✦ DateLore

On This Day · The 5th day of the year

January 5

A look at January 5 through the almanac — historic events, famous birthdays including Konrad Adenauer and Clancy Brown, and the day's notable deaths and observances.

♑ZodiacCapricorn ◈BirthstoneGarnet ❀Birth flowerCarnation
Advertisement 728 × 90 leaderboard

Events

10 notable moments
  1. 2005

    Eris (dwarf planet)

    The dwarf planet Eris is discovered by Palomar Observatory-based astronomers, later motivating the International Astronomical Union (IAU) to define the term planet for the first time.

    Most massive dwarf planet
  2. 1991

    Georgia (country)

    Georgian forces enter Tskhinvali, the capital of South Ossetia, Georgia, opening the 1991–92 South Ossetia War.

    Country in Eastern Europe
  3. 1976

    The Troubles

    The Troubles: Gunmen shoot dead ten Protestant civilians after stopping their minibus at Kingsmill in County Armagh, Northern Ireland, UK, allegedly as retaliation for a string of attacks on Catholic civilians in the area by Loyalists, particularly the killing of six Catholics the night before.

    1960s–1998 conflict in Northern
  4. 1970

    1970 Tonghai earthquake

    The 7.1 Mw Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (Extreme). Between 10,000 and 15,000 people are known to have been killed and about another 26,000 are injured.

    1970 earthquake in southwest
  5. 1967

    Cultural Revolution

    Cultural Revolution: The Shanghai People's Commune is established following the seizure of power from local city officials by revolutionaries.

    Period of sociopolitical turmoil
  6. 1941

    Amy Johnson

    Amy Johnson, a 37-year-old pilot and the first woman to fly solo from London to Australia, disappears after bailing out of her plane over the River Thames, and is presumed dead.

    British aviator (1903–1941)
  7. 1933

    Golden Gate Bridge

    Construction of the Golden Gate Bridge begins in San Francisco Bay.

    Bridge in the San
  8. 1925

    Nellie Tayloe Ross

    Nellie Tayloe Ross of Wyoming becomes the first female governor in the United States.

    American politician (1876–1977)
  9. 1919

    German Workers' Party

    The German Workers' Party, which would become the Nazi Party, is founded in Munich.

    Predecessor of the Nazi
  10. 1757

    Louis XV

    Louis XV of France survives an assassination attempt by Robert-François Damiens, who becomes the last person to be executed in France by drawing and quartering (the traditional form of capital punishment used for regicides).

    King of France from
Advertisement Responsive in-content unit

Famous birthday twins

Born on January 5

Konrad Adenauer

b. 1876

German lawyer and politician, Chancellor of West Germany

Clancy Brown

b. 1959

American actor

Janica Kostelić

b. 1982

Croatian skier

Umberto Eco

b. 1932

Italian novelist, literary critic, and philosopher

Jean-Baptiste Say

b. 1767

French economist and academic

Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg

b. 1921

Luxembourgish soldier and aristocrat

Juan Carlos I

b. 1938

of Spain

Friedrich Dürrenmatt

b. 1921

Swiss author and playwright

Deaths

  • 1971Douglas Shearer, Canadian-American sound designer and engineer
  • 1970Max Born, German physicist and mathematician, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1933Calvin Coolidge, American lawyer and politician, 30th President of the United States
  • 1922Ernest Shackleton, Anglo-Irish sailor and explorer
  • 1910Léon Walras, French-Swiss economist and academic
  • 1173Bolesław IV the Curly, High Duke of Poland

Holidays & observances

  • —Christian Feast day: Charles of Mount Argus
  • —Christian Feast day: John Neumann (Catholic Church)
  • —Christian Feast day: Pope Telesphorus
  • —Christian Feast day: Simeon Stylites (Latin Church)
  • —Christian Feast day: January 5 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • —Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival (Harbin, China)
  • —Joma Shinji (Japan)
  • —National Bird Day (United States)

Born on this day?

Make your birthday card.

Drop in your birth year and we'll work out your exact age, the day of the week you were born, your Chinese zodiac, your generation, and the countdown to your next candle.