August 5

history

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Events

  • 642 – Battle of Maserfield – Penda of Mercia defeats and kills Oswald of Bernicia.
  • 910 – The last major Viking army to raid England is defeated at the Battle of Tettenhall by the allied forces of Mercia and Wessex, led by King Edward and Earl Aethelred.
  • 1100 – Henry I is crowned King of England in Westminster Abbey.
  • 1305 – William Wallace, who led Scottish resistance to England, is captured by the English near Glasgow and transported to London where he is put on trial and executed.
  • 1388 – Battle of Otterburn, a border skirmish between the Scottish and the English in Northern England.
  • 1583 – Sir Humphrey Gilbert establishes first English colony in North America, at what is now St John's, Newfoundland.
  • 1620 – The Mayflower departs from Southampton, England on its first attempt to reach North America.
  • 1689 – 1,500 Iroquois attack the village of Lachine, in New France.
  • 1716 – The Battle of Petrovaradin takes place.
  • 1735 – Freedom of the press: New York Weekly Journal writer John Peter Zenger is acquitted of seditious libel against the royal governor of New York, on the basis that what he had published was true.
  • 1763 – Pontiac's War: Battle of Bushy Run – British forces led by Henry Bouquet defeat Chief Pontiac's Indians at Bushy Run.
  • 1772 – The First Partition of Poland begins.
  • 1858 – Cyrus West Field and others complete the first transatlantic telegraph cable after several unsuccessful attempts. It operated for less than a month.
  • 1860 – Carl IV of Sweden-Norway is crowned king of Norway, in Trondheim.
  • 1861 – American Civil War: In order to help pay for the war effort, the United States government levies the first income tax as part of the Revenue Act of 1861 (3% of all incomes over US $800; rescinded in 1872).
  • 1861 – The United States Army abolishes flogging.
  • 1862 – American Civil War: Battle of Baton Rouge – along the Mississippi River near Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Confederate troops drive Union forces back into the city.
  • 1864 – American Civil War: the Battle of Mobile Bay begins – at Mobile Bay near Mobile, Alabama, Admiral David Farragut leads a Union flotilla through Confederate defenses and seals one of the last major Southern ports.
  • 1870 – Franco-Prussian War: the Battle of Spicheren is fought, resulting in a Prussian victory.
  • 1874 – Japan launches its postal savings system, modeled after a similar system in the United Kingdom.
  • 1882 – The Standard Oil of New Jersey is established.
  • 1884 – The cornerstone for the Statue of Liberty is laid on Bedloe's Island in New York Harbor.
  • 1888 – Bertha Benz drives from Mannheim to Pforzheim and back in the first long distance automobile trip, commemorated by Bertha Benz Memorial Route since 2008.
  • 1901 – Peter O'Connor sets the first IAAF recognised long jump world record of 24ft 11¾ins. The record will stand for 20 years.
  • 1914 – World War I: The German minelayer Königin Luise lay a minefield about 40 miles of the Thames Estuary (Lowestoft). She is intercepted and sunk by the British light-cruiser HMS Amphion.
  • 1914 – In Cleveland, Ohio, the first electric traffic light is installed.
  • 1925 – Plaid Cymru is formed with the aim of disseminating knowledge of the Welsh language that was at the time in danger of dying out.
  • 1940 – World War II: The Soviet Union .
  • 1944 – World War II: possibly the biggest prison breakout in history occurs as 545 Japanese POWs attempt to escape outside the town of Cowra, NSW, Australia.
  • 1944 – Holocaust: Polish insurgents liberate a German labor camp in Warsaw, freeing 348 Jewish prisoners.
  • 1949 – In Ecuador an earthquake destroys 50 towns and kills more than 6000.
  • 1957 – American Bandstand, a show dedicated to the teenage "baby-boomers" by playing the songs and showing popular dances of the time, debuts on the ABC television network.
  • 1960 – Burkina Faso, then known as Upper Volta, becomes independent from France.
  • 1962 – Nelson Mandela is jailed. He would not be released until 1990.
  • 1963 – The United States, United Kingdom, and Soviet Union sign a nuclear test ban treaty.
  • 1964 – Vietnam War: Operation Pierce Arrow – American aircraft from carriers and bomb North Vietnam in retaliation for strikes attacked U.S. destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin.
  • 1969 – Mariner program: Mariner 7 makes its closest fly-by of Mars (3,524 kilometers).
  • 1974 – Vietnam War: The U.S. Congress places a $1 billion dollar limit on military aid to South Vietnam.
  • 1979 – In Afghanistan, Maoists undertake an attempted military uprising.
  • 1981 – Ronald Reagan fires 11,359 striking air-traffic controllers who ignored his order for them to return to work.
  • 1989 – General elections are held in Nicaragua with the Sandinista Front winning a majority.
  • 1995 – The city of Knin, a significant Serb stronghold, is captured by Croatian forces during Operation Storm. The date is celebrated as the Victory Day (Croatia).
  • 2003 – A car bomb explodes in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta outside the Marriott Hotel killing 12 and injuring 150.

Births

  • 1301 – Edmund of Woodstock, 1st Earl of Kent, English politician (d. 1330)
  • 1461 – Alexander Jagiellon, Grand Duke of Lithuania (d. 1506)
  • 1623 – Antonio Cesti, Italian composer (d. 1669)
  • 1641 – John Hathorne, American magistrate (d. 1717)
  • 1662 – James Anderson, Scottish historian (d. 1728)
  • 1694 – Leonardo Leo, Italian composer (d. 1744)
  • 1802 – Niels Henrik Abel, Norwegian mathematician (d. 1829)
  • 1811 – Ambroise Thomas, French opera composer (d. 1896)
  • 1813 – Ivar Aasen, Norwegian poet and language reformer (d. 1896)
  • 1815 – Edward John Eyre, English explorer (d. 1901)
  • 1827 – Deodoro da Fonseca, first President of Brazil (d. 1892)
  • 1828 – Louise of the Netherlands, queen of Sweden and Norway (d. 1871)
  • 1833 – Carola of Vasa, Queen consort of Saxony (d. 1907)
  • 1850 – Guy de Maupassant, French author (d. 1893)
  • 1862 – Joseph Merrick, the "Elephant Man" (d. 1890)
  • 1866 – Carl Harries, German chemist (d. 1923)
  • 1866 – Harry Trott, Australian cricketer (d. 1917)
  • 1872 – Oswaldo Cruz, Brazilian physician (d. 1917)
  • 1877 – Tom Thomson, Canadian painter (d. 1917)
  • 1887 – Reginald Owen, English actor (d. 1972)
  • 1888 – Victor Francen, Belgian-born actor (d. 1977)
  • 1889 – Conrad Aiken, American writer (d. 1973)
  • 1890 – Erich Kleiber, Austrian-born conductor (d. 1956)
  • 1890 – Naum Gabo, sculptor (d. 1977)
  • 1897 – Aksel Larsen, Danish politician (d. 1972)
  • 1901 – Claude Autant-Lara, French film director (d. 2000)
  • 1906 – John Huston, American director (d. 1987)
  • 1906 – Wassily Leontief, Russian economist, Nobel laureate (d. 1999)
  • 1906 – Joan Hickson, English actress (d. 1998)
  • 1908 – Harold Holt, 17th Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1967)
  • 1910 – Bruno Coquatrix, French songwriter and music impresario (d. 1979)
  • 1911 – Robert Taylor, American actor (d. 1969)
  • 1912 – Abbé Pierre, French Catholic priest (d. 2007)
  • 1914 – David Brian, American actor (d. 1993)
  • 1918 – Tom Drake, American actor (d. 1982)
  • 1918 – Betty Oliphant, Canadian ballerina (d. 2004)
  • 1922 – L. Tom Perry, LDS apostle
  • 1923 – Devan Nair, President of Singapore
  • 1930 – Neil Armstrong, American astronaut
  • 1930 – Michal Kováč, President of Slovakia
  • 1934 – Wendell Berry, American poet, writer and farmer
  • 1934 – Karl Johan Åström, Control engineer and theorist
  • 1935 – John Saxon, American actor
  • 1937 – Herb Brooks, American ice hockey coach (d. 2003)
  • 1939 – Princess Irene of the Netherlands
  • 1941 – Bob Clark, American film director (d. 2007)
  • 1943 – Nelson Briles, American baseball player (d. 2005)
  • 1943 – Sammi Smith, American country singer and songwriter (d. 2005)
  • 1946 – Loni Anderson, American actress
  • 1946 – Bruce Coslet, American football player and coach
  • 1946 – Ron Silliman, American poet
  • 1946 – Erika Slezak, American actress
  • 1947 – Angry Anderson, Australian entertainer (Rose Tattoo)
  • 1947 – Bernie Carbo, American baseball player
  • 1947 – Rick Derringer, American musician
  • 1948 – Carole Laure, French Canadian actress
  • 1948 – Ray Clemence, English footballer
  • 1951 – John Jarratt, Australian actor
  • 1952 – Louis Walsh, Irish Music Manager and X Factor Judge
  • 1953 – Rick Mahler, American baseball player (d. 2005)
  • 1953 – Samantha Sang, Australian singer
  • 1956 – Jerry Ciccoritti, Canadian film director
  • 1956 – Fred Ottman, American wrestler
  • 1956 – Maureen McCormick, American actress
  • 1957 – Faith Prince, American actress
  • 1957 – Clayton Rohner, American actor
  • 1959 – Pete Burns, English singer (Dead or Alive)
  • 1959 – Pat Smear, American guitarist
  • 1960 – Seth Swirsky, American songwriter
  • 1961 – Tawny Kitaen, American actress
  • 1961 – Mark O'Connor, American violinist
  • 1961 – Athula Samarasekera, Sri Lankan cricketer
  • 1962 – Patrick Ewing, American basketball player
  • 1962 – Richard de Groen, New Zealand cricketer
  • 1962 – Otis Thorpe, American basketball player
  • 1964 – Adam Yauch (MCA), American musician (Beastie Boys)
  • 1965 – Motoi Sakuraba, Japanese composer
  • 1965 – Scott William Winters, American actor
  • 1966 – Jonathan Silverman, American actor
  • 1968 – Terri Clark, Canadian country singer
  • 1968 – Funkmaster Flex, American hip hop DJ
  • 1968 – Tokimitsu Ishizawa, Japanese professional wrestler
  • 1968 – Oleg Luzhny, Ukrainian footballer
  • 1968 – Colin McRae, Scottish rally driver (d. 2007)
  • 1968 – John Olerud, American baseball player
  • 1969 – Vasbert Drakes, Barbadian cricketer
  • 1969 – Venkatesh Prasad, Indian cricketer
  • 1969 – Paola Volpato, Chilean actress
  • 1970 – James Gunn, American filmmaker
  • 1971 – Evil Jared Hasselhoff, American musician (The Bloodhound Gang)
  • 1972 – Christian Olde Wolbers, Belgian musician (Fear Factory)
  • 1972 – Aaqib Javed, Pakistani cricketer
  • 1972 – Ikuto Hidaka, Japanese professional wrestler
  • 1972 – Theodore Whitmore, Jamaican footballer
  • 1973 – Sean Sherk, American mixed martial artist
  • 1973 – Sanwar Hossain, Bangladeshi cricketer
  • 1974 – Alvin Ceccoli, Australian soccer player
  • 1974 – Antoine Sibierski, French footballer
  • 1975 – Antony Cotton, English actor
  • 1975 – Ami Foster, American actress
  • 1975 – Kajol Mukherjee, Indian actress
  • 1975 – Eicca Toppinen, Finnish cellist (Apocalyptica)
  • 1975 – Haim Goldenberg, Israeli-Canadian mentalist (GoldMind)
  • 1975 – Iddo Goldberg, Israeli actor
  • 1976 – Jeff Friesen, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1976 – Kwon Sang-woo, South Korean actor
  • 1976 – Marian Pahars, Latvian footballer
  • 1977 – Eric Hinske, American baseball player
  • 1977 – Michael Walsh, English footballer
  • 1977 – Mark Mulder, American baseball player
  • 1978 – Kim Gevaert, Belgian sprinter
  • 1978 – Nektaria Karantzi, Greek singer
  • 1979 – David Healy, Northern Irish footballer
  • 1980 – Kaylani Lei, Singaporean/American pornographic actress
  • 1980 – Wayne Bridge, English footballer
  • 1980 – Jason Čulina, Australian soccer player
  • 1980 – Ali Umar, Maldivian footballer
  • 1980 – Sophie Winkleman, English actress
  • 1980 – Vatsal Seth, Indian actor
  • 1981 – Carl Crawford, American baseball player
  • 1981 – Rachel Scott, American murder victim (d. 1999)
  • 1981 – Kō Shibasaki, Japanese singer
  • 1981 – Erik Guay, Canadian alpine skier
  • 1981 – Cory Williams, American internet celebrity
  • 1981 – Alester Maregwede, Zimbabwean cricketer
  • 1982 – LoLo Jones, American track and field athlete
  • 1982 – Ryu Seung Min, Korean table tennis player
  • 1982 – Tobias Regner, German singer
  • 1982 – Pete Sell, American mixed martial artist
  • 1983 – Dawn Richard, American singer (Danity Kane)
  • 1985 – Laurent Ciman, Belgian footballer
  • 1985 – Salomon Kalou, Ivorian footballer
  • 1985 – Megan Joy Corkrey, American singer
  • 1986 – Paula Creamer, American golfer
  • 1987 – Genelia D'Souza, Indian actress
  • 1987 – Lexi Belle, American pornographic actress
  • 1988 – Federica Pellegrini, Italian swimmer
  • 1993 – Suzuka Ohgo, Japanese actress
  • 1995 – Devo Keenan American cellist
  • 2000 – Maya Bond, American singer and musician

Deaths

Holidays and observances

External links

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