Date·Lore

On This Day · The 278th day of the year

October 5

From 869 to 2011, October 5 gathers 1,142 years of history. Most of the weight falls in the 20th century, where conflict is a recurring thread.

♎ZodiacLibra ◈BirthstoneOpal ❀Birth flowerMarigold

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

Compiled & reviewed by · Last reviewed September 6, 2026

What happened on October 5?

October 5 is the 278th day of the year. It marks 10 notable events in history, dated between 869 and 2011. Famous people born on October 5 include Denis Diderot, Reinhard Selten and Michael Grabner.

Released on October 5

Movies, games, albums & shows

2023

  • Game Assassin's Creed Mirage

2022

  • TV The Eminence in Shadow

2021

  • Game Vagrus: The Riven Realms
  • Game Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl
  • Game Jett: The Far Shore
  • Game Succubus

Release data from TMDB & IGDB.

Events

10 notable moments
  1. 869

    Fourth Council of Constantinople (Catholic Church)

  2. 1869

    Eastman tunnel

  3. 1914

    World War I

  4. 1936

    Jarrow March

  5. 1943

    World War II

  6. 1963

    Commercial Import Program

  7. 1988

    Augusto Pinochet

  8. 1994

    Order of the Solar Temple

  9. 1999

    Ladbroke Grove rail crash

  10. 2011

    Mekong River massacre

Famous birthday twins

Born on October 5

Denis Diderot

b. 1713

Reinhard Selten

b. 1930

Michael Grabner

b. 1987

Lucien Mérignac

b. 1873

Chester A. Arthur

b. 1829

Václav Havel

b. 1936

Fritz Fischer (medical doctor)

b. 1912

Bahar Kizil

b. 1988

Deaths

  • 2013Ruth R. Benerito
  • 2013Carlo Lizzani
  • 2011Steve Jobs
  • 1938Faustina Kowalska
  • 1880Jacques Offenbach
  • 610Phocas

Holidays & observances

  • —World Space Week (October 4–10)
  • —Armed Forces Day (Indonesia)
  • —Christian feast day: Anna Schäffer
  • —Christian feast day: Faustina Kowalska
  • —Christian feast day: Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos (Roman Catholic Church)
  • —Christian feast day: Blessed Bartolo Longo
  • —Christian feast day: Thraseas
  • —Christian feast day: Hor and Susia (Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria)

The factual record above — event titles, dates, names, and observances — is drawn 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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