Joseph Stalin became the premier of the Soviet Union, replacing Molotov. Molotov went into second position.
1937 portrait of Stalin.
Not that it would matter, as Stalin was the head of the party, which made him the defacto head of state.
Stalin would form his first government, which would last until 1946, the following day.
Liberty Aircraft plant, Long Island, New York. May 6, 1941. I'm unfamiliar with this company, but it apparently lasted until 1987.
Serbs staged a rebellion in Sanski Most against the fascist government of Serbia installed by the Nazis.
The Luftwaffe commenced two nights of bombing on Greenrock, Scotland.
Today was the first flight of the XP47, which would become the legendary P47 fighter. The plane had been developed in a mere eight months.
The P47 provides a good example of the extraordinary rapid development of aircraft in this period. At the time, the P40 was the USAAC's most significant fighter. The P47 was different from it in every fashion, including its massive size which accommodated a massive engine.
On the same day, Igor Sikorsky set a new record for helicopter flight endurance, which still wasn't long.
Bob Hope performed his first stand up performance for troops. He would, of course, famously do this at least throughout the Vietnam War.
Hope is either an acquired taste or one of those acts that's best set in the context of their original times. I can recall seeing televised performances from the Vietnam War, and they're just not funny.
Vichy France reached an agreement with Germany to provide material support to the Iraqi rebels, although the government never ratified it. It did allow the Germans to use airbases in Syria to support the Iraqi insurgency, which they would make use of.
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