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. [edit] 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States government levies the first income tax as part of the Revenue Act of 1861 (3% of all incomes over US $800; rescinded in 1872).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 – 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 formally annexes Latvia.
- 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 USS Ticonderoga and USS Constellation 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 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.
[edit] 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)
- 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 – Venkatesh Prasad, Indian cricketer
- 1969 – Vasbert Drakes, Barbadian cricketer
- 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
- 1988 – Federica Pellegrini, Italian swimmer
- 1993 – Suzuka Ohgo, Japanese actress
- 1993 – Corey J. Smith, English actor
- 1995 – Devo Keenan American cellist
- 2000 – Maya Bond, American singer and musician
[edit] Deaths - 882 – King Louis III of France (b. 863)
- 1063 – Gruffydd ap Llywelyn, King of Gwynedd (b. 1007)
- 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 (b. 1552)
- 1633 – Archbishop George Abbot, Archbishop of Canterbury (b. 1562)
- 1678 – Juan García de Zéspedes, Mexican musician and composer (b. 1619)
- 1743 – John Hervey, 2nd Baron 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 Crèvecœur de Perthes, French archaeologist (b. 1788)
- 1877 – Gustavus, Crown Prince of Sweden (b. 1799)
- 1880 – Ferdinand Ritter von Hebra, Austrian physician (b. 1816)
- 1895 – Friedrich Engels, German philosopher (b. 1820)
- 1901 – Victoria, Princess Royal of Great Britain and German Empress (b. 1840)
- 1911 – Bob Caruthers, American baseball player (b. 1864)
- 1923 – Vatroslav Jagić, Croatian slavist (b. 1835)
- 1925 – Jennie Lee, American actress (b. 1848)
- 1929 – Millicent Fawcett, British suffragist (b. 1847)
- 1944 – Maurice Turnbull, Former England cricketer (b. 1906)
- 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, Canadian hockey player and executive (b. 1886)
- 1968 – Luther Perkins American guitarist (b. 1928)
- 1972 – Harry Hylton-Foster, Speaker of the British House of Commons (b. 1905)
- 1978 – Jesse Haines, American baseball player (b. 1893)
- 1980 – Harold Runnels, American politician (b. 1924)
- 1983 – Judy Canova, American actress (b. 1913)
- 1984 – Richard Burton, Welsh actor (b. 1925)
- 1991 – Paul Brown, American football coach (b. 1908)
- 1991 – Soichiro Honda, Japanese automotive executive (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 dictator (b. 1911)
- 2000 – Sir Alec Guinness, British actor (b. 1914)
- 2000 – Otto Buchsbaum, writer and ecological activist (b. 1920)
- 2000 – Tullio Crali, Italian artist associated with Futurism (b. 1910)
- 2001 – Otema Allimadi, Prime Minister of Uganda (b. 1929)
- 2002 – Josh Ryan Evans, American actor (b. 1982)
- 2002 – Chick Hearn, American basketball announcer (b. 1916)
- 2002 – Franco Lucentini, Italian writer (b. 1920)
- 2002 – Matt Robinson, American actor (b. 1937)
- 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 sled dog champion (b. 1954)
- 2007 – Florian Pittiş, Romanian artist (b. 1943)
- 2007 – Jean-Marie Lustiger, Cardinal of France (b. 1926)
- 2008 – Reg Lindsay, Australian country and western singer/songwriter (b. 1929)
- 2009 – Budd Schulberg, American screenwriter and novelist (b. 1914)
[edit] Holidays and observances - Abel of Reims (died 750)
- Addai
- Saint Afra, martyr [Augsburg (rare)]
- Saint Afra and companions, virgins, martyrs [France]
- Saint Cassian of Autun, bishop
- Saint Dominic, confessor [medieval date, in Paris; nowadays August 4]
- Saint Emygdius, martyr, bishop of Ascoli Piceno
- Saint Memmius, bishop
- 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]
[edit] External links
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