What happened on April 5? There are more than 262 events that were made this day in history. Here are the important historical events, facts, and some myths about this day.

Interesting Facts & Myths About April 5

April 5 In HistoryApril 5 is the 96th day of the year 2024. There are 270 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Friday. This day falls under the 14th week of the year 2024.

On this day in Mobile, Alabama 36631 sunrise will occur at 06:34 AM and sunset will occur at 07:15 PM (local time).

The zodiac sign of a person born on this day is Aries. The modern birthstone for this month is Diamond while the mystical birthstone is Opal.

According to the Chinese calendar, there are 299 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year (January 29, 2025).

Birthday curiousity Is your birthday coming up in two days? Are you not curious to find out who is sharing your special day? Discover all the March 31 famous birthdays. There are fun facts about that day that you must know. (Sponsored link)

Historical Events For April 5

  • 1242
    During a battle on the ice of Lake Peipus, Russian forces, led by Alexander Nevsky, rebuff an invasion attempt by the Teutonic Knights.
  • 1566
    Two-hundred Dutch noblemen, led by Hendrik van Brederode, force themselves into the presence of Margaret of Parma and present the Petition of Compromise, denouncing the Spanish Inquisition in the Netherlands. The Inquisition is suspended and a delegation is sent to Spain to petition Philip II.
  • 1609
    Daimyo (Lord) of the Satsuma Domain in southern Kyūshū, Japan, completes his successful invasion of the Ryūkyū Kingdom in Okinawa.
  • 1614
    In Virginia, Native American Pocahontas marries English colonist John Rolfe.
  • 1621
    The Mayflower sets sail from Plymouth, Massachusetts on a return trip to Great Britain.
  • 1722
    The Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen discovers Easter Island.
  • 1792
    U.S. President George Washington exercises his authority to veto a bill, the first time this power is used in the United States.
  • 1804
    High Possil Meteorite: The first recorded meteorite in Scotland falls in Possil.
  • 1818
    In the Battle of Maipú, Chile’s independence movement – led by Bernardo O'Higgins and José de San Martín – win a decisive victory over Spain, leaving 2,000 Spaniards and 1,000 Chilean patriots dead.
  • 1862
    American Civil War: The Battle of Yorktown begins.
  • 1874
    Birkenhead Park, the first civic public park, is opened in Birkenhead.
  • 1879
    Chile declares war on Bolivia and Peru, starting the War of the Pacific.
  • 1900
    Archaeologists in Knossos, Crete, discover a large cache of clay tablets with hieroglyphic writing in a script they call Linear B.
  • 1904
    The first international rugby league match is played between England and an Other Nationalities team (Welsh & Scottish players) in Central Park, Wigan, England.
  • 1922
    The American Birth Control League, forerunner of Planned Parenthood, is incorporated.
  • 1923
    Firestone Tire and Rubber Company begins production of balloon-tires.
  • 1932
    Alcohol prohibition in Finland ends. Alcohol sales begin in Alko liquor stores.
  • 1932
    Dominion of Newfoundland: 10,000 rioters seize the Colonial Building leading to the end of self-government.
  • 1933
    U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs two executive orders: 6101 to establish the Civilian Conservation Corps, and 6102 “forbidding the Hoarding of Gold Coin, Gold Bullion, and Gold Certificates” by U.S. citizens.
  • 1936
    Tupelo-Gainesville tornado outbreak: An F5 tornado kills 233 in Tupelo, Mississippi.
  • 1942
    World War II: The Imperial Japanese Navy launches a carrier-based air attack on Colombo, Ceylon during the Indian Ocean Raid. Port and civilian facilities are damaged and the Royal Navy cruisers HMS Cornwall and HMS Dorsetshire are sunk southwest of the island.
  • 1943
    World War II: American bomber aircraft accidentally cause more than 900 civilian deaths, including 209 children, and 1300 wounded among the civilian population of the Belgian town of Mortsel. The target is the Erla factory one kilometer from the residential area hit.
  • 1944
    World War II: 270 inhabitants of the Greek town of Kleisoura are executed by the Germans.
  • 1945
    Cold War: Yugoslav leader Josip “Tito” Broz signs an agreement with the Soviet Union to allow “temporary entry of Soviet troops into Yugoslav territory”.
  • 1946
    Soviet troops leave the island of Bornholm, Denmark after an 11 month occupation.
  • 1949
    A fire in a hospital in Effingham, Illinois, kills 77 people and leads to nationwide fire code improvements in the United States.
  • 1949
    Fireside Theater debuts on television.
  • 1951
    Ethel and Julius Rosenberg are sentenced to death for performing espionage for the Soviet Union.
  • 1955
    Winston Churchill resigns as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom amid indications of failing health.
  • 1956
    Fidel Castro declares himself at war with the President of Cuba.
  • 1956
    In Sri Lanka, the Mahajana Eksath Peramuna win the general elections in a landslide and S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike is sworn in as the Prime Minister.
  • 1957
    In India, Communists win the first elections in united Kerala and E.M.S. Namboodiripad is sworn in as the first chief minister.
  • 1958
    Ripple Rock, an underwater threat to navigation in the Seymour Narrows in Canada is destroyed in one of the largest non-nuclear controlled explosions of the time.
  • 1969
    Vietnam War: Massive antiwar demonstrations occur in many U.S. cities.
  • 1971
    In Sri Lanka, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna launches insurrection against the United Front government of Sirimavo Bandaranaike.
  • 1976
    In the People’s Republic of China, the April Fifth Movement leads to the Tiananmen incident.
  • 1986
    Three people are killed in the bombing of the La Belle Discothèque in West Berlin, Germany.
  • 1991
    An ASA EMB 120 crashes in Brunswick, Georgia, killing all 23 aboard.
  • 1992
    Alberto Fujimori, president of Peru, dissolves the Peruvian congress by military force.
  • 1992
    The Siege of Sarajevo begins when Serb paramilitaries murder peace protesters Suada Dilberovic and Olga Sučić on the Vrbanja Bridge.
  • 1998
    In Japan, the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge linking Shikoku with Honshū and costing about $3.8 billion USD, opens to traffic, becoming the largest suspension bridge in the world.
  • 1999
    Two Libyans suspected of bringing down Pan Am flight 103 in 1988 are handed over for eventual trial in the Netherlands.
  • 2007
    Georgia establishes a Provisional Administrative Entity in the disputed region of South Ossetia.
  • 2009
    North Korea launches its controversial Kwangmyŏngsŏng-2 rocket. The satellite passed over mainland Japan, which prompted an immediate reaction from the United Nations Security Council, as well as participating states of Six-party talks.
  • 2010
    Twenty-nine coal miners are killed in an explosion at the Upper Big Branch Mine in West Virginia.

Who Were Born On April 5?

  • 1288
    Emperor Go-Fushimi of Japan (d. 1336)
  • 1472
    Bianca Maria Sforza, wife of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1510)
  • 1523
    Blaise de Vigenère, French cryptographer (d. 1596)
  • 1588
    Thomas Hobbes, English philosopher (d. 1679)
  • 1604
    Charles IV, Duke of Lorraine (d. 1675)
  • 1622
    Vincenzo Viviani, Italian mathematician (d. 1703)
  • 1649
    Elihu Yale, American benefactor of Yale University (d. 1721)
  • 1692
    Adrienne Lecouvreur, French actress (d. 1730)
  • 1719
    Axel von Fersen the Elder, Swedish statesman and soldier; father of Axel von Fersen the Younger (d. 1794)
  • 1732
    Jean-Honoré Fragonard, French artist (d. 1806)
  • 1752
    Sébastien Érard, French musical instruments maker (d. 1831)
  • 1769
    Sir Thomas Hardy, 1st Baronet Royal Navy Vice-Admiral and First Lord of the Admiralty (d. 1839)
  • 1784
    Louis Spohr, German composer and violinist (d. 1859)
  • 1816
    Samuel Freeman Miller, U.S. Supreme Court Justice (d. 1890)
  • 1827
    Joseph Lister, English surgeon and pioneer of antiseptic surgery (d. 1912)
  • 1832
    Jules Ferry, French statesman (d. 1893)
  • 1837
    Algernon Charles Swinburne, English poet (d. 1909)
  • 1840
    Ghazaros Aghayan, Armenian writer, educator, folklorist, historian, linguist and public figure (d. 1911)
  • 1856
    Booker T. Washington, American educator (d. 1915)
  • 1857
    Alexander of Battenberg, Prince of Bulgaria (d. 1893)
  • 1863
    Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine (d. 1950)
  • 1869
    Albert Roussel, French composer (d. 1937)
  • 1869
    Sergei Chaplygin, Russian physicist and engineer (d. 1942)
  • 1871
    Mirko Seljan, Croatian explorer (d. 1912)
  • 1872
    Samuel Cate Prescott, American food scientist and microbiologist (d. 1962)
  • 1875
    Mistinguett, French vaudeville performer (d. 1956)
  • 1893
    Clas Thunberg, Finnish speed skater (d. 1973)
  • 1899
    Alfred Blalock, American surgeon (d. 1964)
  • 1900
    Spencer Tracy, American actor (d. 1967)
  • 1901
    Melvyn Douglas, American actor (d. 1981)
  • 1906
    Lord Buckley, American monologist (d. 1960)
  • 1908
    Bette Davis, American actress (d. 1989)
  • 1908
    Herbert von Karajan, Austrian conductor (d. 1989)
  • 1908
    Jagjivan Ram, Indian politician (d. 1986)
  • 1909
    Albert R. Broccoli, American film producer (d. 1996)
  • 1912
    István Örkény, Hungarian author (d. 1979)
  • 1912
    John Le Mesurier, British actor (d. 1983)
  • 1916
    Albert Henry Ottenweller, American bishop
  • 1916
    Gregory Peck, American actor (d. 2003)
  • 1917
    Robert Bloch, American author (d. 1994)
  • 1920
    Arthur Hailey, Anglo-Canadian author (d. 2004)
  • 1920
    Barend Biesheuvel, Dutch politician, Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 1971 until 1973 (d. 2001)
  • 1920
    Rafique Zakaria, Indian author (d. 2005)
  • 1922
    Christopher Hewett, British actor (d. 2001)
  • 1922
    Gale Storm, American singer and actress (My Little Margie) (d. 2009)
  • 1922
    Tom Finney, English footballer
  • 1923
    Michael V. Gazzo, American actor (d. 1995)
  • 1923
    Nguyễn Văn Thiệu, President of South Vietnam (d. 2001)
  • 1926
    Roger Corman, American film director
  • 1928
    Tony Williams, American singer (The Platters) (d. 1992)
  • 1929
    Hugo Claus, Belgian writer (d. 2008)
  • 1929
    Ivar Giaever, Norwegian physicist, Nobel laureate
  • 1929
    Joe Meek, English record producer (d. 1967)
  • 1929
    Nigel Hawthorne, English actor (d. 2001)
  • 1932
    Billy Bland, American singer and songwriter
  • 1933
    Barbara Holland, American writer (d. 2010)
  • 1933
    Frank Gorshin, American actor (d. 2005)
  • 1933
    Larry Felser, American sports columnist
  • 1934
    Roman Herzog, German politician
  • 1934
    Stanley Turrentine, American jazz saxophonist (d. 2000)
  • 1935
    Peter Grant, British music manager (d. 1995)
  • 1936
    John Kelly, Irish republican politician (d. 2007)
  • 1937
    Allan R. Thieme, American inventor
  • 1937
    Colin Powell, U.S. Army General, 12th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and 65th Secretary of State
  • 1938
    Colin Bland, South African cricketer
  • 1939
    Crispian St. Peters, English singer (d. 2010)
  • 1939
    Ronald White, American singer and songwriter (d. 1995)
  • 1941
    Dave Swarbrick, English folk musician
  • 1941
    Michael Moriarty, American actor
  • 1942
    Peter Greenaway, Welsh film director
  • 1943
    Max Gail, American actor
  • 1944
    Pedro Rossello, Puerto Rican politician
  • 1945
    Tommy Smith, English footballer
  • 1946
    Björn Granath, Swedish actor
  • 1946
    Jane Asher, British actress
  • 1947
    Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, 14th President of the Philippines
  • 1948
    Dave Holland, British musician (Judas Priest)
  • 1948
    Les Binks, British musician, former drummer for Judas Priest
  • 1949
    John Berg, American actor (d. 2007)
  • 1949
    Judith Resnik, American astronaut (d. 1986)
  • 1950
    Agnetha Fältskog, Swedish singer (ABBA)
  • 1950
    Miki Manojlović, Serbian actor
  • 1951
    Bernie Ward, former American radio personality and convicted sex offender
  • 1951
    Dean Kamen, American inventor
  • 1952
    Mitch Pileggi, American actor
  • 1954
    Peter Case, American musician (The Nerves)
  • 1954
    Stan Ridgway, American musician (Wall of Voodoo)
  • 1955
    Akira Toriyama, Japanese manga artist
  • 1955
    Charlotte de Turckheim, French actress
  • 1955
    Janice Long, English broadcaster
  • 1956
    Anthony Horowitz, English Author
  • 1956
    Diamond Dallas Page, American professional wrestler
  • 1958
    Johan Kriek, South African/American tennis player
  • 1960
    Asteris Koutoulas, Greek/German event and music producer, filmmaker and author
  • 1961
    Jim LeRoy, American airshow pilot (d. 2007)
  • 1961
    Lisa Zane, American actress
  • 1962
    Lana Clarkson, American actress (d. 2003)
  • 1964
    Christopher “Kid” Reid, American rapper (Kid 'n Play)
  • 1964
    Marius Lăcătuş, Romanian footballer
  • 1964
    Princess Erika, French singer
  • 1964
    Steve Beaton, English darts player
  • 1965
    Cris Carpenter, American baseball player
  • 1966
    Mike McCready, American musician (Pearl Jam)
  • 1967
    Anu Garg, Indian/American author and speaker
  • 1967
    Gary Gait, Canadian lacrosse player
  • 1968
    Paula Cole, American musician
  • 1970
    Miho Hatori, Japanese singer and songwriter (Cibo Matto)
  • 1970
    Thea Gill, Canadian actress
  • 1971
    Dong Abay, Filipino musician and singer-songwriter
  • 1972
    Krista Allen, American actress
  • 1972
    Pat Green, American singer and songwriter
  • 1972
    Paul Okon, Australian footballer
  • 1972
    Tom Coronel, Dutch racing driver
  • 1972
    Yasuhiro Takemoto, Japanese animator and director
  • 1973
    Élodie Bouchez, French actress
  • 1973
    Pharrell, American music producer (The Neptunes)
  • 1973
    Tony Banks, American football player
  • 1974
    Sahaj Ticotin, American musician/producer (Ra)
  • 1974
    Uhm Tae Woong, South Korean actor
  • 1975
    John Hartson, Welsh footballer
  • 1975
    Shammond Williams, American basketball player
  • 1976
    Fernando Morientes, Spanish footballer
  • 1976
    Kim Collins, Nevisian sprinter
  • 1976
    Ross Gload, American baseball player
  • 1976
    Ryan Drese, American baseball player
  • 1976
    Simone Inzaghi, Italian footballer
  • 1978
    Franziska van Almsick, German swimmer
  • 1978
    Stephen Jackson, American basketball player
  • 1979
    Timo Hildebrand, German footballer
  • 1980
    Lee Jae Won, South Korean actor, singer, and rapper
  • 1980
    Matt Bonner, American basketball player
  • 1981
    Jorge de la Rosa, Mexican baseball player
  • 1981
    Michael A. Monsoor, American soldier (d. 2006)
  • 1982
    Alexandre Prémat, French racing driver
  • 1982
    Hayley Atwell, English actress
  • 1982
    Kelly Pavlik, American boxer
  • 1982
    Lacey Duvalle, American pornographic actress
  • 1982
    Matt Pickens, American footballer
  • 1982
    Thomas Hitzlsperger, German footballer
  • 1983
    Jorge Andrés Martínez, Uruguayan footballer
  • 1984
    Shin Min-a, South Korean model and actress
  • 1988
    Alex Valentini, Italian footballer
  • 1988
    Christopher Papamichalopoulos, Cypriot skier
  • 1990
    Haruma Miura, Japanese actor
  • 1990
    Sophia Papamichalopoulou, Cypriot skier

Who Died On April 5?

  • 582
    Eutychius, Patriarch of Constantinople (b. c. 512)
  • 1168
    Robert de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Leicester (b. 1104)
  • 1419
    Vincent Ferrer, Spanish missionary and saint (b. 1350)
  • 1605
    Adam Loftus, English Protestant archbishop in Ireland (b. c. 1513)
  • 1617
    Alonso Lobo, Spanish composer (b. 1555)
  • 1673
    François Caron, French explorer (b. 1600)
  • 1676
    John Winthrop, the Younger, American politician (b. 1606)
  • 1693
    Anne, Duchess of Montpensier, French writer (b. 1627)
  • 1695
    George Savile, 1st Marquess of Halifax, English writer (b. 1633)
  • 1697
    King Charles XI of Sweden (b. 1655)
  • 1717
    Jean Jouvenet, French painter (b. 1647)
  • 1735
    Samuel Wesley, English poet (b. 1662)
  • 1735
    William Derham, English minister and writer (b. 1657)
  • 1765
    Edward Young, English poet (b. 1683)
  • 1794
    Camille Desmoulins, French journalist and politician (b. 1760)
  • 1794
    Georges Danton, French Revolutionary leader (b. 1759)
  • 1834
    Richard Goodwin Keats, Royal Navy admiral (b. 1757)
  • 1864
    Alaric Alexander Watts, English poet and journalist (b. 1797)
  • 1900
    Joseph Louis François Bertrand, French mathematician (b. 1822)
  • 1923
    George Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvon, English financier (b. 1866)
  • 1928
    Roy Kilner, English cricketer (b. 1890)
  • 1932
    Phar Lap, Australian Racehorse (b. 1926)
  • 1941
    Sir Nigel Gresley, Steam locomotive engineer (b. 1876)
  • 1943
    Aleš Hrdlička, Czech anthropologist (b. 1869)
  • 1945
    Huldreich Georg Früh, Swiss composer (b. 1903)
  • 1945
    Karl Otto Koch, German SS-officer (b. 1897)
  • 1946
    Vincent Youmans, American songwriter (b. 1898)
  • 1952
    Charles Collett, GWR chief mechanical engineer (b. 1871)
  • 1964
    Douglas MacArthur, American general (b. 1880)
  • 1967
    Hermann Joseph Muller, American geneticist, Nobel laureate (b. 1890)
  • 1967
    Mischa Elman, Ukrainian violinist (b. 1891)
  • 1969
    Ain-Ervin Mere, Estonian Nazi (b. 1903)
  • 1969
    Shelby Storck, American television producer (b. 1917)
  • 1970
    Alfred Henry Sturtevant, American geneticist (b. 1891)
  • 1972
    Brian Donlevy, American actor (b. 1901)
  • 1972
    Isabel Jewell, American actress (b. 1907)
  • 1973
    John Coleman, Australian rules footballer (b. 1928)
  • 1974
    A. Y. Jackson, Canadian painter (b. 1882)
  • 1975
    Chiang Kai-shek, 1st President of the Republic of China (b. 1887)
  • 1976
    Howard Hughes, American aviator (b. 1905)
  • 1976
    Wilder Penfield, Canadian surgeon (b. 1891)
  • 1979
    Eugène Gabritschevsky, Russian biologist and artist (b. 1893)
  • 1981
    Bob Hite, American singer (Canned Heat) (b. 1945)
  • 1982
    Abe Fortas, U.S. Supreme Court Justice (b. 1910)
  • 1983
    Danny Rapp, American musician (Danny & the Juniors) (b. 1941)
  • 1987
    Jan Lindblad, Swedish naturalist, writer, photographer (b. 1932)
  • 1989
    María Cristina Gómez, Salvadoran Teacher (b. 1938)
  • 1991
    John Tower, American politician (b. 1925)
  • 1991
    Sonny Carter, American astronaut (b. 1947)
  • 1992
    Sam Walton, American retailer (b. 1918)
  • 1993
    Divya Bharti, Indian Bollywood actress (b. 1974)
  • 1994
    Kurt Cobain, musician (Nirvana) (b. 1967)
  • 1997
    Allen Ginsberg, American poet (b. 1926)
  • 1998
    Cozy Powell, British musician (b. 1947)
  • 1999
    Paul David, French-Canadian cardiologist (b. 1919)
  • 2000
    Lee Petty, American race car driver (b. 1914)
  • 2001
    Brother Theodore, German comedian (b. 1906)
  • 2002
    Layne Staley, American musician (Alice in Chains) (b. 1967)
  • 2004
    Heiner Zieschang, German mathematician (b. 1936)
  • 2004
    Sławomir Rawicz, Polish soldier (b. 1915)
  • 2005
    Dale Messick, American comic strip artist (b. 1906)
  • 2005
    Debralee Scott, American actress (b. 1953)
  • 2005
    John Sichel, British film and television director (b. 1937)
  • 2005
    Saul Bellow, Canadian born writer, Nobel laureate (b. 1915)
  • 2006
    Gene Pitney, American singer (b. 1941)
  • 2007
    Darryl Stingley, American football player (b. 1951)
  • 2007
    Leela Majumdar, Bengali writer (b. 1908)
  • 2007
    Maria Gripe, Swedish writer (b. 1923)
  • 2007
    Mark St. John, American musician (Kiss) (b. 1956)
  • 2007
    Poornachandra Tejaswi, Kannada writer (b. 1938)
  • 2008
    Charlton Heston, American actor (b. 1923)
  • 2009
    Constantine Papadakis, Greek-American businessman (b. 1946)

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