Discover what happened on April 5 in history, along with notable events that shaped early America, music, and television.
What Happened on April 5 in History?
Important events on this day include the marriage of Pocahontas and John Rolfe, the death of Kurt Cobain, and the launch of the FOX television network.
APRIL 5 – TODAY IN HISTORY:
1614 – American Indian Pocahontas married English colonist John Rolfe in Virginia.
1621 – The Mayflower sailed from Plymouth, MA, on a return trip to England.
1778 – Daniel Boone was taken to Detroit as a British prisoner. Native Americans took him south later and he escaped.
1792 – President George Washington cast the first Presidential veto. The measure was for apportioning representatives among the states.
1806 – Isaac Quintard patented the cider mill.
1838 – Grand Rapids, MI was incorporated as a village by a state legislative act.
1858 – Near midnight, the city of Grand Rapids, MI’s only bridge, at Bridge Street, was destroyed by a wall of flames. The bridge was replaced immediately.
1887 – Anne Sullivan taught Helen Keller the meaning of the word “water” as spelled out in the manual alphabet.
1892 – Walter H. Coe patented gold leaf in rolls.
1892 – In New York, NY, the Ithaca Daily Journal published an ad introducing a new 10 cent Ice Cream Specialty called a Cherry Sunday.
1923 – Firestone Tire and Rubber Company began the first regular production of balloon tires.
1933 – The first operation to remove a lung was performed at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis, MO.
1949 – “Fireside Theater” debuted on television.
1949 – A fire in a hospital in Effingham, IL, killed 77 people and led to nationwide fire code improvements in the U.S.
1951 – Americans Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were sentenced to death for committing espionage for the Soviet Union.
1961 – Barbra Streisand made her network TV debut singing “A Sleepin’ Bee” and “When the Sun Comes Out” on “The Tonight Show”.
1963 – Edward Craven Walker created the Lava lamp.
1984 – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, of the Los Angeles Lakers, became the all-time NBA regular season scoring leader when he broke Wilt Chamberlain’s record of 31,419 career points.
1987 – FOX Broadcasting Company launched the TV shows “Married….With Children” and “The Tracey Ullman Show”. The two shows were the beginning of the FOX lineup.
1991 – An ASA EMB 120 crashed in Brunswick, GA, killing all 23 aboard, including Senator John Tower and Astronaut Sonny Carter.
1993 – Construction began on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, OH.
1994 – Nirvana guitarist and frontman Kurt Cobain died by suicide.
1997 – “The Crocodile Hunter”, a wildlife documentary television series hosted by Steve Irwin and his wife, Terri, premiered on Animal Planet.
1999 – In Laramie, WY, Russell Henderson pleaded guilty to kidnapping and felony murder in the death of Matthew Shepard.
2002 – The movie “Van Wilder”, starring Ryan Reynolds, premiered in theaters.
2002 – Oprah Winfrey ended Oprah’s Book Club saying “It has become harder and harder to find books on a monthly basis that I feel absolutely compelled to share.”
2006 – Katie Couric confirmed that she was leaving NBC’s “Today Show” to anchor “The CBS Evening News”.
2010 – Twenty-nine coal miners were killed in an explosion at the Upper Big Branch Mine in West Virginia.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS ON APRIL 5:
Mary Costa – 96 years old (1930) – Singer and actress
Glenn Jordan – 90 years old (1936) – Director and producer
Michael Moriarty – 85 years old (1941) – American-Canadian actor
Max Gail – 83 years old (1943) – Actor and director
Peter T. King – 82 years old (1944) – Soldier, lawyer, and politician
Willy Chirino – 79 years old (1947) – Cuban-American musician
Stanley Dziedzic – 77 years old (1949) – Wrestler
Larry Franco – 77 years old (1949) – Film producer
Franklin Chang Díaz – 76 years old (1950) – Costa Rican-Chinese American astronaut and physicist
Dean Kamen – 75 years old (1951) – Inventor and businessman, founded Segway Inc
John C. Dvorak – 74 years old (1952) – Author and editor
Sandy Mayer – 74 years old (1952) – Tennis player
Mitch Pileggi – 74 years old (1952) – Actor
Frank Gaffney – 73 years old (1953) – Journalist and radio host
Peter Case – 72 years old (1954) – Singer-songwriter and guitarist
Stan Ridgway – 72 years old (1954) – Singer-songwriter and guitarist
Diamond Dallas Page – 70 years old (1956) – Wrestler and actor
Reid Ribble – 70 years old (1956) – Politician
Johan Kriek – 68 years old (1958) – South African-American tennis player
Larry McCray – 66 years old (1960) – Singer-songwriter and guitarist
Lisa Zane – 65 years old (1961) – Actress and singer
Arthur Adams – 63 years old (1963) – Comic book artist and writer
Elizabeth McIntyre – 61 years old (1965) – Freestyle skier
Mike McCready – 60 years old (1966) – Guitarist and songwriter
Paula Cole – 58 years old (1968) – Singer-songwriter and pianist
Diamond D – 56 years old (1970) – Hip hop producer
Krista Allen – 55 years old (1971) – Actress
Nima Arkani-Hamed – 54 years old (1972) – American-Canadian theoretical physicist
Élodie Bouchez – 53 years old (1973) – French-American actress
Pharrell Williams – 53 years old (1973) – Singer, songwriter and rapper
Juicy J – 51 years old (1975) – Rapper and producer
Shammond Williams – 51 years old (1975) – Basketball player and coach
Sterling K. Brown – 50 years old (1976) – Actor
Stephen Jackson – 48 years old (1978) – Basketball player
Josh Boone – 47 years old (1979) – Screenwriter and director
Dante Wesley – 47 years old (1979) – Football player
Matt Bonner – 46 years old (1980) – Basketball player
Matthew Emmons – 45 years old (1981) – Rifle shooter
Mariqueen Maandig – 45 years old (1981) – Filipino-American musician and singer-songwriter
Marissa Nadler – 45 years old (1981) – Musician
Hayley Atwell – 44 years old (1982) – English-American actress
Kelly Pavlik – 44 years old (1982) – Boxer
Matt Pickens – 44 years old (1982) – Soccer player
Shikha Uberoi – 43 years old (1983) – Indian-American tennis player
Marshall Allman – 42 years old (1984) – Actor
Anna Sophia Berglund – 40 years old (1986) – Model and actress
Charlotte Flair – 40 years old (1986) – Wrestler, author and actress
Alisha Glass – 38 years old (1988) – Ex-indoor volleyball player
Justin Holiday – 37 years old (1989) – Basketball player
Trevor Marsicano – 37 years old (1989) – Speed skater
Maya DiRado – 33 years old (1993) – Swimmer
Scottie Wilbekin – 33 years old (1993) – American-Turkish basketball player
Dominik Mysterio – 29 years old (1997) – Wrestler
Bobby Miller – 27 years old (1999) – Baseball player
Johnny Beecher – 25 years old (2001) – Ice hockey player
Tetairoa McMillan – 23 years old (2003) – Football player
DAYS OF THE YEAR FOR APRIL 5:
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For additional information check out websites like: www.on-this-day.com, www.born-today.com, www.famousbirthdays.com, www.daysoftheyear.com, and www.nationaldaycalendar.com.
