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Events on May 5 in history

Fire balloon
1945May, 5

World War II: Six people are killed when a Japanese fire balloon explodes near Bly, Oregon. They are the only Americans killed in the continental US during the war.

An incendiary balloon (or balloon bomb) is a balloon inflated with a lighter-than-air gas such as hot air, hydrogen, or helium, that has a bomb, incendiary device, or Molotov cocktail attached. The balloon is carried by the prevailing winds to the target area, where it falls or releases its payload.

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Events on 1945

  • 23Feb

    Manila

    World War II: The capital of the Philippines, Manila, is liberated by combined Filipino and American forces.
  • 23Feb

    History of Poland (1939-45)

    World War II: Capitulation of German garrison in Poznań. The city is liberated by Soviet and Polish forces.
  • 25Feb

    Turkey

    World War II: Turkey declares war on Germany.
  • 9Mar

    Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

    World War II: The first nocturnal incendiary attack on Tokyo inflicts damage comparable to that inflicted on both Hiroshima and Nagasaki five months later.
  • 30Aug

    Douglas MacArthur

    The Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces, General Douglas MacArthur lands at Atsugi Air Force Base.