List of Famous people born on May 5th

(Nicholas) Avrion Mitchison is a British zoologist and immunologist.

Charles Jewtraw was an American speed skater, who won the first gold medal at the first Winter Olympics in 1924; he finished eighth in the 1500 m and 13th in the 5000 m events. Jewtraw won national titles in 1921 and 1923 and held the national record in 100 yards at 9.4 seconds. After the 1924 Games he retired from competitions and moved to New York, where he became a representative for the Spalding Sporting Goods Company.

Johann Tobias Mayer was a German physicist. He was mainly well known for his mathematics and natural science textbooks. Anfangsgründe der Naturlehre zum Behuf der Vorlesungen über die Experimental-Physik, an 1801 physics text, was the most influential of its time in the German-speaking countries. Mayer's research in experimental physics and astronomy appeared in Annalen der Physik. He is not to be confused with his famous father, the astronomer Tobias Mayer.

George Nicholls Jr., also known as George Nichols Jr., was an American director and editor during the 1930s. Born to show business parents, and son of prolific actor and director George Nichols, he entered the film industry at the tail end of the silent film era, working as an editor for the Paramount Famous Lasky Corporation. After moving to RKO Pictures in 1933, Nicholls shortly began directing films by the end of the year. His career was cut short when he died in a car accident while driving to the location of his final film.

Johannes Lijdius Catharinus Pompe van Meerdervoort was a Dutch physician based at Nagasaki, in Bakumatsu period Japan. While in Japan, he briefly taught medicine, chemistry and photography at the Nagasaki Naval Training Center, and established a medical school and hospital. Some of his noted students included Nagayo Sensai and Matsumoto Jun.