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August 5 in recent years 2008 (Tuesday) 2007 (Sunday) 2006 (Saturday) 2005 (Friday) 2004 (Thursday) 2003 (Tuesday) 2002 (Monday) 2001 (Sunday) 2000 (Saturday)

August 5 is the 217th day of the year (218th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 148 days remaining until the end of the year.

Events

• 642 - Battle of Maserfeld - 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 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 for trial and execution.
• 1388 - Battle of Otterburn, 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 Southampton, England.
• 1689 - 1,500 Iroquois attack village of Lachine, in New France.
• 1716 - Battle of Petrovaradin
• 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 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.
• 1812 - War of 1812: Tecumseh\'s Indian force ambushes Thomas Van Horne\'s 200 Americans at Brownstone Creek, causing them to flee and retreat.
• 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States government issues the first income tax as part of the Revenue Act of 1861 (3% of all incomes over US $800; rescinded in 1872).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 abolished 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: 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 England.
• 1882 - Standard Oil of New Jersey is established.
• 1882 - Martial law is enacted in Japan.
• 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 in the first long distance automobile trip.
• 1901 - Peter O\'Connor sets the first IAAF recognised long jump world record of 24ft 11¾ins. The record will stand for 20 years.
• 1912 - Japan\'s first taxicab service begins in Ginza, Tokyo.
• 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, which is in danger of dying out.
• 1940 - World War II : Latvia is annexed by the Soviet Union.
• 1943 - World War II: During the Battle of Troina, at around 11 A.M, Mount Etna erupted sending much ash and lava miles into the sky.
• 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 - United States, United Kingdom, and Soviet Union sign a nuclear test ban treaty.
• 1964 - Vietnam War: Operation Pierce Arrow - American aircraft from carriers USS Ticonderoga and USS Constellation bomb North Vietnam in retaliation for strikes attacked US 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, Sandinista Front wins the majority.
• 1995 - The city of Knin, a significant Serb stronghold, is captured by Croatian forces during Operation Storm. The date is celebrated as the day of victory (Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day) in 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)
• 1397? - Guillaume Dufay, Franco-Flemish composer and theorist (d. 1474)
• 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)
• 1923 - Devan Nair, President of Singapore
• 1930 - Neil Armstrong, American astronaut
• 1930 - Michal KováÄ�, President of Slovakia
• 1934 - Wendell Berry, American poet, writer and farmer
• 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 - Ron Silliman, American poet
• 1946 - Erika Slezak, American actress
• 1947 - Angry Anderson, Australian entertainer
• 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
• 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
• 1959 - Pete Burns, English singer (Dead or Alive)
• 1960 - Seth Swirsky, American songwriter
• 1961 - Tawny Kitaen, American actress
• 1961 - Mark O\'Connor, American violinist
• 1961 - Clayton Rohner, American actor
• 1962 - Patrick Ewing, American basketball player
• 1964 - Adam Yauch (MCA), American musician (Beastie Boys)
• 1965 - Motoi Sakuraba, Japanese composer
• 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
• 1970 - James Gunn, American filmmaker
• 1971 - Evil Jared Hasselhoff, American bassist (The Bloodhound Gang)
• 1972 - Christian Olde Wolbers, Belgian bassist (Fear Factory)
• 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
• 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 - Mark Mulder, American baseball player
• 1978 - Kim Gevaert, Belgian sprinter
• 1978 - Nektaria Karantzi, Greek singer
• 1979 - David Healy, Northern Irish footballer
• 1980 - Kaylani Lei, Asian-American porn star
• 1980 - Wayne Bridge, English footballer
• 1980 - Jason ÄŒulina, Australian soccer player
• 1980 - Ali Umar, Maldivian footballer
• 1981 - Carl Crawford, American baseball player
• 1981 - Rachel Scott, American murder victim (d. 1999)
• 1981 - KÅ� Shibasaki, Japanese singer
• 1981 - Erik Guay, Canadian alpine skier
• 1981 - Cory Williams, American internet celebrity
• 1982 - LoLo Jones, American track and field athlete
• 1982 - Ryu Seung Min, Korean table tennis player
• 1982 - Tobias Regner, German singer
• 1983 - Dawn Richard, American singer (Danity Kane)
• 1985 - Salomon Kalou, Ivorian footballer
• 1985 - Laurent Ciman, Belgian footballer
• 1986 - Paula Creamer, American golfer
• 1987 - Genelia D\'Souza, Indian actress
• 1987 - Xenia Tchoumitcheva, Russian-born Swiss model
• 1993 - Corey J. Smith, English television actor
• 1993 - Suzuka ÅŒgo, Japanese actress
• 2000 - Maya Bond, Japanese-born American singer and musician

Deaths

• 882 - King Louis III of France (b. 863)
• 1063 - Gruffydd ap Llywelyn, King of Gwynedd
• 1364 - Emperor Kogon of Japan (b. 1313)
• 1572 - Isaac Luria, Palestinian-born Kabbalist (b. 1534)
• 1579 - Stanislaus Hosius, Polish Catholic cardinal (b. 1504)
• 1610 - Alonso García de Ramón, Spanish soldier and twice Royal Governor of Chile
• 1633 - Archbishop George Abbot, Archbishop of Canterbury (b. 1562)
• 1678 - Juan García de Zéspedes, Mexican musician and composer (b. 1619)
• 1743 - John Hervey, Lord Hervey, English statesman and writer (b. 1696)
• 1778 - Charles Clémencet, French historian (b. 1703)
• 1792 - Frederick North, Lord North, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1732)
• 1799 - Richard Howe, British admiral (b. 1726)
• 1868 - Jacques Boucher de CrèvecÅ“ur de Perthes, French archaeologist (b. 1788)
• 1880 - Ferdinand Ritter von Hebra, Austrian physician (b. 1816)
• 1895 - Friedrich Engels, German philosopher (b. 1820)
• 1911 - Bob Caruthers, baseball player (b. 1864)
• 1923 - Vatroslav Jagić, Croatian slavist (b. 1835)
• 1925 - Jennie Lee (actor), American actress (b. 1848)
• 1929 - Millicent Fawcett, British suffragist and feminist (b. 1847)
• 1946 - Wilhelm Marx, Chancellor of Germany (b. 1863)
• 1952 - Sameera Moussa, Egyptian nuclear scientist (b. 1917)
• 1955 - Carmen Miranda, Portuguese actress and singer (b. 1909)
• 1957 - Heinrich Otto Wieland, German chemist, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1877)
• 1959 - Edgar Guest, English poet (b. 1881)
• 1960 - Arthur Meighen, 9th Prime Minister of Canada (b. 1874)
• 1962 - Marilyn Monroe, American actress (b. 1926)
• 1963 - Salvador Bacarisse, Spanish composer (b. 1898)
• 1964 - Art Ross, professional ice hockey player and executive (b. 1886) (Art Ross Trophy)
• 1972 - Harry Hylton-Foster, Speaker of the British House of Commons (b. 1905)
• 1978 - Jesse Haines, baseball player (b. 1893)
• 1984 - Richard Burton, British actor (b. 1925)
• 1991 - Paul Brown, American football coach (b. 1908)
• 1991 - Soichiro Honda, founder of the Honda Motor Company (b. 1906)
• 1992 - Jeff Porcaro, American drummer (b. 1954)
• 1994 - Alain de Changy, Belgian racing driver (b. 1922)
• 1998 - Otto Kretschmer, German U-boat commander (b. 1912)
• 1998 - Todor Zhivkov, Bulgarian Communist dictator from 1956 to 1989 (b. 1911)
• 2000 - Sir Alec Guinness, British actor (b. 1914)
• 2000 - Otto Buchsbaum, writer and ecological activist (b. 1920)
• 2002 - Josh Ryan Evans, American actor (b. 1982)
• 2002 - Chick Hearn, American basketball announcer (b. 1916)
• 2002 - Franco Lucentini, Italian writer (b. 1920)
• 2005 - Polina Astakhova, Russian gymnast (b. 1936)
• 2005 - Jim O\'Hora, American football coach (b. 1915)
• 2005 - Raul Roco, Philippine senator (b. 1941)
• 2006 - Susan Butcher, American Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race champion (b. 1954)
• 2007 - Florian PittiÅŸ, Romanian artist (b. 1943)
• 2007 - Jean-Marie Lustiger, Cardinal of France

Holidays and observances

• Burkina Faso - Independence Day.
• Croatia - Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day.
• Chile - Children\'s Day
• Abel of Reims (died 750)
• Addai
• Saint Afra, martyr [Augsburg (rare)]
• Saint Afra and companions, virgins, martyrs [France]
• Saint Dominic, confessor [medieval date, in Paris; nowadays August 4]
• Saint Emygdius, martyr, bishop of Ascoli Piceno
• Feast of Mary "ad nives"; Dedication of Santa Maria Maggiore bin Rome [common]
• Saint Ormisdas, pope, confessor [Bamberg]
• Saint Oswald of Northumbria, king, martyr [common; England] (died 642)
• Saint Sixtus II, pope [Paris]

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from Wikipedia

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from Wikipedia