April 5 in History

Historical Events on April 5

1614 In Virginia, Native American Pocahontas marries English colonist John Rolfe.

1792 United States President George Washington exercises his authority to veto a bill, the first time this power is used in the United States.

1862 American Civil War: The Battle of Yorktown begins.

1942 World War II: The Imperial Japanese Navy launches a carrier-based air attack on Colombo, Ceylon during the Indian Ocean raid. Port and civilian facilities are damaged and the Royal Navy cruisers HMS Cornwall and HMS Dorsetshire are sunk southwest of the island.

1945 Cold War: Yugoslav leader Josip Broz Tito signs an agreement with the Soviet Union to allow "temporary entry of Soviet troops into Yugoslav territory".

1956 Fidel Castro declares himself at war with Cuban President Fulgencio Batista.

1969 Vietnam War: Massive antiwar demonstrations occur in many U.S. cities.

1976 In the People's Republic of China, the April Fifth Movement leads to the Tiananmen Incident.

2009 North Korea launches its controversial Kwangmyŏngsŏng-2 rocket. The satellite passed over mainland Japan, which prompted an immediate reaction from the United Nations Security Council, as well as participating states of Six-party talks.

All Events

Famous Birthdays on April 5

1827 Joseph Lister, 1st Baron Lister

1916 Gregory Peck

1917 Robert Bloch

1937 Colin Powell

All Births

Famous Deaths on April 5

1964 Douglas MacArthur

1975 Chiang Kai-shek

1976 Howard Hughes

1994 Kurt Cobain

All Deaths

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