May 5: A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions.

On this day, 05 May...

1809 - The first U.S. patent granted to a woman was issued to Mary Kies for “a new and useful improvement in weaving straw with silk or thread.

1824 - The skeleton of a mammoth was found in England at Ilford, near Bow, in Essex. It was said to be of the same species as those which had previously been found in Siberia, and all over Europe. The discovery was made at the 16-ft depth of a large quarry of clay being excavated for making bricks. A large tusk, several of the largest leg bones, many ribs and vertebrae were found along with the smaller bones of the feet and tail.

1859 - 1st use of "insanity plea" to prove innocence.

1881 - Louis Pasteur tested inoculations against anthrax upon an ox, several cows and 25 sheep. His experiment proved successful and was a milestone in the prevention of this fatal disease that affected cattle and sheep.

1930 - Amy Johnson became the first woman to fly solo between England and Australia, a distance of 11,000 miles.

1933 - 1st genuine aircraft carrier christened, USS Ranger.

1936 - A U.S. patent was issued for the first bottle with a screw cap and a pour lip to Edward A.

1944 -

Gandhi freed from prison.

1945 - The only WW II deaths of civilians on the mainland of the U.S. resulted from a Japanese bomb dropped over Gearhart Mountain, Oregon by an unmanned balloon. It was disturbed and exploded, killing those civilians who discovered it during a picnic. Sand in the bags of ballast carried by the balloon was scientifically identified. By microscopic study of the grains, the sand was known by its characteristics to have come from Japan.

1963 - The world's first human liver transplant was performed in America by Dr. Thomas E. Starlz. His patient, a 48-year-old man, survived for 22 days. He had also performed the world's first spleen transplant four months earlier in the same year.

1971 - India appeals for urgent aid for 1.8 mil Bangladeshi refugees.

Born

1479 – Guru Amar Das Ji, 3rd Sikh Guru.

1916 – Zail Singh, 7th President of India.

RIP

1989 - Naval Tata, famous industrialist.

2006 – Naushad Ali, composer and producer.

Titbits

1865 - 1st U.S. train robbery (North Bend Ohio).

You may have known...

Pak Army also own bakeries, banks, insurance companies and universities, usually fronted by civilian employees. Retired military personnel are often involved in the army's business ventures.