On This Day — December 5

Famous events, births, and deaths from December 5 in history, plus the public holidays, religious observances, sports, and national days happening on this date today.

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37 events · 206 births · 92 deaths recorded for December 5.

🕰️ Notable Events on December 5

2013 — Militants attack a Defense Ministry compound in Sana'a, Yemen, killing at least 56 people and injuring 200 others. Wikipedia ↗
2006 — Commodore Frank Bainimarama overthrows the government in Fiji. Wikipedia ↗
2005 — The 6.8 Mw Lake Tanganyika earthquake shakes the eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (Extreme), killing six people. Wikipedia ↗
2004 — The Civil Partnership Act comes into effect in the United Kingdom, and the first civil partnership is registered there. Wikipedia ↗
1995 — Sri Lankan Civil War: Sri Lanka's government announces the conquest of the Tamil stronghold of Jaffna. Wikipedia ↗
1983 — Dissolution of the Military Junta in Argentina. Wikipedia ↗
1977 — Egypt breaks diplomatic relations with Syria, Libya, Algeria, Iraq and South Yemen. The move is in retaliation for the Declaration of Tripoli against Egypt. Wikipedia ↗
1964 — Vietnam War: For his heroism in battle earlier in the year, Captain Roger Donlon is awarded the first Medal of Honor of the war. Wikipedia ↗
1964 — Lloyd J. Old discovered the first linkage between the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) and disease—mouse leukemia—opening the way for the recognition of the importance of the MHC in the immune response. Wikipedia ↗
1958 — Subscriber Trunk Dialling (STD) is inaugurated in the United Kingdom by Queen Elizabeth II when she speaks to the Lord Provost in a call from Bristol to Edinburgh. Wikipedia ↗
1958 — The Preston By-pass, the UK's first stretch of motorway, opens to traffic for the first time. (It is now part of the M6 and M55 motorways.) Wikipedia ↗
1955 — The American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations merge and form the AFL-CIO. Wikipedia ↗
1955 — E. D. Nixon and Rosa Parks lead the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Wikipedia ↗
1952 — Great Smog: A cold fog descends upon London, combining with air pollution and killing at least 12,000 in the weeks and months that follow. Wikipedia ↗
1943 — World War II: Allied air forces begin attacking Germany's secret weapons bases in Operation Crossbow. Wikipedia ↗
1941 — World War II: In the Battle of Moscow, Georgy Zhukov launches a massive Soviet counter-attack against the German army. Wikipedia ↗
1941 — World War II: Great Britain declares war on Finland, Hungary and Romania. Wikipedia ↗
1936 — The Soviet Union adopts a new constitution and the Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic is established as a full Union Republic of the USSR. Wikipedia ↗
1934 — Abyssinia Crisis: Italian troops attack Wal Wal in Abyssinia, taking four days to capture the city. Wikipedia ↗
1933 — The Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified. Wikipedia ↗
1932 — German-born Swiss physicist Albert Einstein is granted an American visa. Wikipedia ↗
1931 — Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow was destroyed on orders from Joseph Stalin. Wikipedia ↗
1865 — Chincha Islands War: Peru allies with Chile against Spain. Wikipedia ↗
1848 — California Gold Rush: In a message to the United States Congress, U.S. President James K. Polk confirms that large amounts of gold had been discovered in California. Wikipedia ↗
1847 — Jefferson Davis is elected to the U.S. Senate. Wikipedia ↗
1831 — Former U.S. President John Quincy Adams takes his seat in the House of Representatives. Wikipedia ↗
1775 — At Fort Ticonderoga, Henry Knox begins his historic transport of artillery to Cambridge, Massachusetts. Wikipedia ↗
1766 — In London, auctioneer James Christie holds his first sale. Wikipedia ↗
1757 — Seven Years' War: Battle of Leuthen - Frederick II of Prussia leads Prussian forces to a decisive victory over Austrian forces under Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine. Wikipedia ↗
1560 — Charles IX becomes king of France. Wikipedia ↗
1496 — King Manuel I of Portugal issues a decree ordering the expulsion of "heretics" from the country. Wikipedia ↗
1492 — Christopher Columbus becomes the first European to set foot on the island of Hispaniola (now Haiti and the Dominican Republic). Wikipedia ↗
1484 — Pope Innocent VIII issues the Summis desiderantes affectibus, a papal bull that deputizes Heinrich Kramer and Jacob Sprenger as inquisitors to root out alleged witchcraft in Germany. Wikipedia ↗
1408 — Emir Edigu of Golden Horde reaches Moscow. Wikipedia ↗
1082 — Ramon Berenguer II, Count of Barcelona is assassinated. Wikipedia ↗
633 — Fourth Council of Toledo takes place. Wikipedia ↗
Cicero gives the fourth and final of the Catiline Orations. Wikipedia ↗

🎂 Notable Births on December 5

1995 — Danny Levi, New Zealand rugby league player Wikipedia ↗
1995 — Anthony Martial, French footballer Wikipedia ↗
1994 — Ondrej Duda, Slovak footballer Wikipedia ↗
1994 — Grant Ward, English footballer Wikipedia ↗
1993 — Ross Barkley, English footballer Wikipedia ↗
1992 — Ilja Antonov, Estonian footballer Wikipedia ↗
1991 — Jacopo Sala, Italian footballer Wikipedia ↗
1990 — Montee Ball, American football player Wikipedia ↗
1988 — Joanna Rowsell, English cyclist Wikipedia ↗
1987 — Tommy Fraser, English footballer Wikipedia ↗
1986 — LeGarrette Blount, American football player Wikipedia ↗
1986 — James Hinchcliffe, Canadian race car driver Wikipedia ↗
1986 — Justin Smoak, American baseball player Wikipedia ↗
1985 — Shikhar Dhawan, Indian cricketer Wikipedia ↗
1985 — Frankie Muniz, American actor, drummer, and race car driver Wikipedia ↗
1985 — Nico Verdonck, Belgian race car driver Wikipedia ↗
1985 — Danny Wicks, Australian rugby league player Wikipedia ↗
1983 — Cooper Cronk, Australian rugby league player Wikipedia ↗
1982 — Eddy Curry, American basketball player Wikipedia ↗
1982 — Trai Essex, American football player Wikipedia ↗
1980 — Ibrahim Maalouf, Lebanese-French trumpet player and composer Wikipedia ↗
1979 — Matteo Ferrari, Italian footballer Wikipedia ↗
1979 — Niklas Hagman, Finnish ice hockey player Wikipedia ↗
1979 — Gareth McAuley, Northern Irish footballer Wikipedia ↗
1979 — Nick Stahl, American actor and producer Wikipedia ↗
1978 — Neil Druckmann, American video game designer and author Wikipedia ↗
1978 — Olli Jokinen, Finnish ice hockey player Wikipedia ↗
1978 — Marcelo Zalayeta, Uruguayan footballer Wikipedia ↗
1977 — Peter van der Vlag, Dutch footballer Wikipedia ↗
1976 — Amy Acker, American actress Wikipedia ↗
1976 — Xavier Garbajosa, French rugby player Wikipedia ↗
1976 — Sachiko Kokubu, Japanese actress and model Wikipedia ↗
1976 — Rachel Komisarz, American swimmer and coach Wikipedia ↗
1975 — Ronnie O'Sullivan, English snooker player and radio host Wikipedia ↗
1975 — Paula Patton, American actress Wikipedia ↗
1974 — Charlie Batch, American football player and sportscaster Wikipedia ↗
1974 — Ravish Kumar, Indian journalist and author Wikipedia ↗
1974 — Brian Lewis, American sprinter Wikipedia ↗
1973 — Argo Arbeiter, Estonian footballer Wikipedia ↗
1973 — Andrei Krasnopjorov, Estonian footballer Wikipedia ↗
1973 — Mikelangelo Loconte, Italian singer-songwriter, producer, and actor Wikipedia ↗
1973 — Luboš Motl, Czech physicist and academic Wikipedia ↗
1972 — Cliff Floyd, American baseball player and sportscaster Wikipedia ↗
1972 — Mike Mahoney, American baseball player Wikipedia ↗
1972 — Duane Ross, American hurdler and coach Wikipedia ↗
1971 — Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, German businessman and politician, German Federal Minister of Defence Wikipedia ↗
1971 — Ashia Hansen, American-English triple jumper Wikipedia ↗
1971 — Gabriel Hjertstedt, Swedish golfer Wikipedia ↗
1970 — Michel'le, American singer-songwriter Wikipedia ↗
1970 — Kevin Haller, Canadian ice hockey player Wikipedia ↗
1969 — Eric Etebari, American actor, director, and producer Wikipedia ↗
1969 — Morgan J. Freeman, American director, producer, and screenwriter Wikipedia ↗
1969 — Sajid Javid, English banker and politician, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Wikipedia ↗
1969 — Lewis Pugh, English swimmer and lawyer Wikipedia ↗
1969 — Ramón Ramírez, Mexican footballer Wikipedia ↗
1968 — Margaret Cho, American comedian, actress, producer, and screenwriter Wikipedia ↗
1968 — Lisa Marie, American model and actress Wikipedia ↗
1968 — Lydia Millet, American novelist Wikipedia ↗
1968 — Falilat Ogunkoya, Nigerian sprinter Wikipedia ↗
1967 — Gary Allan, American singer-songwriter and guitarist Wikipedia ↗
1965 — Manish Malhotra, Indian fashion designer Wikipedia ↗
1965 — John Rzeznik, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer Wikipedia ↗
1965 — Wayne Smith, Jamaican rapper (d. 2014) Wikipedia ↗
1965 — Valeriy Spitsyn, Russian race walker Wikipedia ↗
1964 — Martin Vinnicombe, Australian cyclist Wikipedia ↗
1963 — Doctor Dré, American television and radio host Wikipedia ↗
1963 — Carrie Hamilton, American actress and playwright (d. 2002) Wikipedia ↗
1963 — Alberto Nisman, Argentinian lawyer (d. 2015) Wikipedia ↗
1962 — José Cura, Argentinian tenor, conductor, and director Wikipedia ↗
1962 — Pablo Morales, American swimmer and coach Wikipedia ↗
1962 — Nivek Ogre, Canadian singer-songwriter Wikipedia ↗
1962 — Fred Rutten, Dutch footballer and manager Wikipedia ↗
1961 — Ralf Dujmovits, German mountaineer Wikipedia ↗
1961 — Laura Flanders, British journalist Wikipedia ↗
1960 — Frans Adelaar, Dutch footballer and manager Wikipedia ↗
1960 — Osvaldo Golijov, Argentinian-American composer and educator Wikipedia ↗
1960 — Jack Russell, American singer-songwriter and producer Wikipedia ↗
1960 — Matthew Taylor, English businessman and politician Wikipedia ↗
1959 — Lee Chapman, English footballer Wikipedia ↗
1959 — Oleksandr Yaroslavsky, Ukrainian businessman Wikipedia ↗
1957 — Raquel Argandoña, Chilean model, actress, and politician Wikipedia ↗
1956 — Klaus Allofs, German footballer and manager Wikipedia ↗
1956 — Adam Thorpe, French-English author, poet, and playwright Wikipedia ↗
1956 — Krystian Zimerman, Polish virtuoso pianist Wikipedia ↗
1955 — Miyuki Kawanaka, Japanese singer Wikipedia ↗
1955 — Juha Tiainen, Finnish hammer thrower (d. 2003) Wikipedia ↗
1954 — Hanif Kureishi, English author and playwright Wikipedia ↗
1954 — Gary Roenicke, American baseball player and scout Wikipedia ↗
1953 — Gwen Lister, South African-Namibian journalist, publisher, and activist Wikipedia ↗
1951 — Link Byfield, Canadian journalist and author (d. 2015) Wikipedia ↗
1951 — Anne-Mie van Kerckhoven, Belgian painter and illustrator Wikipedia ↗
1949 — John Altman, English composer and conductor Wikipedia ↗
1949 — David Manning, English civil servant and diplomat, British Ambassador to the United States Wikipedia ↗
1948 — Denise Drysdale, Australian television host and actress Wikipedia ↗
1947 — Rudy Fernandez, Filipino triathlete Wikipedia ↗
1947 — Bruce Golding, Jamaican lawyer and politician, 8th Prime Minister of Jamaica Wikipedia ↗
1947 — Tony Gregory, Irish activist and politician (d. 2009) Wikipedia ↗
1947 — Jim Messina, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer Wikipedia ↗
1947 — Jim Plunkett, American football player and radio host Wikipedia ↗
1947 — Kim Simmonds, Welsh blues-rock singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (Savoy Brown) Wikipedia ↗
1947 — Don Touhig, Welsh journalist and politician Wikipedia ↗
1946 — José Carreras, Spanish tenor and actor Wikipedia ↗
1946 — Sarel van der Merwe, South African race car driver Wikipedia ↗
1945 — Serge Chapleau, Canadian cartoonist Wikipedia ↗
1945 — Moshe Katsav, Iranian-Israeli educator and politician, 8th President of Israel Wikipedia ↗
1944 — Jeroen Krabbé, Dutch actor, director, and producer Wikipedia ↗
1943 — Eva Joly, Norwegian-French judge and politician Wikipedia ↗
1943 — Andrew Yeom Soo-jung, South Korean cardinal Wikipedia ↗
1942 — Bryan Murray, Canadian ice hockey coach (d. 2017) Wikipedia ↗
1940 — Tony Crafter, Australian cricket umpire Wikipedia ↗
1940 — Boris Ignatyev, Russian footballer and manager Wikipedia ↗
1940 — Peter Pohl, Swedish author, director, and screenwriter Wikipedia ↗
1940 — Frank Wilson, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2012) Wikipedia ↗
1936 — James Lee Burke, American journalist, author, and academic Wikipedia ↗
1935 — Calvin Trillin, American novelist, humorist, and journalist Wikipedia ↗
1935 — Yury Vlasov, Ukrainian-Russian weightlifter and politician Wikipedia ↗
1934 — Joan Didion, American novelist and screenwriter Wikipedia ↗
1933 — Gennadiy Agapov, Russian race walker (d. 1999) Wikipedia ↗
1932 — Alf Dubs, Baron Dubs, British politician Wikipedia ↗
1932 — Sheldon Lee Glashow, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate Wikipedia ↗
1932 — Jim Hurtubise, American race car driver (d. 1989) Wikipedia ↗
1932 — Little Richard, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and actor Wikipedia ↗
1931 — Ladislav Novák, Czech footballer and manager (d. 2011) Wikipedia ↗
1929 — Madis Kõiv, Estonian physicist, philosopher, and author (d. 2014) Wikipedia ↗
1927 — Bhumibol Adulyadej, Thai king (d. 2016) Wikipedia ↗
1927 — W.D. Amaradeva, Sri Lankan musician and composer (d. 2016) Wikipedia ↗
1925 — Anastasio Somoza Debayle, Nicaraguan politician, 73rd President of Nicaragua (d. 1980) Wikipedia ↗
1924 — Robert Sobukwe, South African banker and politician (d. 1978) Wikipedia ↗
1922 — Casey Ribicoff, American philanthropist (d. 2011) Wikipedia ↗
1921 — Alvy Moore, American actor and producer (d. 1997) Wikipedia ↗
1919 — Alun Gwynne Jones, Baron Chalfont, English historian and politician Wikipedia ↗
1917 — Ken Downing, English race car driver (d. 2004) Wikipedia ↗
1916 — Hilary Koprowski, Polish-American virologist and immunologist, created the world's first effective live polio vaccine (d. 2013) Wikipedia ↗
1916 — Walt McPherson, American basketball player and coach (d. 2013) Wikipedia ↗
1914 — Hans Hellmut Kirst, German lieutenant and author (d. 1989) Wikipedia ↗
1913 — Esther Borja, Cuban soprano and actress (d. 2013) Wikipedia ↗
1912 — Sonny Boy Williamson II, American singer-songwriter and harmonica player (d. 1965) Wikipedia ↗
1911 — Władysław Szpilman, Polish pianist and composer (d. 2000) Wikipedia ↗
1910 — Abraham Polonsky, American director and screenwriter (d. 1999) Wikipedia ↗
1907 — Lin Biao, Chinese general and politician, 2nd Vice Premier of the People's Republic of China (d. 1971) Wikipedia ↗
1907 — Giuseppe Occhialini, Italian-French physicist and academic (d. 1993) Wikipedia ↗
1905 — Gus Mancuso, American baseball player, coach, and sportscaster (d. 1984) Wikipedia ↗
1905 — Otto Preminger, Austrian-American actor, director, and producer (d. 1986) Wikipedia ↗
1905 — Francisco Javier Arana, Guatemalan Army colonel and briefly Guatemalan head of state (d.1949) Wikipedia ↗
1903 — Johannes Heesters, Dutch-German actor and singer (d. 2011) Wikipedia ↗
1903 — C. F. Powell, English-Italian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1969) Wikipedia ↗
1902 — Emeric Pressburger, Hungarian-English director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1988) Wikipedia ↗
1902 — Strom Thurmond, American educator, general, and politician, 103rd Governor of South Carolina (d. 2003) Wikipedia ↗
1901 — Walt Disney, American animator, director, producer, and screenwriter, co-founded The Walt Disney Company (d. 1966) Wikipedia ↗
1901 — Milton H. Erickson, American psychiatrist and author (d. 1980) Wikipedia ↗
1901 — Werner Heisenberg, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1976) Wikipedia ↗
1900 — Jimmy Dimmock, English footballer (d. 1972) Wikipedia ↗
1898 — Josh Malihabadi, Indian-Pakistani poet and translator (d. 1982) Wikipedia ↗
1898 — Grace Moore, American soprano and actress (d. 1947) Wikipedia ↗
1897 — Nunnally Johnson, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1977) Wikipedia ↗
1897 — Gershom Scholem, German-Israeli philosopher and historian (d. 1982) Wikipedia ↗
1896 — Ann Nolan Clark, American historian, author, and educator (d. 1995) Wikipedia ↗
1896 — Carl Ferdinand Cori, Czech-American biochemist and pharmacologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1984) Wikipedia ↗
1895 — Elbert Frank Cox, American mathematician and academic (d. 1969) Wikipedia ↗
1894 — Charles Robberts Swart, South African lawyer and politician, 1st State President of South Africa (d. 1982) Wikipedia ↗
1891 — Paul Kogerman, Estonian chemist and academic (d. 1951) Wikipedia ↗
1890 — David Bomberg, English painter, illustrator, and academic (d. 1957) Wikipedia ↗
1890 — Fritz Lang, Austrian-American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1976) Wikipedia ↗