On this day in history - May 5

What Happened On This Day – May 5

• 1980 The British Special Air Service (SAS) terminate the Iranian Embassy siege in London

  Six gunmen had held 26 people hostage for six days, demanding the release of Iranian Arab prisoners. Two of the hostages were killed.

• 1955 West Germany gains full sovereignty after World War II

  The Federal Republic of Germany had been established in 1949. Its provisional capital was Bonn. After the 1990 reunification of East and West Germany, Berlin was declared the country's capital.

• 1949 The Council of Europe is founded

  The organization was the first to work for European integration. It has 47 member countries and is a completely separate entity from the European Union (EU).

• 1934 The first Three Stooges film is released

  The comedy trio soon became famous, especially in the U.S., for their short films featuring slapstick humor.

• 1904 Cy Young pitches the first perfect game in modern major league baseball

  A game is considered perfect when none of the opposing players reach the first base. Young's team, the Boston Americans, won 3-0 over the Philadelphia Athletics.