Date·Lore

On This Day · The 339th day of the year

December 5

December 5 carries 10 recorded events spanning between -63 and 2007. Cicero gives the fourth and final of the Catiline Orations.

♐ZodiacSagittarius ◈BirthstoneTurquoise ❀Birth flowerHolly

Compiled & reviewed by · Last reviewed July 13, 2026

What happened on December 5?

December 5 is the 339th day of the year. It marks 10 notable events in history, dated between -63 and 2007. Famous people born on December 5 include Józef Piłsudski, André-Pierre Gignac and Walt Disney.

The shape of the day

Few dates reach as far back as December 5: its recorded history runs unusually deep, stretching to 63 BC. Its center of gravity is the 20th century, and conflict is a recurring thread.

Sagittarius is the sign for December 5 — read more on the Sagittarius page, or see December's birthstone & birth flower.

Released on December 5

Movies, games, albums & shows

2025

  • Movie Dhurandhar
  • TV Spartacus: House of Ashur
  • Movie Hunting Season

2024

  • Game Delta Force
  • Game Infinity Nikki
  • Game Skydance's Behemoth
  • Game UFL

2023

  • Game Disney Dreamlight Valley

2022

  • TV Blood Flowers

Release data from TMDB & IGDB.

Events

10 notable moments
  1. -63

    Cicero

    Cicero gives the fourth and final of the Catiline Orations.

  2. 1456

    1456 Central Italy earthquakes

    The first of two earthquakes measuring Mw 7.2 strikes Italy, causing extreme destruction and killing upwards of 70,000 people.

  3. 1484

    Pope Innocent VIII

    Pope Innocent VIII issues the Summis desiderantes affectibus, a papal bull that deputizes Heinrich Kramer and Jacob Sprenger as inquisitors to root out alleged witchcraft in Germany.

  4. 1757

    Seven Years' War

    Seven Years' War: Battle of Leuthen: Frederick II of Prussia leads Prussian forces to a decisive victory over Austrian forces under Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine.

  5. 1914

    Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition

    The Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition begins in an attempt to make the first land crossing of Antarctica.

  6. 1941

    Finland

    World War II: Great Britain declares war on Finland, Hungary and Romania.

  7. 1941

    World War II

    World War II: In the Battle of Moscow, Georgy Zhukov launches a massive Soviet counter-attack against the German army.

  8. 1952

    Great Smog of London

    Beginning of the Great Smog in London. A cold fog combines with air pollution and brings the city to a standstill for four days. Later, a Ministry of Health report estimates 4,000 fatalities as a result of it.

  9. 1977

    Egypt

    Egypt breaks diplomatic relations with Syria, Libya, Algeria, Iraq and South Yemen in retaliation to preventing President Anwar el-Sadat from pursuing negotiations with Israel at the Tripoli confer.

  10. 2007

    Westroads Mall shooting

    Westroads Mall shooting: Nineteen-year-old Robert A. Hawkins kills nine people, including himself, with a WASR-10 at a Von Maur department store in Omaha, Nebraska.

Famous birthday twins

Born on December 5

Józef Piłsudski

b. 1867

Polish field marshal and politician, 15th Prime Minister of Poland

André-Pierre Gignac

b. 1985

French footballer

Walt Disney

b. 1901

American animator, director, producer, and screenwriter, co-founded The Walt Disney Company

Jianwen Emperor

b. 1377

of China

Martin Van Buren

b. 1782

American lawyer and politician, 8th President of the United States

Fritz Lang

b. 1890

Austrian-American director, producer, and screenwriter

Fyodor Tyutchev

b. 1803

Russian poet and diplomat

Werner Heisenberg

b. 1901

German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate

Deaths

  • 2013Nelson Mandela
  • 1989John Pritchard (conductor)
  • 1926Claude Monet
  • 1870Alexandre Dumas
  • 1791Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
  • 1082Ramon Berenguer II, Count of Barcelona

Holidays & observances

  • —Christian feast day: Clement of Alexandria (Episcopal Church)
  • —Christian feast day: Crispina
  • —Christian feast day: Dalmatius of Pavia
  • —Christian feast day: John Almond
  • —Christian feast day: Justinian of Ramsey Island
  • —Christian feast day: Nicetius (Nizier)
  • —Christian feast day: Pelinus of Brindisi
  • —Christian feast day: Sabbas the Sanctified

Historical facts, event summaries, and biographical lines above are adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) license. DateLore adds curation, structure, and original editorial commentary. DateLore is not affiliated with the Wikimedia Foundation.

About the author

Roman Tailor compiles and reviews every date on DateLore. He's the writer and editor behind the site's editorial essays and the day-by-day almanac. Corrections and questions are welcome — read more about DateLore or get in touch.

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