October 5 is the 278th day of the year (279th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 87 days remaining until the end of the year.
Today in history
610 – Coronation of Byzantine Emperor Heraclius
869 – The Fourth Council of Constantinople is convened to decide about what to do about Patriarch Photius of Constantinople.
1143 – The king Alfonso VII of Leon recognises Portugal as a Kingdom.
1550 – Foundation of Concepción, city in Chile.
1582 – Because of the implementation of the Gregorian calendar this day does not exist in this year in Italy, Poland, Portugal and Spain.
1665 – The University of Kiel is founded.
1789 – French Revolution: Women of Paris march to Versailles in the March on Versailles to confront Louis XVI about his refusal to promulgate the decrees on the abolition of feudalism, demand bread, and have the King and his court moved to Paris.
1793 – French Revolution: Christianity is disestablished in France.
1857 – The City of Anaheim is founded.
1864 – The Indian city of Calcutta is almost totally destroyed by a cyclone; 60,000 die.
1869 – A strong hurricane devastates the Bay of Fundy region of Maritime Canada. The storm had been predicted over a year before by a British naval officer.
1877 – Chief Joseph surrenders his Nez Perce band to General Nelson A. Miles.
1895 – The first individual time trial for racing cyclists is held on a 50-mile course north of London.
1903 – Sir Samuel Griffith is appointed the first Chief Justice of Australia and Sir Edmund Barton and Richard O'Connor are appointed as foundation justices.
1905 – Wilbur Wright pilots Wright Flyer III in a flight of 24 miles in 39 minutes, a world record that stood until 1908.
1910 – Portugal overthrows its monarchy and declares itself a republic.
1914 – World War I first aerial combat resulting in a kill.
1915 – Bulgaria enters World War I as one of the Central Powers.
1921 – Baseball: The World Series is broadcast on the radio for the first time.
1930 – British Airship R101 crashed in France en-route to India on its maiden voyage.
1936 – The Jarrow March sets off for London.
1944 – Canadian Air Force pilots shoot down the first German jet fighter over France.
1944 – Suffrage is extended to women in France.
1945 – Hollywood Black Friday: A six month strike by Hollywood set decorators turns into a bloody riot at the gates of Warner Brothers' studios.
1947 – The first televised White House address is given by U.S. President Harry S. Truman.
1948 – The 1948 Ashgabat earthquake kills 110,000.
1953 – The first documented recovery meeting of Narcotics Anonymous is held.
1966 – Near Detroit, Michigan, there is a partial core meltdown at the Enrico Fermi demonstration nuclear breeder reactor.
1968 – Police baton civil rights demonstrators in Derry, Northern Ireland – considered to mark the beginning of The Troubles.
1969 – The first episode of the famous comedy show Monty Python's Flying Circus aired on BBC.
1970 – The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is founded.
1970 – Montreal, Quebec: British Trade Commissioner James Cross is kidnapped by members of the FLQ terrorist group.
1973 – Signature of the European Patent Convention.
1974 – Guildford pub bombing by the IRA leaves 5 dead and 65 injured.
1981 – Raoul Wallenberg becomes an honorary U.S. citizen.
1984 – Marc Garneau becomes the first Canadian in space, aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger.
1986 – Israeli secret nuclear weapons are revealed. The British newspaper The Sunday Times ran Mordechai Vanunu's story on its front page under the headline: "Revealed — the secrets of Israel's nuclear arsenal."
1988 – The Chilean opposition coalition Concertación (center-left) defeat Augusto Pinochet in his re-election intentions. Next year a general election is called.
1990 – After one hundred and fifty years The Herald broadsheet newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, is published for the last time as a separate newspaper.
1991 – An Indonesian military transport crashes after takeoff from Jakarta killing 137.
1991 – The first official version of the Linux kernel, version 0.02, is released.
1999 – The Ladbroke Grove rail crash in west London kills 31 people.
2000 – Mass demonstrations in Belgrade lead to resignation of Serbian strongman Slobodan Milošević. These demonstrations are often called the Bulldozer Revolution.
2001 – Robert Stevens becomes the first victim in the 2001 anthrax attacks.
Births
1338 – Alexios III, Emperor of Trebizond (d. 1390)
1520 – Alessandro Cardinal Farnese, Italian cardinal (d. 1589)
1641 – Françoise-Athénaïs, marquise de Montespan, French mistress of King Louis XIV of France (d. 1707)
1658 – Mary of Modena, queen of James II of England (d. 1718)
1695 – John Glas, Scottish minister (d. 1773)
1703 – Jonathan Edwards, American minister (d. 1758)
1712 – Francesco Guardi, Italian painter (d. 1793)
1713 – Denis Diderot, French philosopher and encylopedist (d. 1784)
1715 – Victor de Riqueti, marquis de Mirabeau, French economist (d. 1789)
1717 – Marie-Anne de Mailly-Nesle duchess de Châteauroux, French mistress of King Louis XV of France (d. 1744)
1781 – Bernard Bolzano, Czech mathematician and philosopher (d. 1848)
1792 – Joseph Crosfield, English soap and alkali manufacturer (d. 1844)
1795 – Alexander Keith, Scottish-born Canadian brewer (d. 1873)
1820 – David Wilber, American politician (d. 1890)
1822 – Hans Hampel, Czech composer and pianist (d. 1884)
1824 – Henry Chadwick, English-born American baseball writer and statistician (d. 1908)
1829 – Chester A. Arthur, 21st President of the United States (d. 1886)
1844 – Francis William Reitz, State President of the Orange Free State (d. 1934)
1848 – Guido von List, German writer (d. 1919)
1850 – Sergey Muromtsev, Russian lawyer and politician, and President of the First Imperial Duma (d. 1910)
1857 – Peadar Mac Fhionnlaoich, Irish Language writer (d. 1942)
1864 – Louis Lumière, French film pioneer (d. 1948)
1878 – Louise Dresser, American actress (d. 1965)
1879 – Francis Peyton Rous, American pathologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (d. 1970)
1882 – Robert Goddard, American rocket scientist (d. 1945)
1887 – René Cassin, French jurist and Nobel laureate (d. 1976)
1889 – Teresa de la Parra, Venezuelan writer (d. 1936)
1892 – Remington Kellogg, American naturalist (d. 1969)
1894 – Bevil Rudd, South African athlete (d. 1948)
1899 – Georg, Duke of Mecklenburg, head of the House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (d. 1963)
1901 – John Alton, American cinematographer (d. 1996)
1902 – Larry Fine, American actor and comedian (d. 1975)
1902 – Ray Kroc, American fast food entrepreneur (d. 1984)
1903 – M. King Hubbert, American geophysicist (d. 1989)
1904 – John Hoyt, American film and television actor (d. 1991)
1905 – Harriet E. MacGibbon, American actress (d. 1987)
1907 – Mrs. Miller, American singer (d. 1997)
1908 – Joshua Logan, American film director and writer (d. 1988)
1909 – Tony Malinosky, American baseball player
1911 – Flann O'Brien, Irish humorist (d. 1966)
1912 – Fritz Fischer, Nazi war criminal (d. 2003)
1913 – Eugene Bennett Fluckey American Navy Submariner (d. 2007)
1916 – Stetson Kennedy, American writer
1917 – Allen Ludden, American television game show host (d. 1981)
1919 – Donald Pleasence, English actor (d. 1995)
1921 – Bill Willis, American football player (d. 2007)
1922 – José Froilán González, Argentine race car driver
1922 – Bil Keane, American cartoonist
1922 – Jock Stein, Scottish footballer and manager (d. 1985)
1923 – Albert Guðmundsson, Icelandic footballer (d. 1994)
1923 – Philip Berrigan, American peace activist (d. 2002)
1923 – Glynis Johns, British actress
1923 – Bill Wirtz, longtime Chicago Blackhawks owner (d. 2007)
1923 – Stig Dagerman, Swedish writer (d. 1954)
1924 – Bill Dana, American actor
1924 – Barbara Kelly, Canadian-born actress (d. 2007)
1924 – José Donoso, Chilean writer (d. 1996)
1925 – Gail Davis, American actress (d. 1997)
1925 – Bob Thaves, American cartoonist (d. 2006)
1926 – Willi Unsoeld, American climber (d. 1979)
1928 – Louise Fitzhugh, American author (d. 1974)
1929 – Fred Feast, English actor (d. 1999)
1929 – Richard F. Gordon, Jr., American astronaut
1930 – Anne Haddy, Australian actress (d. 1999)
1930 – Pavel Popovich, Soviet cosmonaut (d. 2009)
1930 – Reinhard Selten, German economist, Nobel laureate
1932 – Michael John Rogers, English ornithologist (d. 2006)
1933 – Diane Cilento, Australian actress
1934 – Angelo Buono, Jr., American serial killer (d. 2002)
1935 – Arlene Saunders, American soprano
1936 – Václav Havel, President of the Czech Republic
1937 – Barry Switzer, American football coach
1938 – Teresa Heinz Kerry, American philanthropist
1939 – Marie Laforêt, French singer and actress
1939 – Marie-Claire Blais, French Canadian author and playwright
1939 – Consuelo Ynares-Santiago, Filipino Supreme Court jurist
1939 – Walter Wolf, Slovenian-born Canadian industrialist
1940 – Milena Dravić, Serbian actress
1941 – Eduardo Duhalde, President of Argentina
1942 – Richard Street, American singer (The Temptations)
1943 – Steve Miller, American musician (Steve Miller Band)
1943 – Ben Cardin, American politician, junior senator of Maryland
1945 – Brian Connolly, Scottish singer (Sweet) (d. 1997)
1945 – Geoff Leigh, English musician (Henry Cow)
1946 – Zahida Hina, Pakistani columnist
1946 – Jean Perron, Canadian ice hockey coach
1947 – Brian Johnson, English singer (AC/DC)
1948 – Tawl Ross, American musician (P Funk)
1948 – Zoran Živković, Serbian writer
1949 – Ralph Goodale, Canadian politician
1949 – Bill James, American baseball writer
1949 – B. W. Stevenson, American singer (d. 1988)
1950 – 'Fast' Eddie Clarke, English guitarist (Motörhead, Fastway)
1950 – Jeff Conaway, American actor
1950 – Edward P. Jones, American writer
1951 – Karen Allen, American actress
1951 – Bob Geldof, Irish singer (The Boomtown Rats) and activist
1952 – Clive Barker, English writer
1952 – Duncan Regehr, Canadian actor
1952 – Gigi Sabani, Italian TV host (d. 2007)
1955 – Jean-Jacques Lafon, French singer-songwriter
1955 – Caroline Loeb, French singer and actress
1955 – Ángela Molina, Spanish actress
1957 – Mark Geragos, American attorney
1957 – Lee Thompson, English saxophonist (Madness), vocalist
1957 – Bernie Mac, American actor and comedian (d. 2008)
1958 – André Kuipers, Dutch astronaut
1960 – Daniel Baldwin, American actor
1960 – Careca, Brazilian footballer
1961 – Sharon Cheslow, American musician, composer and artist
1961 – Matthew Kauffman, American journalist and George Polk Award winner
1961 – David Kirk, New Zealand rugby union footballer
1962 – Michael Andretti, American race car driver
1962 – Caron Keating, British television personality (d. 2004)
1963 – Laura Davies, English golfer
1964 – Keiji Fujiwara, Japanese voice actor
1964 – Malik Saidullaev Chechen businessman
1964 – Warren E. Miller, Maryland politician
1965 – Trace Armstrong, American football player
1965 – Mario Lemieux, Canadian ice hockey player
1965 – Patrick Roy, Canadian ice hockey player
1966 – Jan Verhaas, Dutch snooker referee
1966 – Dennis Byrd, American football player
1967 – Rex Chapman, American basketball player
1967 – Guy Pearce, Anglo-Australian actor
1970 – Josie Bissett, American actress
1970 – Audie Pitre, bass guitarist (d. 1996)
1971 – South Park Mexican, American rapper
1971 – Mauricio Pellegrino, Argentine former footballer
1971 – Samuel Vincent, Canadian voice actor
1972 – Grant Hill, American basketball player
1972 – Thomas Roberts, American news anchor
1972 – Aaron Guiel, Canadian baseball outfielder
1974 – Heather Headley, Trinidadian singer
1974 – Rich Franklin, American Mixed Martial Artist
1974 – Colin Meloy, American singer (The Decemberists) (married to Carson Ellis who shares his birthday)
1975 – Bobo Baldé, Guinean footballer
1975 – Parminder Nagra, English actress
1975 – Kate Winslet, English actress
1975 – Carson Ellis, American artist (married to Colin Meloy who shares her birthday)
1975 – Scott Weinger American actor
1976 – Song Seung-hun, South Korean actor
1976 – Ramzan Kadyrov, Chechen President
1976 – J. J. Yeley, American race car driver
1978 – Shane Ryan, Irish Gaelic footballer
1978 – Jesse Palmer, Canadian-born American football player
1978 – Morgan Webb, Canadian-born television presenter
1978 – James Valentine, American musician (Maroon 5)
1979 – Curtis Sanford, Canadian ice hockey player
1979 – Vincenzo Grella, Australian footballer
1979 – Jaime Chambers, American television reporter
1981 – Kelvin Tan Wei Lian, Singaporean singer
1983 – Mashrafe Mortaza, Bangladeshi cricketer
1983 – Nicky Hilton, American heiress
1984 – Kenwyne Jones, Trinidadian footballer
1985 – Nicola Roberts, English singer (Girls Aloud)
1987 – Kevin Mirallas, Belgian footballer
1987 – Javier Villa, Spanish racing driver
1988 – Bahar Kızıl, German Singer (Monrose)
1988 – Bobby Edner, American actor
1988 – Maja Salvador, Filipina Actress
Deaths
578 – Justin II, Byzantine Emperor
1056 – Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1017)
1112 – Sigebert of Gembloux, French chronicler
1214 – King Alfonso VIII of Castile (b. 1155)
1285 – King Philip III of France (b. 1245)
1528 – Richard Foxe, English churchman
1540 – Helius Eobanus Hessus, German poet (b. 1488)
1564 – Pierre de Manchicourt, Flemish composer
1565 – Lodovico Ferrari, Italian mathematician (b. 1522)
1606 – Philippe Desportes, French poet (b. 1546)
1714 – Kaibara Ekiken, Japanese philosopher (b. 1630)
1740 – Johann Philipp Baratier, German scholar (b. 1721)
1777 – Ján Andrej Segner, Slovak and German mathematician, physicist, and physician (b. 1704)
1791 – Grigori Potemkin, Russian statesman (b. 1739)
1805 – Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis, British general (b. 1738)
1813 – Tecumseh, Shawnee leader (b. 1768)
1848 – Joseph Hormayr Freiherr zu Hortenburg, Austrian politician (b. 1781)
1861 – Antoni Melchior Fijałkowski, Polish bishop (b. 1778)
1880 – Jacques Offenbach, German-born composer (b. 1819)
1913 – Hans von Bartels, German painter (b. 1856)
1918 – Roland Garros, French pilot (b. 1888)
1930 – Christopher Birdwood Thomson, 1st Baron Thomson, British military officer (b. 1875)
1933 – Renée Adorée, French actress (b. 1898)
1933 – Nikolai Nikolaevich Yudenich, Russian general (b. 1862)
1936 – J. Slauerhoff, Dutch poet and novelist (tuberculosis) (b. 1898)
1938 – Saint Faustina, Polish saint (b. 1905)
1940 – Ballington Booth, Salvation Army Officer and co-founder of Volunteers of America (b. 1857)
1940 – Lincoln Loy McCandless, American cattle rancher (b. 1859)
1940 – Silvestre Revueltas, Mexican musician (b. 1889)
1941 – Louis Dembitz Brandeis, U.S. Supreme Court Justice (b. 1856)
1943 – Leon Roppolo, American musician (b. 1902)
1950 – Frederic Lewy, German neurologist (b. 1885)
1952 – Joe Jagersberger, Austrian racing driver
1975 – Lady Constance Malleson, British actor and writer (b. 1895)
1976 – Lars Onsager, Norwegian chemist, Nobel laureate (b. 1903)
1976 – Barbara Nichols, American actress (b. 1929)
1981 – Gloria Grahame, American actress (b. 1923)
1983 – Earl Tupper, American inventor (b. 1907)
1983 – Humberto Mauro, Brazilian film director and screenwriter (b. 1897)
1986 – Hal B. Wallis, American film producer (b. 1898)
1986 – James H. Wilkinson, English mathematician (b. 1919)
1986 – Mike Burgmann, Australian racing driver (b. 1947)
1992 – Eddie Kendricks, American singer (The Temptations) (b. 1939)
1995 – Linda Gary, American voice actress (b. 1944)
1996 – Seymour Cray, American computer pioneer (b. 1925)
1997 – Brian Pillman, American professional wrestler (b. 1962)
2000 – Cătălin Hîldan, Romanian footballer (b. 1976)
2001 – Mike Mansfield, American politician (b. 1903)
2002 – Chuck Rayner, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1920)
2003 – Denis Quilley, English actor (b. 1927)
2003 – Dan Snyder, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1978)
2003 – Timothy Treadwell, American bear enthusiast featured in Grizzly Man (b. 1957)
2004 – Rodney Dangerfield, American comedian (b. 1921)
2004 – Maurice Wilkins, New Zealand physicist, Nobel laureate (b. 1916)
2004 – William H. Dobelle, American biomedical engineer, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine nominee (b. 1941)
2006 – Jennifer Moss, English actress (b. 1945)
2006 – Antonio Peña, Mexican founder of lucha libre promotion AAA (b. 1953)
2007 – Justin Tuveri, Italian veteran of the First World War (b. 1898)
2009 – Shōichi Nakagawa, Japanese politician (b. 1953)
2009 – Mercedes Sosa, Argentine singer (b. 1935)
2009 – Ernő Kolczonay, Hungarian fencer (b. 1953)
Holidays and observances
Roman calendar
Mundus patet: a harvest feast involving the dead.
Portugal – Republic Day, celebrates overthrow of the Monarchy in 1910
International World Teachers' Day
French Republican Calendar – Réséda (Mignonette) Day, fourteenth day in the Month of Vendémiaire
Indonesia – Army Day
Hor and Susia in the Coptic Church
Feast day of Saint Faustina Kowalska, Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos and Saint Thraseas in the Roman Catholic Church
