7 May in history.

1824

Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. Beethoven's Ninth, ending with the "Ode to Joy", was first played in Vienna. Beethoven, by then deaf, had to be turned around to see the crowd's applause.

Wikipedia: Symphony No. 9 (Beethoven)

Photo: Carl Offterdinger / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

More from 7 May

1. 

   1864

   The City of Adelaide is launched

   A clipper ship built to carry passengers to Australia was launched in Sunderland. It is now the oldest surviving clipper in the world.

   Wikipedia: City of Adelaide (1864)

   Photo: Thomas Dutton / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

2. 

   1946

   Sony begins

   Masaru Ibuka and Akio Morita started a small electronics company in war-damaged Tokyo. It became Sony.

   Wikipedia: SonyWikipedia: Akio Morita

   Photo: Akonnchiroll / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

3. 

   1994

   The Scream comes home

   Edvard Munch's The Scream, stolen from the National Gallery in Oslo three months before, was found undamaged.

   Wikipedia: The Scream

   Photo: Edvard Munch / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

4. 

   2010

   Neanderthals in our DNA

   Scientists published a draft of the Neanderthal genome, showing that many people alive today carry a little Neanderthal DNA.

   Wikipedia: Neanderthal genome project

   Photo: Duncan.Hull / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Moments chosen for discovery, creativity and courage. Each one links to a source where you can read more; photos are credited to their owners.