62 On February 5, 62 AD Pompeii was severely damaged by a strong earthquake. It may have been a precursor to the eruption of the nearby Mount Vesuvius that destroyed the town 17 years later, killing its inhabitants and burying it under tons of ash.
1597 In 1587 the powerful nobleman Hideyoshi of Japan banned Christianity from his country and ordered the Jesuits to leave within twenty days. He accused the Jesuits of selling Japanese as slaves and smashing Buddhist images. A decade later, on February 5, 1597, 20 Japanese and 6 foreign Christians were crucified by the government of Japan, as they were seen as a threat to native society.
1666 The first issue of The London Gazette, the oldest surviving English-language newspaper was published on February 5, 1666. "Published by Authority" by journalist Henry Muddiman, the newspaper was sent by post to subscribers and became an authoritative and reliable source of news.
1697 The Scottish surgeon William Smellie was born on February 5, 1697. Smellie published his book, Theory and Practice or Treatise on Midwifery in 1752, in which he established safe rules for the use of forceps (of which he introduced several types). The work was the first scientific approach to midwifery.
1788 Robert Peel, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1834–1835 and 1841–1846), was born at Chamber Hall, Bury, Lancashire on February 5, 1788. On hearing the news of the birth of his son, the cotton industrialist, Sir Robert Peel fell on his knees and, returning thanks to God, vowed that he would give his son to his country. The younger Robert Peel grew up to be one of Britain's leading politicians of the nineteenth century.
1788 Wynee, a Native of Owyhee, was the first Native Hawaiian from the Hawaiian Islands to travel abroad on a Western ship. She traveled to British Columbia and China before dying of illness on the voyage home to Hawaii on February 5, 1788.
1811 Prince George became Prince Regent of the United Kingdom on February 5, 1811 as a result of his father, George III's insanity. George let his ministers take full charge of government affairs, playing a far lesser role than his father. The principle that the prime minister was the person supported by a majority in the House of Commons, whether the king personally favored him or not, became established. His governments, with little help from the Regent, presided over British policy.
1819 Hannah Van Buren, the wife of the eighth US President Martin Van Buren, contracted tuberculosis and died on February 5, 1819 at age 35. Van Buren never remarried. His daughter-in-law, Angelica, performed the role of hostess of the White House and First Lady.
1820 Belfast-born Irish political radical and poet William Drennan died February 5, 1820. Ireland is sometimes known as the Emerald Isle, a term coined by William Drennan in his poem When Erin First Rose. He wrote: "Let no feeling of vengeance presume to defile. The cause of, or men of, the Emerald Isle."
1840 Hiram Maxim was born on February 5, 1840. He invented the world's first portable fully automatic machine gun in 1884. Maxim was supposedly inspired by an American friend, who said the route to riches was to "invent something that will enable these Europeans to cut each other's throats with greater facility." A prolific inventor, Maxim was also responsible for creating the world’s first automatic sprinkler to douse fires and the common mousetrap.
1840 John Boyd Dunlop was born on a farm in Dreghorn, North Ayrshire in Scotland on February 5, 1840. In 1887 Dunlop came up with pneumatic tyres to stop his son getting headaches from riding his bumpy tricycle. His company, formed in 1889, became known as the Dunlop Rubber Co in 1900. The company manufactured its first motor car tyre the same year.
1852 Swedish opera singer Jenny Lind married her accompanist, Otto Goldschmidt, on February 5, 1852, near the end of the tour, in Boston. She took the name Jenny Lind-Goldschmidt both privately and professionally. Lind and her husband moved to England in 1855. There she appeared in oratorios and recitals.
1858 A brawl involving 50 congressmen on the US Congress House Floor on February 5, 1858 ended when a missed punch from Rep. Cadwallader Washburn of Wisconsin upended the hairpiece of Rep. William Barksdale of Mississippi. The embarrassed Barksdale accidentally put the wig back on backwards, causing both sides to erupt in spontaneous laughter and stop fighting.
1597 In 1587 the powerful nobleman Hideyoshi of Japan banned Christianity from his country and ordered the Jesuits to leave within twenty days. He accused the Jesuits of selling Japanese as slaves and smashing Buddhist images. A decade later, on February 5, 1597, 20 Japanese and 6 foreign Christians were crucified by the government of Japan, as they were seen as a threat to native society.
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| The 26 Christian martyrs of Nagasaki, 18-19th-century, Choir of La Recoleta, Cuzco |
1666 The first issue of The London Gazette, the oldest surviving English-language newspaper was published on February 5, 1666. "Published by Authority" by journalist Henry Muddiman, the newspaper was sent by post to subscribers and became an authoritative and reliable source of news.
1697 The Scottish surgeon William Smellie was born on February 5, 1697. Smellie published his book, Theory and Practice or Treatise on Midwifery in 1752, in which he established safe rules for the use of forceps (of which he introduced several types). The work was the first scientific approach to midwifery.
1788 Robert Peel, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1834–1835 and 1841–1846), was born at Chamber Hall, Bury, Lancashire on February 5, 1788. On hearing the news of the birth of his son, the cotton industrialist, Sir Robert Peel fell on his knees and, returning thanks to God, vowed that he would give his son to his country. The younger Robert Peel grew up to be one of Britain's leading politicians of the nineteenth century.
1788 Wynee, a Native of Owyhee, was the first Native Hawaiian from the Hawaiian Islands to travel abroad on a Western ship. She traveled to British Columbia and China before dying of illness on the voyage home to Hawaii on February 5, 1788.
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| Engraving of Wynee by a member of John Meares's crew |
1811 Prince George became Prince Regent of the United Kingdom on February 5, 1811 as a result of his father, George III's insanity. George let his ministers take full charge of government affairs, playing a far lesser role than his father. The principle that the prime minister was the person supported by a majority in the House of Commons, whether the king personally favored him or not, became established. His governments, with little help from the Regent, presided over British policy.
1819 Hannah Van Buren, the wife of the eighth US President Martin Van Buren, contracted tuberculosis and died on February 5, 1819 at age 35. Van Buren never remarried. His daughter-in-law, Angelica, performed the role of hostess of the White House and First Lady.
1820 Belfast-born Irish political radical and poet William Drennan died February 5, 1820. Ireland is sometimes known as the Emerald Isle, a term coined by William Drennan in his poem When Erin First Rose. He wrote: "Let no feeling of vengeance presume to defile. The cause of, or men of, the Emerald Isle."
1840 Hiram Maxim was born on February 5, 1840. He invented the world's first portable fully automatic machine gun in 1884. Maxim was supposedly inspired by an American friend, who said the route to riches was to "invent something that will enable these Europeans to cut each other's throats with greater facility." A prolific inventor, Maxim was also responsible for creating the world’s first automatic sprinkler to douse fires and the common mousetrap.
1840 John Boyd Dunlop was born on a farm in Dreghorn, North Ayrshire in Scotland on February 5, 1840. In 1887 Dunlop came up with pneumatic tyres to stop his son getting headaches from riding his bumpy tricycle. His company, formed in 1889, became known as the Dunlop Rubber Co in 1900. The company manufactured its first motor car tyre the same year.
1852 Swedish opera singer Jenny Lind married her accompanist, Otto Goldschmidt, on February 5, 1852, near the end of the tour, in Boston. She took the name Jenny Lind-Goldschmidt both privately and professionally. Lind and her husband moved to England in 1855. There she appeared in oratorios and recitals.
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| Lind and Goldschmidt |
1858 A brawl involving 50 congressmen on the US Congress House Floor on February 5, 1858 ended when a missed punch from Rep. Cadwallader Washburn of Wisconsin upended the hairpiece of Rep. William Barksdale of Mississippi. The embarrassed Barksdale accidentally put the wig back on backwards, causing both sides to erupt in spontaneous laughter and stop fighting.
1860 The famous 19th century American preacher Henry Ward Beecher held mock 'auctions' at which the congregation purchased the freedom of real slaves. The most famous of these former slaves was a young girl named Pinky, auctioned during a regular Sunday worship service at Plymouth on February 5, 1860. A collection taken up that day raised $900 to buy Pinky from her owner.
1869 The "Welcome Stranger" was the name given to the largest gold nugget ever found in the world with a calculated refined weight of 2,315 oz (72kg). It was discovered by John Deason and Richard Oates at Moliagul, Victoria, Australia on February 5, 1869 about 9 miles north-west of Dunolly. The nugget was found only three centimeters below the surface, near a root of a tree on a slope leading to what was then known as Bulldog Gully.
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| A wood engraving of the Welcome Stranger published in The Illustrated Australian News |
1885 King Leopold II of Belgium established the Congo as a personal possession on February 5, 1885. The Belgian Congo covered an area eighty times that of Belgium. Leopold's regime began various infrastructure projects, such as construction of the railway that ran from the coast to the capital of Leopoldville (now Kinshasa). During the period of 1885–1908, millions of Congolese died as a consequence of exploitation and disease.
1897 When his first published book Pleasures and Days was slated by critic Jean Lorrain, the writer Marcel Proust challenged him to a duel. On February 5, 1897 they fired pistols from 120 paces but both missed.
1909 The creation of Bakelite, the first commercially successful totally synthetic plastic, was announced by its inventor Leo Baekeland on February 5, 1909. The Belgian chemist devised the plastic as a possible man-made replacement for shellac, which was made from excretions of the kerria lacca insect.
1917 The current constitution of Mexico was adopted on February 5, 1917, establishing a federal republic with powers separated into independent executive, legislative, and judicial branches. The constitution was the first such document in the world to set out social rights, serving as a model for the Russian Constitution of 1918 and the Weimar Constitution of 1919.
1917 The Congress of the United States passed the Immigration Act on February 5, 1917. Also known as the Asiatic Barred Zone Act, it forbade immigration from nearly all of south and Southeast Asia. The Immigration Act of 1917 was one of many immigration acts during this time period which arose from nativist and xenophobic sentiment. These immigration laws were intentional efforts to control the composition of immigrant flow into the United States.
1918 When Stephen W. Thompson shot down a German Albatros D.III fighter on February 5, 1918, he became the first member of the United States military to shoot down an enemy aircraft. The uniform that Thompson was wearing when he shot down the plane is on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force near Dayton, Ohio.
1919 Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, and D.W. Griffith launched the United Artists film studio on February 5, 1919. Each held a 20% stake, with the remaining 20% held by lawyer William Gibbs McAdoo. UA's first film, His Majesty, the American, starring Fairbanks, was released on September 1, 1919.
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| Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, Charlie Chaplin, and D. W. Griffith in 1919 |
1929 On February 5, 1929, black American inventor George Bresnahan received a patent for the world’s first starting blocks for athletes. Bresnahan called his invention a ‘Foot Support.’ The earliest recorded use of the term ‘starting blocks’, also by Bresnahan, was in 1937. Before starting blocks, sprinters in athletics meetings dug holes in the track to give support for their feet at the start.
1946 The inaugural Atlantic airmail flight service began on February 5, 1946, and was operated by Trans World Airlines (TWA). The flight route was between Washington, D.C./New York City and Paris. This marked the beginning of the modern era of air travel and the beginning of regularly scheduled airmail and passenger service across the Atlantic Ocean.
1949 The world record for the highest obstacle cleared by a horse and rider was set by Alberto Larraguibel Morales on a stallion called Huaso in Santiago, Chile. Huaso jumped 2.47m (8ft 1in) on February 5, 1949.
1953 On February 5, 1953, Walt Disney released Peter Pan, an animated film based on J.M. Barrie's play Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up. Michael Jackson cited Disney's Peter Pan as his favorite movie of all time, from which he derived the name for his estate Neverland Ranch in Santa Barbara, where he had a private amusement park.
1972 The New York Renaissance basketball team was founded by Robert L. "Bob" Douglas in 1923.
The first all-black professional basketball team, Douglas owned and coached the Rens from 1923 to 1949, guiding them to a 2,318-381 record. The "Father of Black Professional Basketball" was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a contributor on February 5, 1972, the first African American sportsman to be enshrined.
1953 On February 5, 1953, Walt Disney released Peter Pan, an animated film based on J.M. Barrie's play Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up. Michael Jackson cited Disney's Peter Pan as his favorite movie of all time, from which he derived the name for his estate Neverland Ranch in Santa Barbara, where he had a private amusement park.
1972 The New York Renaissance basketball team was founded by Robert L. "Bob" Douglas in 1923.
The first all-black professional basketball team, Douglas owned and coached the Rens from 1923 to 1949, guiding them to a 2,318-381 record. The "Father of Black Professional Basketball" was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a contributor on February 5, 1972, the first African American sportsman to be enshrined.
1975 Riots broke out in Lima, Peru, on February 5, 1975 after the police forces went on strike the day before. The police strike was a result of a labor dispute, and it led to widespread chaos and unrest in the city. The riots resulted in significant property damage, and there were several casualties. The uprising (locally known as the Limazo) was bloodily suppressed by the military dictatorship.
1985 The footballer Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro was born in São Pedro, Funchal, Madeira, Portugal on February 5, 1985. He is the youngest child of the late José Dinis Aveiro, a municipal gardener and a part-time kit man and his wife, Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro. His second given name, "Ronaldo", was chosen after Ronald Reagan. The then-U.S. president had been his father's favorite actor, and was a person whom he greatly admired.
1990 Barack Obama attended law school at Harvard University. On February 5, 1990 Barack Obama became the first African American president of the student run journal Harvard Law Review. After graduating with a JD degree magna cum laude from Harvard in 1991, Obama accepted a two-year position as Visiting Law and Government Fellow at the University of Chicago Law School to work on his first book.
1991 The Azerbaijan flag was used from November 9, 1918 to 1920 and revived with slight variations on February 5, 1991. The blue symbolizes Azerbaijan's Turkic heritage, the red stands for progress, and the green represents Islam.
1997 On February 5, 1997, the so-called Big Three banks in Switzerland announced the creation of a fund to aid Holocaust survivors and their families. The 'humanitarian fund for the victims of the Holocaust' had an initial worth of around $70 million.
2001 Nicole Kidman's first major movie was Days of Thunder (1990), which also starred Tom Cruise. They fell in love during the filming of that movie. The pair was married on Christmas Eve that year. On February 5, 2001, Kidman and Cruise's spokesperson announced their separation. The marriage was dissolved in August of that year, with Cruise citing irreconcilable differences.
2007 American blogger Sara Rosso founded World Nutella Day on February 5, 2007. The day is dedicated to celebrating the popular hazelnut spread and is observed by Nutella fans all over the world. Rosso chose February 5th as the date for World Nutella Day because it was the anniversary of Michele Ferrero's death, the founder of the Ferrero company, which produces Nutella.
2017 A male Australian lungfish called Granddad, the world's oldest aquarium fish, passed away on February 5, 2017 at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium at nearly 100 years old. The oldest living aquarium fish is Methuselah, an Australian lungfish residing at the California Academy of Sciences' Steinhart Aquarium in San Francisco. She arrived at the aquarium in 1938 and has outlived all the other fish that came with her.
2017 A male Australian lungfish called Granddad, the world's oldest aquarium fish, passed away on February 5, 2017 at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium at nearly 100 years old. The oldest living aquarium fish is Methuselah, an Australian lungfish residing at the California Academy of Sciences' Steinhart Aquarium in San Francisco. She arrived at the aquarium in 1938 and has outlived all the other fish that came with her.
2020 President Donald Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives for the first time in December 2019, making him the third president in American history to be impeached. The first was Andrew Johnson in 1868 and the second Bill Clinton in 1998. The Senate acquitted him of both charges on February 5, 2020.
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