Historical events on August 5
AUGUST 5, 1888
Bertha Benz made the first long-distance automobile trip, driving 106 km (66 mi) from Mannheim to Pforzheim, Germany, in a Benz Patent-Motorwagen.
Bertha Benz was a German automotive pioneer. She was the business partner, investor and wife of automobile inventor Carl Benz. On 5
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AUGUST 5, 1506
Muscovite–Lithuanian Wars: The Grand Duchy of Lithuania achieved one of the greatest Lithuanian victories against the Tatars in the Battle of Kletsk.
The Muscovite–Lithuanian Wars were a series of wars between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Grand Duchy of Moscow, which was
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AUGUST 5, 1816
Sir John Barrow, secretary at the Admiralty, rejected a proposal to use Francis Ronalds's electrical telegraph, deeming it "wholly unnecessary".
Sir John Barrow, 1st Baronet, was an English geographer, linguist, writer and civil servant best known for serving as the Second Secretary
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AUGUST 5, 1689
Beaver Wars: Aggravated by increased French incursions into their territory, a large force of Mohawk warriors substantially destroyed the settlement of Lachine in present-day Quebec.
The Beaver Wars, also known as the Iroquois Wars or the French and Iroquois Wars, were a series of conflicts fought intermittently
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AUGUST 5, 1981
U.S. president Ronald Reagan fired the 11,345 striking members of the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization en masse.
Ronald Wilson Reagan was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to
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AUGUST 5, 1772
Russia, Prussia and Habsburg Austria began the First Partition of Poland, whose primary motive was to restore the regional balance of power in Eastern Europe.
The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its proclamation in November 1721 until the proclamation of
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AUGUST 5, 1984
A Biman Bangladesh Airlines aircraft crashed while attempting to land in Dhaka, killing 49 people in the deadliest aviation accident in Bangladeshi history.
Biman Bangladesh Airlines, commonly known as Biman, is the national flag carrier of Bangladesh. With its main hub at Hazrat Shahjalal International
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AUGUST 5, 2012
Radio Network House (pictured), damaged in the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, becomes the first building to be demolished by implosion in New Zealand.
The implosion of Radio Network House in 2012 was the first implosion used in New Zealand to demolish a building, and was
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AUGUST 5, 2012
An American white supremacist carried out a mass shooting at a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, killing six people and wounding four others.
White supremacy is the belief that white people are superior to those of other races. The belief favors the maintenance and defense
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AUGUST 5, 2015
Environmental Protection Agency personnel accidentally caused a spillage of 3 million gallons (11 ML) of mine waste water and tailings trapped inside the Gold King Mine near Silverton, Colorado, U.S.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent agency of the United States government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon
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AUGUST 5, 1600
Scottish nobleman John Ruthven, 3rd Earl of Gowrie, was killed during what was most likely a failed attempt to kidnap King James VI.
John Ruthven, 3rd Earl of Gowrie, was a Scottish nobleman who died in mysterious circumstances, referred to as the "Gowrie Conspiracy", in
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AUGUST 5, 1100
Henry I was crowned King of England in Westminster Abbey.
Henry I, also known as Henry Beauclerc, was King of England from 1100 to his death in 1135. He was the fourth
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AUGUST 5, 1460
The Kingdom of Scotland captures Roxburgh, one of the last English strongholds in Scotland, following a siege.
The capture of Roxburgh was a siege that took place during the Anglo-Scottish Wars. Following the Second War of Scottish Independence intermittent
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AUGUST 5, 2011
NASA launched the Juno probe to Jupiter as part of the New Frontiers program.
Juno is a NASA space probe orbiting the planet Jupiter. Built by Lockheed Martin and operated by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the
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AUGUST 5, 1962
American actress and model Marilyn Monroe was found dead of a barbiturate overdose in her home in Brentwood, Los Angeles.
Marilyn Monroe was an American actress and model. Known for playing comic "blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular
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AUGUST 5, 1916
First World War: The British Empire's Sinai and Palestine campaign began with a victory at the Battle of Romani.
World War I or the First World War, also known as the Great War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the
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AUGUST 5, 1716
Austro-Turkish War: The Ottoman army were defeated in their attempt to capture the Habsburgs-controlled Petrovaradin Fortress despite having double the number of soldiers.
The Austro-Turkish War (1716–1718) was fought between Habsburg monarchy and the Ottoman Empire. The 1699 Treaty of Karlowitz was not an acceptable
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AUGUST 5, 25
Liu Xiu proclaimed himself the monarch of the Han dynasty as Emperor Guangwu.
AD 25 (XXV) was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the
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AUGUST 5, 1100
Henry I (pictured) was crowned King of England in Westminster Abbey.
Henry I, also known as Henry Beauclerc, was King of England from 1100 to his death in 1135. He was the fourth
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AUGUST 5, 1993
Wizards of the Coast released Magic: The Gathering, the first trading card game.
Wizards of the Coast LLC is an American game publisher, most of which are based on fantasy and science-fiction themes, and formerly
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AUGUST 5, 1973
Due to an athletics scandal, the National Collegiate Athletic Association applied the death penalty to the basketball program at the University of Southwestern Louisiana.
In 1973, the University of Southwestern Louisiana was penalized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for rules violations concerning the university's
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