1. The Battle of Short Hills took place on May 5, 1777, during the American Revolutionary War. It was a minor battle, but it helped delay the British advance to Philadelphia and allowed General George Washington's army to regroup and plan their strategy.

2. On May 5, 1835, the first issue of the New Brunswick Daily Times was published. It was one of the earliest daily newspapers in the United States and served the community of New Brunswick for over 150 years.

3. May 5, 1961, was a historic day for space exploration. Astronaut Alan Shepard became the first American in space on board the spacecraft Freedom 7. He made a short suborbital flight that lasted just over 15 minutes, but it paved the way for the later manned missions to the moon.

4. In 1993, on May 5, the Devils played their first game in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Bruins. It was a historic game for the Devils, as they won their first Conference Final game in franchise history and went on to win the series and advance to the Stanley Cup Finals.

5. On May 5, 2017, New Jersey became the third state in the US to raise the legal age to purchase tobacco products from 18 to 21. The law was designed to prevent young people from becoming addicted to nicotine and to reduce the number of smoking-related illnesses and deaths in the state.