April 5 in History

Significant events that happened on this day.

Historical Events

1998

Japan's Akashi Kaikyō Bridge opened as the world's longest suspension bridge

The engineering marvel spans 1.2 miles across the Akashi Strait, connecting Kobe to Awaji Island. The bridge was designed to withstand 178 mph winds a...

1992

The siege of Sarajevo began during the Bosnian War, becoming the longest siege of a capital city in modern warfare

Major

Bosnian Serb forces surrounded Sarajevo, beginning a 1,425-day siege that would kill over 11,000 people. Citizens endured constant sniper fire and she...

1969

The first artificial heart was implanted in a human patient in Texas

Dr. Denton Cooley implanted a mechanical heart designed by Dr. Domingo Liotta into 47-year-old Haskell Karp at the Texas Heart Institute. The experime...

1955

Winston Churchill resigned as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom at age 80

Major

After suffering a series of strokes, Churchill finally stepped down from his second term as PM. He had led Britain through World War II and returned t...

1933

President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 6102, making it illegal for Americans to own gold

In an effort to combat the Great Depression, FDR banned private gold ownership and required citizens to turn in their gold coins, bullion, and certifi...

1792

George Washington cast the first presidential veto in U.S. history

Major

President Washington vetoed a congressional bill for the first time, rejecting an apportionment bill that would have increased the House of Representa...

1722

Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen became the first European to land on Easter Island, which happened to be Easter Sunday

Roggeveen discovered the remote Polynesian island and its mysterious giant stone heads (moai) on the perfect day to name it Easter Island. He found ab...

1614

Native American Pocahontas married English colonist John Rolfe in Virginia

The marriage between Pocahontas and tobacco planter John Rolfe created a brief period of peace between the Jamestown colonists and the Powhatan Confed...

Fun Facts from April 5

2016Animals

Lucca was a Marine Corps bomb dog who worked Iraq and Afghanistan for six years. In more than 400 missions, no Marine on her patrols was ever hurt. On March 23, 2012, a bomb took her front leg. Her handler carried her out. She was walking again within ten days, and in 2016 became the first US Marine Corps dog awarded Britain's Dickin Medal for bravery. She retired to the Marine who had been her very first handler.