Vintage News · Odd history for January 5

What Happened On January 5

Q: What happened on January 5?

1869: Te Kooti's War: After surviving a five-day siege in the pā at Ngātapa, Māori leader Te Kooti escaped from New Zealand's Armed Constabulary. 1941: 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. 1757: King Louis XV survived an assassination attempt by Robert-François Damiens, who later became the last person in France to be executed by drawing and quartering. 1895: Dreyfus affair: French army officer Alfred Dreyfus is stripped of his rank and sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil's Island. 1822: The government of Central America votes for total annexation to the First Mexican Empire. 1757: 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). 2008: Mikheil Saakashvili was decisively re-elected as President of Georgia in "the first genuinely competitive presidential election" in the history of the country. 1991: Georgian troops attacked Tskhinvali, the South Ossetian capital, beginning the First South Ossetia War. 1976: The Troubles: In response to the killings of six Catholics the previous night, South Armagh Republican Action Force gunmen killed ten Protestants in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. 1941: Second World War: Australian and British troops defeated Italian forces in Bardia, Libya, the first battle of the war in which an Australian Army formation took part.

41 events and 214 births, refreshed daily. OddlyTrue's own archive for 5 January →

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10 odd things that happened on January 5

1869 Oddly true
Te Kooti's War: After surviving a five-day siege in the pā at Ngātapa, Māori leader Te Kooti escaped from New Zealand's Armed Constabulary.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1941 First ever
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.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1757 Oddly true
King Louis XV survived an assassination attempt by Robert-François Damiens, who later became the last person in France to be executed by drawing and quartering.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1895 Oddly true
Dreyfus affair: French army officer Alfred Dreyfus is stripped of his rank and sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil's Island.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1822 First ever
The government of Central America votes for total annexation to the First Mexican Empire.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1757 Oddly true
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).
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
2008 First ever
Mikheil Saakashvili was decisively re-elected as President of Georgia in "the first genuinely competitive presidential election" in the history of the country.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1991 First ever
Georgian troops attacked Tskhinvali, the South Ossetian capital, beginning the First South Ossetia War.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1976 Oddly true
The Troubles: In response to the killings of six Catholics the previous night, South Armagh Republican Action Force gunmen killed ten Protestants in County Armagh, Northern Ireland.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1941 First ever
Second World War: Australian and British troops defeated Italian forces in Bardia, Libya, the first battle of the war in which an Australian Army formation took part.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Observed today

2024Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 makes an emergency landing at Portland International Airport after a door plug blows off the Boeing 737 MAX 9 operating the flight. There are no fatalities, but the accident prompts the 737 MAX to be grounded and renews scrutiny on Boeing's manufacturing and design issues. Wikipedia →
2023The 2023 Sinaloa unrest begins. Wikipedia →
2022Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev dismisses Prime Minister Asqar Mamin and declares state of emergency over the 2022 Kazakh unrest. Wikipedia →
2014A launch of the communication satellite GSAT-14 aboard the GSLV MK.II D5 marks the first successful flight of an Indian cryogenic engine. Wikipedia →
2005The 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. Wikipedia →
2003A suicide bombing at the Tel Aviv central bus station kills 23 people and injures over 100 more. Wikipedia →
1993The oil tanker MV Braer runs aground on the coast of the Shetland Islands, spilling 84,700 tons of crude oil. Wikipedia →
1991Georgian forces enter Tskhinvali, the capital of South Ossetia, Georgia, opening the 1991–92 South Ossetia War. Wikipedia →
1991Somali Civil War: The United States Embassy to Somalia in Mogadishu is evacuated by helicopter airlift days after the outbreak of violence in Mogadishu. Wikipedia →
1976The Khmer Rouge announce that the new Constitution of Democratic Kampuchea is ratified. Wikipedia →
1976The 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 Irish Catholic civilians in the area by Loyalists, particularly the killing of six Catholics the night before. Wikipedia →
1975The Tasman Bridge in Tasmania, Australia, is struck by the bulk ore carrier Lake Illawarra, killing twelve people. Wikipedia →
1972US President Richard Nixon announces the Space Shuttle program. Wikipedia →
1970The 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. Wikipedia →
1970A Spantax Convair CV-990 Coronado crashes during takeoff from Stockholm Arlanda Airport, killing five people. Wikipedia →
1969The Venera 5 space probe is launched at 06:28:08 UTC from Baikonur. Wikipedia →
1969Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes in Fernhill, West Sussex, UK, while on approach to Gatwick Airport, killing 50 people. Wikipedia →
1968Alexander Dubček comes to power in Czechoslovakia, effectively beginning the "Prague Spring". Wikipedia →
1967Cultural Revolution: The Shanghai People's Commune is established following the seizure of power from local city officials by revolutionaries. Wikipedia →
1957In a speech given to the United States Congress, United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces the establishment of what will later be called the Eisenhower Doctrine. Wikipedia →
1953The play Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett receives its première in Paris. Wikipedia →
1949In his State of the Union address, United States President Harry S. Truman unveils his Fair Deal program. Wikipedia →
1948The Semiramis Hotel bombing kills at least 23 people. Wikipedia →
1945The Soviet Union recognizes the new pro-Soviet Provisional Government of the Republic of Poland. Wikipedia →
1944The Daily Mail becomes the first major London newspaper to be published on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Wikipedia →
1941Amy 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. Wikipedia →
1933Construction of the Golden Gate Bridge begins in San Francisco Bay. Wikipedia →
1925Nellie Tayloe Ross of Wyoming becomes the first female governor in the United States. Wikipedia →
1919The German Workers' Party, which would become the Nazi Party, is founded in Munich. Wikipedia →
1914The Ford Motor Company announces an eight-hour workday and minimum daily wage of $5 in salary plus bonuses. Wikipedia →
1913First Balkan War: The Battle of Lemnos begins; Greek admiral Pavlos Kountouriotis forces the Turkish fleet to retreat to its base within the Dardanelles, from which it did not venture for the rest of the war. Wikipedia →
1912The sixth All-Russian Conference of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (Prague Party Conference) opens. In the course of the conference, Vladimir Lenin and his supporters break from the rest of the party to form the Bolshevik movement. Wikipedia →
1911Kappa Alpha Psi, the world's third-oldest and largest black fraternity, is founded at Indiana University. Wikipedia →
1900Irish nationalist leader John Edward Redmond calls for revolt against British rule. Wikipedia →
1895Dreyfus affair: French army officer Alfred Dreyfus is stripped of his rank and sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil's Island. Wikipedia →
1875The Palais Garnier, one of the most famous opera houses in the world, is inaugurated in Paris. Wikipedia →
1822The government of Central America votes for total annexation to the First Mexican Empire. Wikipedia →
1781American Revolutionary War: Richmond, Virginia, is burned by British naval forces led by former American general Benedict Arnold. Wikipedia →
1757Louis 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). Wikipedia →
1675Battle of Colmar: The French army defeats forces from Austria and Brandenburg. Wikipedia →
1477Battle of Nancy: Charles the Bold is defeated and killed in a conflict with René II, Duke of Lorraine; Burgundy subsequently becomes part of France. Wikipedia →

From The Guardian Archives — On This Day

2019The Guardian
Threat of revolt forces rethink of ‘catastrophic’ universal credit
Amber Rudd delays vote on roll-out of new benefit to 3 million people, saying system must ‘work for every claimant’
Read on The Guardian →
2011The Guardian
America's union-bashing backlash
Paul Harris: Unlike bankers, US labour unions had nothing to do with the economic crisis – yet they're the ones now b…
Read on The Guardian →
1975The New York Times · Front page
A Very Shaggy Dog Story
Marcy Rosenberg travel article on Gergweis, W Ger, ‘Dachshund Capital of World,’ and furor over publicity release whi…
Read on NYTimes.com →

Headlines via The Guardian Open Platform · Historic front pages via the NYT Archive API

Facts from Wikipedia On This Day API (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Wikimedia. Thumbnails CC BY-SA. Headlines via The Guardian Open Platform and the NYT Archive API. Historic pages via Library of Congress Chronicling America. Curated by OddlyTrue.