbered Mexican army defeats
French at Battle of Puebla

During the French-Mexican War (1861-1867), an outnumbered Mexican army defeats
a powerful invading French force at Puebla. The retreat of the French troops at the
Battle of Puebla represented a great moral victory for the people of Mexico, symbolizing
the country’s ability to ... read more


WORLD WAR II
1945
Six killed in Oregon by Japanese bomb

In Lakeview, Oregon, Mrs. Elsie Mitchell and five neighborhood children are killed while
attempting to drag a Japanese balloon out the woods. Unbeknownst to Mitchell and
the children, the balloon was armed, and it exploded soon after they began tampering
with it. They were the ... read more






1980S
1981
IRA militant Bobby Sands dies

On May 5, 1981, imprisoned Irish-Catholic militant Bobby Sands dies after refusing
food for 66 days in protest of his treatment as a criminal rather than a political prisoner
by British authorities. His death immediately touched off widespread rioting in
Belfast, as young ... read more





SPACE EXPLORATION
1961
Alan Shepard becomes the first American in space

On May 5, 1961, Navy Commander Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr. is launched into space
aboard the Freedom 7 space capsule, becoming the first American astronaut to travel
into space. The suborbital flight, which lasted 15 minutes and reached a height of
116 miles into the atmosphere, ... read more





NATIVE AMERICAN HISTORY
1877
Sitting Bull leads his people into Canada

Nearly a year after the Battle of the Little Bighorn, Sitting Bull and a band of followers
cross into Canada hoping to find safe haven from the U.S. Army. On June 25, 1876,
Sitting Bull’s warriors had joined with other Native peoples in the Battle of the
Little Bighorn in ... read more


ART, LITERATURE, AND FILM HISTORY
1816
The Examiner publishes John Keats’ first poem

The first published poem by 20-year-old John Keats appears in The Examiner on
May 5, in 1816. Unlike many writers of his day, Keats came from a lower-middle-class
background. His father worked at a stable in London and eventually married the
owner’s daughter. John was the first ... read more


CRIME
2004
Human remains found in suitcase near Virginia Beach

On May 5, 2004, a suitcase holding what is later identified as the partial remains of
William McGuire, a 39-year-old Navy veteran and computer analyst is pulled from the
water near Virginia Beach. A second suitcase of body parts was found nearby on May 11,
and a third washed up ... read more





WORLD WAR I
1919
Italian delegates return to Paris peace conference

On May 5, 1919, the delegation from Italy—led by Prime Minister Vittorio Orlando and
Foreign Minister Sidney Sonnino—returns to the Versailles Peace Conference in Paris, France,
after leaving abruptly 11 days earlier during contentious negotiations over the territory
Italy would ... read more