Today is Friday, May 9, 2025, marking the 129th day of the year with 236 days remaining. A significant event that took place on this day in history was the conditional approval of Enovid by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1960, marking the first oral contraceptive pill.
In addition, on May 9, 1754, Benjamin Franklin published the iconic political cartoon “Join or Die” in the Pennsylvania Gazette newspaper. Fast forward to 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation designating the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day, a tradition that continues to be celebrated annually.
Moving ahead to 1951, the U.S. conducted its first thermonuclear experiment under Operation Greenhouse by detonating a 225-kiloton device known as “George” on Enewetak Atoll in the Pacific Ocean. In 1974, the House Judiciary Committee initiated public hearings on the impeachment of President Richard Nixon, who later resigned before facing impeachment.
Tragedy struck on May 9, 1980, when a freighter collided with the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in Florida, causing a section of the bridge to collapse and resulting in 35 fatalities. In a more recent event, in 2019, Pope Francis implemented a new church law mandating Catholic priests and nuns to report instances of clergy sexual abuse and cover-ups to church authorities.
A notable legal case occurred in 2023 when a jury found Donald Trump liable for sexually abusing advice columnist E. Jean Carroll in 1996, leading to a $5 million damages award.
Celebrating birthdays today are several well-known individuals, including producer-director James L. Brooks (85), musician-songwriter Sonny Curtis of The Crickets (88), actor Candice Bergen (79), musician Billy Joel (76), former U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo (74), actor John Corbett (64), singer Dave Gahan of Depeche Mode (63), Hockey Hall of Famer Steve Yzerman (60), rapper Ghostface Killah (55), R&B singer Tamia (50), actor Rosario Dawson (46), TV personality Audrina Patridge (40), actor Grace Gummer (39), and musician Shaboozey (30).
These events and birthdays contribute to the rich tapestry of history and culture, highlighting the significance of May 9 in our collective memory.
