What are the important events that happened on August 5? Here are historical events, facts, and some myths about this day.

August 5: Facts & Myths About This Day

August 5 is the 217^th day of the year 2025 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 148 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Tuesday.

Under the Julian calendar, this day is July 23, 2025 – a Tuesday. Both day of the week are the same but did you notice the difference with the Gregorian calendar?

When this day started, 29,239,200 minutes has elapsed since midnight of January 1, 1970 – the Unix epoch.

Strange as it may, if we name this day after a polygon then it will be called ‘dihectadecaheptagon’ day.

Leo is the zodiac sign of a person born on this day. Peridot is the modern birthstone for this month. Diamond is the mystical birthstone from Tibetan origin that dates back over a thousand years.

According to the lunisolar Chinese calendar, there are 196 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year.

The ancient Maya civilization believes that the end of the world will happen on December 21, 2012. There are now 4,610 days since this fabled cataclysmic event.

August 5 Historical Events

• 1305 –
  William Wallace, who led the Scottish resistance against England, is captured by the English near Glasgow and transported to London where he is put on trial and executed.
• 1388 –
  The Battle of Otterburn, a border skirmish between the Scottish and the English in Northern England, is fought near Otterburn.
• 1860 –
  Charles XV of Sweden of Sweden-Norway is crowned king of Norway in Trondheim.
• 1861 –
  The United States Army abolishes flogging.
• 1914 –
  World War I: the German minelayer Königin Luise lays a minefield about 40 mi of the Thames Estuary (Lowestoft). She is intercepted and sunk by the British light-cruiser HMS Amphion.
• 1949 –
  The Mann Gulch fire kills 13 firefighters in Montana.
• 1957 –
  American Bandstand, a show dedicated to the teenage “baby-boomers” by playing the songs and showing popular dances of the time, debuts on the ABC television network.
• 1974 –
  Vietnam War: the U.S. Congress places a $1 billion dollar limit on military aid to South Vietnam.
• 1979 –
  In Afghanistan, Maoists undertake an attempted military uprising.
• 1995 –
  The city of Knin, a significant Serb stronghold, is captured by Croatian forces during Operation Storm. The date is celebrated in Croatia as Victory Day.

Who were born on August 5?

• 1811 –
  Ambroise Thomas, French opera composer (d. 1896)
• 1815 –
  Edward John Eyre, English explorer (d. 1901)
• 1912 –
  Abbé Pierre, French Catholic priest (d. 2007)
• 1923 –
  Devan Nair, Singaporean statesman (d. 2005)
• 1941 –
  Bob Clark, American film director (d. 2007)
• 1947 –
  Rick Derringer, American guitarist and vocalist
• 1968 –
  Oleg Luzhny, Ukrainian footballer
• 1974 –
  Antoine Sibierski, French footballer
• 1975 –
  Ami Foster, American actress
• 1977 –
  Mark Mulder, American baseball player

Who died on August 5?

• 1929 –
  Millicent Fawcett, British suffragist (b. 1847)
• 1935 –
  David Townsend, Art Director (b. 1891)
• 1939 –
  Béla Jankovich, Hungarian politician (b. 1865)
• 1946 –
  Wilhelm Marx, Chancellor of Germany (b. 1863)
• 1957 –
  Heinrich Otto Wieland, German chemist, Nobel Laureate (b. 1877)
• 1980 –
  Harold L. Runnels, American politician (b. 1924)
• 1983 –
  Judy Canova, American actress (b. 1913)
• 1991 –
  Soichiro Honda, Japanese automotive executive (b. 1906)
• 2001 –
  Christopher Skase, Australian fugitive businessman (b. 1948)
• 2011 –
  Andrzej Lepper, former Polish Deputy Prime Minister (b. 1954)