This Day In History : January 5

1969 Russian Federation

Venera 5 Launched

Venera 5 was a space probe in the Soviet space program Venera for the exploration of Venus. Venera 5 was launched towards Venus to obtain atmospheric data. The spacecraft was very similar to Venera 4 although it was of a stronger design. The launch was conducted using a Molniya-M rocket, flying from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.

Also on This Day in History January 5

Discover what happened on January 5 with HISTORY's summaries of major events, anniversaries,
famous births and notable deaths.

Births on This Day, January 5
  • 1909 Stephen Cole Kleene

    American mathematician and logician whose research was on the theory of algorithms and recursive functions.

  • 1874 Joseph Erlanger

    American physiologist who discovered that fibres within the same nerve cord possess different functions.

  • 1855 King C. Gillette

    King Camp Gillette was an American inventor and manufacturer who invented and manufactured the safety razor with disposable blades.

  • 1794 Edmund Ruffin

    The father of soil chemistry in the U.S., who showed how to restore fertility to depleted soil.

  • 1786 Thomas Nuttall

    English naturalist and botanist known for his discoveries of North American plants.

Deaths on This Day, January 5
  • 2007 Momofuku Ando

    Taiwanese-Japanese businessman and inventor who invented instant noodles and Cup Noodles.

  • 2004 Merrill W. Chase

    American immunologist who made groundbreaking discoveries in cellular immunology and experimental allergy.

  • 2004 Norman Heatley

    English biochemist who solved problems in the extraction of penicillin from its mould, and paved the way for mass production.

  • 1997 Vero Wynne-Edwards

    English zoologist who theorized that a process group selection occurred during the evolution of species.

  • 1981 Harold C. Urey

    American scientist awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1934 for his discovery of deuterium, the heavy form of hydrogen (1932).

2005

Discovery of dwarf planet Eris

In 2005, the second-largest dwarf planet in our Solar System, Eris, was discovered on images taken on 21 Oct 2003. Mike Brown, Chad Trujillo, and David Rabinowitz announced their discovery on 29 Jul 2005.
1972

NASA announces development of space shuttle

On January 5, 1972, President Richard M. Nixon directed NASA to develop and build a reusable space transportation system, commonly known as the Space Shuttle. This revolutionary program aimed to provide routine access to space by reducing costs through reusability. The shuttle system allowed for repeated trips from Earth to orbit and back, transforming the space frontier into familiar territory for human endeavors in the 1980s and '90s.
1919

The German Workers' Party(The Nazi Party) Founded

On January 5, 1919, the German Workers' Party (DAP) was founded in Munich, Germany. This party would later evolve into the National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP), commonly known as the Nazi Party, under the leadership of Adolf Hitler. The DAP's foundation marked a pivotal moment in German political history, eventually shaping the course of the 20th century.
1834

Kiowa- The Night When The Stars Fell

In 1834, during an event known as “The Year the Stars Fell,” the Cutthroat Gap massacre occurred in Oklahoma. A group of Osage warriors attacked a Kiowa camp, brutally killing women, children, and the elderly. Most of the Kiowa warriors were away raiding a Ute band or hunting bison at the time. The Osage killed around 150 Kiowa people and took their sacred Tai-me medicine bundle along with two children as captives. The Kiowa Indians later remembered this tragic event as the night the stars fell.
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