Historical Events
- 1687 Isaac Newton's great work Principia published by Royal Society in England, outlining his laws of motion and universal gravitation
- 1811 Venezuelan Declaration of Independence: 7 provinces declare themselves independent of Spain
- 1852 Frederick Douglass, fugitive slave, delivers his 'What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?' speech to the Ladies' Anti-Slavery Society in Rochester, condemns the celebration as hypocritical sham
- 1865 US Secret Service begins operating under the Treasury Department
- 1994 Amazon.com founded in Bellevue, Washington by Jeff Bezos
- 2004 First Indonesian presidential election by the people - first round (eventually won by Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono)
- More Historical Events
Jul 5 in Film & TV
- 1954 The BBC broadcasts its first television news bulletin
Jul 5 in Music
- 1975 At Knebworth Festival in England, Pink Floyd debut their album "Wish You Were Here" with pyrotechnics and an exploding plane which flies into the stage
Jul 5 in Sport
- 2009 Wimbledon Men's Tennis: Roger Federer beats Andy Roddick of the US 5-7, 7-6, 7-6, 3-6, 16-14 for a record 15th Grand Slam singles title
Did You Know?
Louis Reard's design for a bikini swimsuit debuts at the Paris fashion show
On July 5, 1946
David Farragut
P. T. Barnum
Cecil Rhodes
A. E. Douglass
Georges Pompidou
Dolly the SheepWould You Believe?
Followers of Indian spiritual leader Ashutosh Mahara win a court case, 3 years after his death, to keep his body in a freezer in case he should return to life
On July 5, 2017
Famous Weddings
- 1836 English engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel marries Mary Elizabeth Horsley
- 1870 Future Prime Minister of Canada John Thompson (24) weds Annie E. Affleck (25) in Portland, Maine
- 1911 "Anne of Green Gables" author Lucy Maud Montgomery (36) weds Ewen MacDonald in Prince Edward Island, Canada
Famous Divorces
- 1950 Actress Bette Davis (42) divorces artist William Grant Sherry after more than 4 years of marriage
- 1957 American singer and actor Frank Sinatra (41) and movie star Ava Gardner (32) divorce after 6 years of marriage
- 2007 Burlesque dancer Dita Von Teese (34) divorces rocker Marilyn Manson (38) due to irreconcilable differences after a year of marriage
More Weddings & Divorces
Stamford Raffles
Nicéphore Niépce
Chester Greenwood
John Curtin
Elizabeth Ryan
Ted WilliamsArticles, Photos and Quiz
Venezuela Declares Independence
A painting by Martin Tovar y Tovar depicting Venezuelan deputies signing the declaration
July 5, 1811
Swimwear Reduced to Bare Essentials
Now a common sight on beaches across the world, the bikini created a sensation when a French mechanic launched it on this day in history.
July 5, 1946
Weekly Quiz for July 1-7
Test your knowledge of historical events and famous people in our multi-choice, weekly history quiz for July 1-7. Then challenge your friends!
