August 5 is the 217th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 148 days remain until the end of the year.
We have some interesting facts & historic events all about August 5th, including areas in religion, crime, health and more.
Keep reading for more interesting facts about August 5th in history!
Table of Contents
Global Celebrations
- National Underwear Day
- National Oyster Day
- Work Like a Dog Day
- National IPA Day
- India Pale Ale Day
Historic Events
What Happened On This Day – August 5
2009: General Abdel Aziz sworn in as President of Mauritania
General Abdel Aziz, who came to power in a coup in 2008, was sworn in as the President of Mauritania after elections in 2009.
1963: Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty is Signed
Also known as the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, the document was signed by the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States in Moscow. The treaty, which came as a response to the heightening tensions due to the frequent testing of nuclear weapons by the these 3 countries during the Cold War, banned the testing of nuclear weapons anywhere on land, over water or in space. Underground testing was still allowed under the treaty, until it was also banned in 1996 after the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty came into force.
1962: Nelson Mandela is Arrested
The South African anti-apartheid activist and adherent of nonviolence was arrested by the government at Rivonia, a suburb of Johannesburg. After a year-long trial, Mandela was imprisoned at the infamous Robben Island prison where we spent the next 18 years. He was released from prison in 1990 after spending 28 years as a political prisoner. In the early 1990s, after intense international and domestic pressure, in part from the efforts of Mandela, the South African government started taking steps to end apartheid – a government policy of racial segregation and discrimination. As a result, Mandela was elected the country’s first black president in 1994.
1960: Burkina Faso gains its Independence
The landlocked West African country, known as Upper Vota until 1984, became a French protectorate in the late 19th century. In 1958, the Republic of Upper Volta was created as a self-governing French colony. After independence, Maurice Yaméogo became the first president of the country, whose name was changed to Burkina Faso in 1984.
1940: Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic is established
The Soviet Union added Latvia to the union as the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic.
Famous Birthdays
Births On This Day, August 5
1979: David Healy, Irish footballer
1968: Marine Le Pen, French politician
1930: Neil Armstrong, American pilot, engineer, astronaut, first person to walk on the moon
1906: John Huston, American director
1850: Guy de Maupassant, French writer
Heartbreaking Deaths
Deaths On This Day, August 5
1991: Paul Brown, American football coach, executive
1984: Richard Burton, Welsh actor
1964: Art Ross, Canadian ice hockey player
1962: Marilyn Monroe, American model, actress, singer
1895: Friedrich Engels, German philosopher
