AUGUST 5 | Birthdays and Events
Famous Birthdays
People born on August 5
Guy de Maupassant
Died: July 6, 1893
French novelist, poet and short story writer celebrated as a master of the short story.
Gertrude Elzora Durden Rush
Died: September 5, 1962
The first African-American female lawyer in Iowa after being admitted to the bar in 1918. She also helped found the National Bar Association in 1925.
Kenneth V. Thimann
Died: January 15, 1997
English-American botanist and microbiologist who isolated and determined the structure of auxin, the first known plant hormone. His studies in plant hormones were very influential in agriculture and horticulture.
Betty Oliphant
Died: July 12, 2004
English-Canadian ballerina who co-founded National Ballet School of Canada.
Neil Armstrong
Died: August 25, 2012
Pilot, engineer, and astronaut. He was the first man to walk on the Moon.
Loni Anderson
Died: August 3, 2025
Actress known for her role as Jennifer Marlowe on the CBS sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati.
Shirley Ann Jackson
Physicist and the first African American woman to earn a doctorate at the MIT.
Pat Smear
Current guitarist and songwriter or the Foo Fighters. He also co-founded the punk band Germs and was a touring guitarist for Nirvana.
Patrick Ewing
Former Jamaican-American basketball player who played professional basketball for 17 years. During his career, he played for the New York Knicks, Seattle SuperSonics, and Orlando Magic.
Motoi Sakuraba
Japanese keyboard player and composer who is well-known for his contributions in video games, including the Star Ocean, Mario Golf, Mario Tennis, and the Dark Souls series.
Aston George Taylor Jr.
Known as Funkmaster "Funk" Flex, Taylor is a DJ, radio and television host, rapper, and record producer. He is credited with hosting the first hip hop radio show on Hot 97 in New York.
Historical Events on August 5
Events that occurred on August 5 throughout history
Henry I is crowned King of England.
Henry I is crowned King of England in Westminster Abbey. The coronation was quick to avoid his older brother Robert becoming King, who was away returning from the First Crusade.
Sir Humphrey Gilbert establishes the first English colony in North America.
Sir Humphrey Gilbert establishes the first English colony in North America. The exhibition was backed by Queen Elizabeth I and marked the beginning of English expansion overseas.
The Mayflower departs from Southampton, England.
The Mayflower departs from Southampton, England, on its first attempt to reach North America. The ship was forced to dock in Dartmouth when its companion ship, the Speedwell, springs a leak, forcing both ships to turn back.
New York Weekly Journal writer John Peter Zenger is acquitted of seditious libel.
New York Weekly Journal writer John Peter Zenger is acquitted of seditious libel against the royal governor of New York because the information printed was true. The ruling marked the beginning of freedom of the press.
Francis Ronalds's new invention of the first working electric telegraph is dismissed.
The British Admiralty dismisses Francis Ronalds's new invention of the first working electric telegraph. It was stated the invention was "wholly unnecessary" and it was preferred to continue using the semaphore.
The first transatlantic telegraph cable across the Atlantic Ocean is completed.
Project leader Cyrus West Field and others complete the first transatlantic telegraph cable across the Atlantic Ocean after several unsuccessful attempts. The connection was 2,000 miles long between the Valentia Island in Ireland to Trinity Bay in Newfoundland. The cable stretched over 2,000 miles and failed within a month.
The U.S. abolishes flogging.
The U.S. abolishes flogging as a form of discipline in the military.
The United States government levies the first income tax.
The U.S. government levies the first income tax as part of the Revenue Act of 1861 to help pay for the Civil War. Each resident whose income was over $800 was required to pay a 3% tax. The Act was rescinded in 1872.
Japan launches its postal savings system.
Japan launches its postal savings system, modeled after a similar system in the UK.
The Standard Oil Company of New Jersey is established officially.
Standard Oil Company of New Jersey is established officially. The company would change its name to ExxonMobil and become holder of all Standard Oil companies.
The cornerstone for the Statue of Liberty is laid.
The cornerstone for the Statue of Liberty is laid on Bedloe's Island in New York Harbor.
The first person drives an internal combustion engine automobile over a long distance.
German automotive pioneer Bertha Benz becomes first person to drive an internal combustion engine automobile over a long distance. She was also the business partner, investor and wife of automobile inventor Carl Benz.
The first electric traffic light is installed.
The first electric traffic light is installed in Cleveland, Ohio.
Harry Houdini performs his greatest feat.
Harry Houdini performs his greatest feat by spending 91 minutes underwater in a sealed tank before escaping a sealed, 700-pound coffin submerged in a hotel swimming pool.
Nazis begin a week-long massacre in Wola, Poland.
The Nazis begin a week-long massacre of civilians and prisoners of war in Wola, Poland. An estimated 40,000 to 50,000 men, women, children, and hospital patients were killed under the orders of Heinrich Himmler and Adolf Hitler.
Polish insurgents liberate the German labor camp Gęsiówka in Warsaw.
Polish insurgents liberate the German concentration and forced-labor camp Gęsiówka in Warsaw. The liberation freed 348 Jewish prisoners, who joined the resistance.
Smokejumper firefighters and a U.S. Forest Service fire guard are killed in a fire.
In Montana, 12 smokejumper firefighters and 1 U.S. Forest Service fire guard are killed in the Mann Gulch Fire. The disaster prompted the U.S. Forest Service to change wildfire safety training, communication, and response strategies.
American Bandstand debuts on the ABC television network.
American Bandstand, hosted by Dick Clark, debuts on the ABC television network. The show was dedicated to the teenage "baby-boomers" by playing the songs and showing popular dances of the time. The first guests were Buddy Holly and The Chordettes.
Marilyn Monroe is found dead at her home.
Marilyn Monroe is found dead at her home. The LA police classified her death as a probable suicide.
Nelson Mandela is jailed.
Nelson Mandela is jailed for fighting against apartheid in South Africa. President F.W. de Klerk ordered his release in 1990.
The U.S., U.K., and Soviet Union sign the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
The U.S., U.K., and Soviet Union sign the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. The Treaty banned nuclear weapon test explosions in the atmosphere, in outer space, and underwater.
U.S. aircraft carriers bomb North Vietnam in retaliation for strikes against U.S.
U.S. aircraft carriers USS Ticonderoga and USS Constellation bomb North Vietnam in retaliation for strikes against U.S. destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin.
President Ronald Reagan fires 11,359 striking air-traffic controllers.
President Ronald Reagan fires 11,359 striking air-traffic controllers after they ignored his 48-hour ultimatum to return to work from an illegal federal strike. Federal law prohibited government employees from striking against the public
The EPA releases 3 million gallons of toxin tailings and waste water into the Animas River.
The EPA at Gold King Mine waste water spill releases 3 million gallons of heavy metal toxin tailings and waste water into the Animas River in Colorado. The bright orange-yellow color river water reached New Mexico, Utah, and Navajo Nation lands.