April 5 facts for kids

April 5 is the 95th day of the year (96th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 270 days remain until the end of the year.

April 5th is a day filled with many interesting events throughout history, from important battles and scientific discoveries to the births of famous people and special holidays. Let's explore some of the things that happened on this day!

Events

Early History (Before 1600)

• 823 – Lothair I becomes the King of Italy. He was crowned by Pope Paschal I.
• 919 – The second Fatimid invasion of Egypt begins. al-Qa'im bi-Amr Allah led his army from Raqqada.
• 1242 – In the Battle on the Ice on Lake Peipus, Russian forces, led by Alexander Nevsky, stop an invasion by the Teutonic Knights.
• 1536 – Charles V enters Rome in a grand parade.
• 1566 – About 200 Dutch noblemen, led by Hendrick van Brederode, give the Petition of Compromise to Margaret of Parma. They were speaking out against the Spanish Inquisition in the Seventeen Provinces.

Later History (1601–1900)

• 1614 – In Virginia, the Native American woman Pocahontas marries English colonist John Rolfe.
• 1621 – The famous ship Mayflower leaves Plymouth, Massachusetts to return to England.
• 1792 – United States President George Washington uses his power to veto a bill. This was the first time a U.S. President used this power.
• 1795 – The Peace of Basel agreement is made between France and Prussia.
• 1818 – In the Battle of Maipú, Chile's independence movement wins a big victory over Spain. This battle was led by Bernardo O'Higgins and José de San Martín.
• 1862 – American Civil War: The Battle of Yorktown begins.
• 1879 – Bolivia declares war on Chile, and Chile declares war on Peru. This starts the War of the Pacific.

Modern History (1901–Present)

• 1902 – A part of the stadium collapses at Ibrox Park in Glasgow, Scotland. This happened during a football match between Scotland and England.
• 1910 – The Transandine Railway opens, connecting Chile and Argentina.
• 1932 – Dominion of Newfoundland: Many rioters take over the Colonial Building, which leads to the end of self-government there.
• 1933 – U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs two important orders. One creates the Civilian Conservation Corps, and the other stops people from keeping large amounts of gold.
• 1933 – Andorran Revolution: The Young Andorrans take over the Casa de la Vall. They make the government hold democratic elections where all men can vote.
• 1936 – A very strong tornado hits Tupelo, Mississippi.
• 1942 – World War II: Adolf Hitler plans a major attack on Stalingrad.
• 1942 – World War II: The Imperial Japanese Navy launches an air attack on Colombo, Ceylon. Two Royal Navy ships are sunk.
• 1943 – World War II: U.S. Army Air Forces bombers accidentally hit a residential area in Mortsel, Belgium, causing many civilian casualties.
• 1945 – Cold War: Josip Broz Tito, the leader of Yugoslavia, signs an agreement with the Soviet Union. This allows Soviet troops to temporarily enter Yugoslavia.
• 1946 – Soviet troops leave the Danish island of Bornholm after a year.
• 1949 – A fire at a hospital in Effingham, Illinois, leads to new fire safety rules across the United States.
• 1951 – Cold War: Ethel and Julius Rosenberg are sentenced to death for spying for the Soviet Union.
• 1956 – Cuban Revolution: Fidel Castro declares war on Cuban President Fulgencio Batista.
• 1958 – Ripple Rock, a dangerous underwater obstacle in Canada, is destroyed in a very large controlled explosion.
• 1966 – During the Buddhist Uprising, South Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyễn Cao Kỳ tries to capture the city of Đà Nẵng but then backs down.
• 1971 – In Sri Lanka, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna starts a revolt against the government.
• 1976 – In China, the April Fifth Movement leads to the Tiananmen Incident.
• 1977 – The U.S. Supreme Court rules that a law reducing the size of the Sioux people's reservation took away their authority over the area.
• 1991 – An ASA plane crashes in Brunswick, Georgia. All 23 people on board, including Sen. John Tower and astronaut Sonny Carter, die.
• 1992 – Alberto Fujimori, the president of Peru, dissolves the Peruvian congress using military force.
• 1992 – Peace protesters Suada Dilberovic and Olga Sučić are killed on the Vrbanja Bridge in Sarajevo. They are considered the first victims of the Bosnian War.
• 1998 – In Japan, the Akashi Kaikyō Bridge opens. It becomes the longest bridge span in the world.
• 1999 – Two Libyans suspected of causing the Pan Am Flight 103 crash in 1988 are handed over for trial.
• 2007 – The cruise ship MS Sea Diamond hits a reef and sinks the next day. Two passengers are never found.
• 2009 – North Korea launches its Kwangmyŏngsŏng-2 rocket. This causes concern from the United Nations Security Council.
• 2010 – Twenty-nine coal miners die in an explosion at the Upper Big Branch Mine in West Virginia.
• 2018 – Agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid a slaughterhouse in Tennessee. Many workers are detained in one of the largest workplace raids in U.S. history.

Births

Born Before 1900

• 1588 – Thomas Hobbes, an English philosopher.
• 1649 – Elihu Yale, an American-English merchant and helper of good causes. Yale University is named after him!
• 1732 – Jean-Honoré Fragonard, a famous French painter.
• 1761 – Sybil Ludington, an American hero from the American Revolutionary War.
• 1784 – Louis Spohr, a German violinist and composer.
• 1827 – Joseph Lister, an English surgeon who made surgery much safer.
• 1837 – Algernon Charles Swinburne, an English poet and writer.
• 1856 – Booker T. Washington, an important African-American educator and historian.
• 1857 – Alexander of Battenberg, a prince.
• 1863 – Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine.
• 1869 – Albert Roussel, a French composer.
• 1900 – Spencer Tracy, a famous American actor.

Born After 1900

• 1901 – Melvyn Douglas, an American actor.
• 1908 – Bette Davis, a legendary American actress.
• 1908 – Herbert von Karajan, a famous Austrian conductor.
• 1909 – Albert R. Broccoli, an American film producer who co-created the James Bond movies.
• 1916 – Gregory Peck, a well-known American actor.
• 1926 – Roger Corman, an American director and producer.
• 1929 – Ivar Giaever, a Norwegian-American physicist who won the Nobel Prize.
• 1929 – Nigel Hawthorne, an English actor.
• 1937 – Colin Powell, an American general and politician who became the 65th United States Secretary of State.
• 1939 – Leka I, the Crown Prince of Albania.
• 1942 – Peter Greenaway, a Welsh director.
• 1946 – Jane Asher, an English actress.
• 1947 – Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who became the 14th President of the Philippines.
• 1950 – Agnetha Fältskog, a Swedish singer from the group ABBA.
• 1951 – Dean Kamen, an American inventor who created the Segway.
• 1955 – Anthony Horowitz, an English author and screenwriter, known for his spy novels for young adults.
• 1955 – Akira Toriyama, a Japanese illustrator who created Dragon Ball.
• 1956 – Diamond Dallas Page, an American wrestler and actor.
• 1973 – Pharrell Williams, an American singer, songwriter, and rapper.
• 1975 – Juicy J, an American rapper and producer.
• 1976 – Sterling K. Brown, an American actor.
• 1982 – Hayley Atwell, an English-American actress.
• 1986 – Charlotte Flair, an American wrestler.
• 1989 – Lily James, an English actress.
• 1997 – Dominik Mysterio, an American wrestler.

Deaths

Died Before 1900

• 1205 – Isabella I of Jerusalem, a queen.
• 1419 – Vincent Ferrer, a Spanish missionary and saint.
• 1673 – François Caron, a Belgian-French explorer and politician.
• 1697 – Charles XI of Sweden, a king.
• 1751 – Frederick I of Sweden, a king.
• 1794 – Georges Danton, a French lawyer and politician during the French Revolution.
• 1864 – Douglas MacArthur, a famous American general.
• 1891 – Johann Hermann Bauer, a chess master.

Died After 1900

• 1923 – George Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvon, an English archaeologist who helped discover Tutankhamun's tomb.
• 1933 – Earl Derr Biggers, an American novelist who created the character Charlie Chan.
• 1940 – Robert Maillart, a Swiss civil engineer known for his bridges.
• 1941 – Nigel Gresley, a Scottish-English engineer who designed famous steam locomotives.
• 1964 – Douglas MacArthur, a famous American general.
• 1967 – Hermann Joseph Muller, an American geneticist who won the Nobel Prize.
• 1975 – Chiang Kai-shek, a Chinese general and politician.
• 1976 – Howard Hughes, an American pilot, engineer, and director.
• 1991 – Sonny Carter, an American astronaut.
• 1991 – John Tower, an American politician.
• 1992 – Sam Walton, an American businessman who founded Walmart.
• 1994 – Kurt Cobain, an American singer-songwriter and guitarist from the band Nirvana.
• 1997 – Allen Ginsberg, an American poet.
• 1998 – Cozy Powell, an English drummer.
• 2002 – Layne Staley, an American singer-songwriter from the band Alice in Chains.
• 2005 – Saul Bellow, a Canadian-American novelist who won the Nobel Prize in Literature.
• 2008 – Charlton Heston, a famous American actor.
• 2012 – Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, a German designer known for Porsche cars.
• 2014 – John Pinette, an American comedian.
• 2018 – Isao Takahata, a Japanese director of animated films.
• 2019 – Sydney Brenner, a South African biologist who won the Nobel Prize.
• 2021 – Paul Ritter, an English actor.

Holidays and observances

• Christian feast day:
  • Albert of Montecorvino
  • Derfel Gadarn
  • Æthelburh of Kent
  • Gerald of Sauve-Majeure
  • Juliana of Liège
  • Maria Crescentia Höss
  • Blessed Mariano de la Mata
  • Pandita Mary Ramabai (Episcopal Church (USA))
  • Ruadhán of Lorrha
  • Vincent Ferrer
  • April 5 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Cold Food Festival, held on April 4 if it is a leap year (China); and its related observances:
• Earliest day on which Sham el-Nessim can fall, while May 9 is the latest; celebrated on Monday after the Orthodox Easter (Egypt)
• Children's Day (Palestinian territories)
• First Contact Day (International observance)
• Sikmogil (South Korea)
• National Maritime Day is observed in India, celebrating the first voyage of SS Loyalty in 1919.
• International Day of Conscience

Other

• April the Fifth (1929–1954), a British racehorse.
• April 5 § Notes (ends 5 April)

See also

In Spanish: 5 de abril para niños