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, 1,754,352,000 seconds 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.
• 1735 –
  Freedom of the press: New York Weekly Journal writer John Peter Zenger is acquitted of seditious libel against the royal governor of New York, on the basis that what he had published was true.
• 1862 –
  American Civil War: Battle of Baton Rouge – along the Mississippi River near Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Confederate troops drive Union forces back into the city.
• 1870 –
  Franco-Prussian War: the Battle of Spicheren is fought, resulting in a Prussian victory.
• 1914 –
  In Cleveland, Ohio, the first electric traffic light is installed.
• 1949 –
  In Ecuador, an earthquake destroys 50 towns and kills more than 6,000.
• 1949 –
  The Mann Gulch fire kills 13 firefighters in Montana.
• 1963 –
  The United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union sign a nuclear test ban treaty.
• 1965 –
  The Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 begins as Pakistani soldiers cross the Line of Control dressed as locals.
• 2003 –
  A car bomb explodes in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta outside the Marriott Hotel killing 12 and injuring 150.

Who were born on August 5?

• 1827 –
  Deodoro da Fonseca, Brazilian statesman (d. 1892)
• 1906 –
  John Huston, American director (d. 1987)
• 1914 –
  Parley Baer, American actor d, 2002
• 1940 –
  Roman Gabriel, American football player
• 1946 –
  Rick van der Linden, Dutch composer and keyboardist
• 1962 –
  Richard de Groen, New Zealand cricketer
• 1965 –
  Jeff Coffin, American jazz and alternative rock musician
• 1976 –
  Kwon Sang-woo, South Korean actor
• 1979 –
  David Healy, Northern Irish footballer
• 1980 –
  Vatsal Seth, Indian actor

Who died on August 5?

• 1364 –
  Emperor Kōgon of Japan (b. 1313)
• 1579 –
  Stanislaus Hosius, Polish Catholic cardinal (b. 1504)
• 1743 –
  John Hervey, 2nd Baron Hervey, English statesman and writer (b. 1696)
• 1888 –
  Anna Bates, known for giving the heaviest birth ever (b. 1846)
• 1911 –
  Bob Caruthers, American baseball player (b. 1864)
• 1921 –
  Dimitrios Rallis, Greek politician, five times Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1844)
• 1959 –
  Edgar Guest, English poet (b. 1881)
• 1994 –
  Alain de Changy, Belgian racing driver (b. 1922)
• 2000 –
  Alec Guinness, British actor (b. 1914)
• 2002 –
  Josh Ryan Evans, American actor (b. 1982)