Here’s a brief look back in time for this day, May 7.
In 1824, Ludwig van Beethoven debuts Symphony No. 9 to a massive audience at the Theater am Kärntnertor in Vienna, Austria. At this point, he had completely lost his hearing years prior, and would be his final composition before passing away at the age of 56 in 1827. Symphony No. 9 is considered to be one of the best musical compositions ever written as modern composers continue to perform the masterpiece to sold-out crowds across the world.
In 1915, the passenger ship RMS Lusitania is sunk by a German U-Boat in the middle of World War I during a trip from Liverpool to New York. Around 1,200 out of the 1,960 passengers and crew onboard were killed in the attack; 128 of them were found to be U.S. citizens. This contributed to the United States getting involved in World War I, which at that point was primarily a European conflict.
In 1945, at 2:41 a.m. local time in the city of Reims, France, General Alfred Jodl of the German Armed Forces High Command signs a document declaring unconditional surrender to the Allies. All German forces in both the eastern and western fronts were ordered to end operations at 11:01 Central European Time on May 8. Once news got out, crowds and cheers erupted across the world as Nazi Germany’s empire collapses. This was the end of World War II in Europe, officially known as VE Day (or Victory in Europe Day). The United States at this point still remains in conflict with the Empire of Japan.