Map of Bermuda Triangle

1945

Aircraft squadron disappears in the Bermuda Triangle

Born on This Day

Walt Disney Portrait

Walt Disney

1901 - 1966

Animator and producer who created iconic Disney characters and revolutionized film with "Snow White" and "Sleeping Beauty."

Portrait Of Joan Didion

Joan Didion

1934 - 2021

Author known for her sharp, introspective exploration of American culture in works like "Slouching Towards Bethlehem."

Little Richard Portrait

Little Richard

1930 - 2020

Musician known for his groundbreaking stage persona and early rock n' roll hits "Tutti Frutti" and "Long Tall Sally."

Walt Disney

Getty Images

Joan Didion

Conde Nast via Getty Images

1492

DEC

5

Christopher Columbus lands on and names the island of Hispaniola. Convinced he has reached the Indies and found the gold-rich biblical land of Ophir, he has in fact done neither.

Timeline

Also on This Day in History

Discover more of the major events, famous births, notable deaths and everything else history-making that happened on December 5th

1776

Phi Beta Kappa fraternity is founded

In Williamsburg, Virginia, a group of five students at the College of William and Mary gather at Raleigh’s Tavern to found a new fraternity, Phi Beta Kappa. Intended to follow strictly American principles as opposed to those of England or Germany, the new society engaged in the fervent political debate typical of student life at […]

1:18m read read

1872

The Mary Celeste, a ship whose crew mysteriously disappeared, is spotted at sea

The Dei Gratia, a small British brig under Captain David Morehouse, spots the Mary Celeste, an American vessel, sailing erratically but at full sail near the Azores Islands in the Atlantic Ocean. The ship was seaworthy, its stores and supplies were untouched, but not a soul was onboard. On November 7, the brigantine Mary Celeste […]

1:16m read read

1873

The Boston Belfry Murderer kills his first victim

Bridget Landregan is found beaten and strangled to death in the Boston suburb of Dorchester. According to witnesses, a man in black clothes and a flowing cape attempted to sexually assault the dead girl before running away. In 1874, a man fitting the same description clubbed another young girl, Mary Sullivan, to death. His third […]

1:10m read read

1876

Hundreds die in Brooklyn theater fire

A fire at the Brooklyn Theater in New York kills nearly 300 people and injures hundreds more on December 5, 1876. Some victims perished from a combination of burns and smoke inhalation; others were trampled to death in the general panic that ensued. The play The Two Orphans starring Harry S. Murdock and Kate Claxton […]

1:42m read read

1933

21st Amendment is ratified; Prohibition ends

The 21st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is ratified, repealing the 18th Amendment and bringing an end to the era of national prohibition of alcohol in America. At 5:32 p.m. EST, Utah became the 36th state to ratify the amendment, achieving the requisite three-fourths majority of states’ approval. Pennsylvania and Ohio had ratified it earlier […]

1952

Smog kills thousands in England

Heavy smog begins to hover over London, England, on December 5, 1952. It persists for five days, leading to the deaths of at least 4,000 people. It was a Thursday afternoon when a high-pressure air mass stalled over the Thames River Valley. When cold air arrived suddenly from the west, the air over London became […]

1:48m read read

1964

Army Captain awarded first Medal of Honor for action in Vietnam

The first Medal of Honor awarded to a U.S. serviceman for action in Vietnam is presented to Capt. Roger Donlon of Saugerties, New York, for his heroic action earlier in the year. Captain Donlon and his Special Forces team were manning Camp Nam Dong, a mountain outpost near the borders of Laos and North Vietnam. […]

1978

U.S.S.R. and Afghanistan sign “friendship treaty”

In an effort to prop up an unpopular pro-Soviet regime in Afghanistan, the Soviet Union signs a “friendship treaty” with the Afghan government agreeing to provide economic and military assistance. The treaty moved the Russians another step closer to their disastrous involvement in the Afghan civil war between the Soviet-supported communist government and the Muslim […]

1:40m read read

1984

Eddie Murphy stars in “Beverly Hills Cop”

Eddie Murphy stars as the wisecracking Detective Axel Foley in the action-comedy Beverly Hills Cop, released in theaters on December 5, 1984. The movie marked the first major starring role for Murphy, who went on to become one of the top-grossing actors in Hollywood. Murphy was born on April 3, 1961, in Brooklyn, New York, […]

1:48m read read

2002

TV producer Roone Arledge dies

On December 5, 2002, the legendary television producer and executive Roone Arledge dies in New York City, at the age of 71. Born in Forest Hills, Queens, Arledge won his first producing job from New York’s Channel 4, where he worked behind the scenes on a puppet show starring Shari Lewis. After unsuccessfully pitching a […]

2:46m read read

2013

South African president Nelson Mandela dies at 95

On December 5, 2013, Nelson Mandela, the former activist who overcame a nearly three-decade prison stint to become president of South Africa, passes away after years of struggling with health issues. He was 95. “Our nation has lost its greatest son. Our people have lost a father,” South African President Jacob Zuma said. “What made […]

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