August 5 facts for kids

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

August 5th is a day filled with many important events throughout history, from ancient battles and the crowning of kings to major scientific breakthroughs and modern-day happenings. It's a day when new nations were formed, and big changes happened around the world.

Historical Moments

Early History (Before 1600)

• AD 25 – Guangwu became the Emperor of China. He brought back the Han dynasty after a short period when another dynasty ruled.
• 70 – Fires in Jerusalem, caused by the destruction of the Second Temple, were finally put out.
• 642 – The Battle of Maserfield took place. In this battle, Penda of Mercia defeated and killed Oswald of Northumbria.
• 910 – A large Danish army that had been raiding England was defeated. This happened at the Battle of Tettenhall. Forces from Mercia and Wessex, led by King Edward the Elder, won the battle.
• 1100 – Henry I was crowned King of England at Westminster Abbey.
• 1305 – During the First Scottish War of Independence, Sir William Wallace of Scotland was captured. This led to his execution later on.
• 1583 – Sir Humphrey Gilbert started the first English colony in North America. This was in what is now St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador.

From 1601 to 1900

• 1620 – The famous ship Mayflower left England for North America. It was carrying settlers hoping to start a new life.
• 1689 – Fifteen hundred Iroquois warriors attacked Lachine in New France (now Canada). This was part of the Beaver Wars.
• 1735 – A writer named John Peter Zenger was found not guilty of seditious libel. He had published true things about the royal governor of New York, which helped establish Freedom of the press.
• 1772 – The First Partition of Poland happened. Austria, Prussia, and Russia signed agreements to divide parts of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth among themselves.
• 1763 – During Pontiac's War, British forces led by Henry Bouquet defeated Chief Pontiac's Indians at the Battle of Bushy Run.
• 1816 – The British Admiralty said no to Francis Ronalds's new electrical telegraph. They thought it was "wholly unnecessary" and preferred using semaphore signals.
• 1858 – Cyrus West Field and others finished laying the first transatlantic telegraph cable. This cable allowed messages to be sent across the Atlantic Ocean.
• 1861 – The U.S. government introduced the first income tax to help pay for the American Civil War.
• 1864 – American Civil War: The Battle of Mobile Bay began. Admiral David Farragut led Union ships through Confederate defenses, closing one of the last major Southern ports.
• 1884 – The first stone was laid for the Statue of Liberty. This famous statue stands on Bedloe's Island in New York Harbor.
• 1888 – Bertha Benz made history by driving from Mannheim to Pforzheim and back. This was the first long-distance trip ever made in an automobile.

Modern Era (1901-Present)

• 1901 – Peter O'Connor set the first official World Athletics long jump world record. This record stood for 20 years.
• 1906 – The Persian Constitutional Revolution led to Iran's King, Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar, agreeing to change the government to a constitutional monarchy. This meant the king would share power.
• 1914 – World War I began. In Australia, the guns of Point Nepean fort fired across a German ship's bow. This was said to be the first Allied shot of the war.
• 1914 – The first electric traffic light was installed in Cleveland, Ohio.
• 1925 – Plaid Cymru was formed. This group aimed to protect and spread knowledge of the Welsh language, which was in danger of disappearing.
• 1926 – Harry Houdini, the famous escape artist, performed an amazing feat. He spent 91 minutes underwater in a sealed tank before escaping.
• 1940 – During World War II, the Soviet Union officially took over Latvia.
• 1944 – World War II: Polish fighters freed 348 Jewish prisoners from a German labor camp in Warsaw.
• 1949 – A big earthquake hit Ecuador. It destroyed 50 towns and tragically killed over 6,000 people.
• 1957 – American Bandstand debuted on ABC television. This show was popular with teenagers, playing music and showing new dances.
• 1960 – Burkina Faso, then called Upper Volta, became independent from France.
• 1962 – Apartheid: Nelson Mandela was jailed in South Africa. He would not be released until 1990.
• 1963 – During the Cold War, the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union signed the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. This agreement aimed to limit nuclear weapons testing.
• 1964 – Vietnam War: American aircraft bombed North Vietnam in response to attacks on U.S. destroyers. This was called Operation Pierce Arrow.
• 1965 – The Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 began when Pakistani soldiers crossed the Line of Control.
• 1973 – Mars 6 was launched from the USSR, heading for the planet Mars.
• 1974 – Watergate scandal: President Richard Nixon released the "Smoking Gun" tape. This tape clearly showed his involvement in covering up the Watergate break-in, leading to a loss of political support.
• 1981 – President Ronald Reagan fired over 11,000 striking air-traffic controllers who refused to return to work.
• 1995 – During the Yugoslav Wars, Croatian forces took the city of Knin, a major Serb stronghold. This day is now celebrated as Victory Day in Croatia.
• 2010 – The Copiapó mining accident happened in Chile. 33 miners were trapped nearly 2,300 feet underground for 69 days.
• 2019 – The special status of Jammu and Kashmir (state) in India was removed. The state was then divided into two union territories.
• 2020 – Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended a ceremony for the Rama Mandir in Ayodhya. This followed a Supreme Court ruling about the disputed land.

Famous Birthdays

Many notable people were born on August 5th:

• 1802 – Niels Henrik Abel, a brilliant Norwegian mathematician.
• 1844 – Ilya Repin, a famous Russian painter and sculptor.
• 1850 – Guy de Maupassant, a well-known French writer of short stories and novels.
• 1862 – Joseph Merrick, also known as the "Elephant Man," who had severe deformities.
• 1906 – John Huston, an American actor, director, and screenwriter.
• 1908 – Harold Holt, who became the 17th Prime Minister of Australia.
• 1930 – Neil Armstrong, the American pilot and astronaut who was the first person to walk on the Moon.
• 1934 – Wendell Berry, an American novelist, poet, and essayist.
• 1945 – Loni Anderson, an American actress.
• 1946 – Shirley Ann Jackson, an American physicist.
• 1947 – Rick Derringer, an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.
• 1962 – Patrick Ewing, a famous Jamaican-American basketball player and coach.
• 1968 – Marine Le Pen, a French lawyer and politician.
• 1968 – Colin McRae, a Scottish race car driver.
• 1974 – Kajol, a popular Indian film actress.
• 1980 – Wayne Bridge, an English footballer.
• 1984 – Helene Fischer, a German singer-songwriter.
• 1997 – Olivia Holt, an American actress and singer.
• 2004 – Gavi, a Spanish footballer.

Notable Deaths

Some important people who passed away on August 5th include:

• 1729 – Thomas Newcomen, an English engineer who invented the Newcomen atmospheric engine.
• 1792 – Frederick North, Lord North, who was the Prime Minister of Great Britain.
• 1895 – Friedrich Engels, a German philosopher.
• 1901 – Victoria, Princess Royal of the United Kingdom and German Empress.
• 1955 – Carmen Miranda, a Portuguese-Brazilian actress and singer.
• 1957 – Heinrich Otto Wieland, a German chemist who won the Nobel Prize.
• 1960 – Arthur Meighen, the 9th Prime Minister of Canada.
• 1984 – Richard Burton, a famous Welsh-Swiss actor.
• 1991 – Soichiro Honda, the Japanese engineer and businessman who founded Honda.
• 1992 – Robert Muldoon, the 31st Prime Minister of New Zealand.
• 2000 – Alec Guinness, a well-known English actor.
• 2019 – Toni Morrison, an American author who won the Pulitzer Prize and the Nobel Prize.
• 2022 – Issey Miyake, a Japanese fashion designer.

Holidays and observances

• Christian feast day:
  • Abel of Reims
  • Addai
  • Afra
  • Albrecht Dürer, Matthias Grünewald, and Lucas Cranach the Elder (Episcopal Church (USA))
  • Cassian of Autun
  • Dedication of the Basilica of St Mary Major (Catholic Church)
  • Emygdius
  • Memnius
  • Oswald of Northumbria
  • August 5 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Independence Day (Burkina Faso)
• Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day and the Day of Croatian defenders (Croatia)

See also

In Spanish: 5 de agosto para niños