This Day In History : October 5

1793 France

French Revolution: Christianity is disestablished in France

On October 5, 1793, the Revolutionary Government of France declared the disestablishment (or dechristianization) of France. This move was specifically intended to remove the influence of the Catholic Church upon France and the French people.

Also on This Day in History October 5

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

Births on This Day, October 5
  • 1829 Chester A. Arthur

    American politician, 21st President of the United States

  • 1921 Mahlon Bush Hoagland

    American biochemist who helped discover transfer RNA

  • 1889 Dirk Coster

    Dutch physicist who discovered the element hafnium

  • 1882 Robert Goddard

    American rocket pioneer (invented and built the first liquid-fueled rocket),  known as the “father of modern rocketry”

  • 1864 Louis Lumière

    French inventor, with brother Auguste made 1st motion picture in 1895

Deaths on This Day, October 5
  • 2011 Steve Jobs

    American computer entrepreneur and co-founder of Apple

  • 2004 Maurice Wilkins

    New Zealand-born English physicist (Nobel 1962-X-ray diffraction studies of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) proved crucial to the determination of DNA’s molecular structure by James D. Watson and Francis Crick)

  • 1996 Seymour Cray

    American electronics engineer who is called “the father of supercomputing”, inventor (Cray Research, Cray I supercomputer)

  • 1777 Johann Andreas von Segner

    German mathematician who recognized the surface tension of liquids, physicist, and physician

1984

Marc Garneau becomes the first Canadian in space

Marc Garneau became the first Canadian in space on October 5, 1984, as a payload specialist on the NASA Space Shuttle Challenger's STS-41-G mission. This historic flight marked Canada's entry into human space exploration. Garneau conducted a variety of scientific experiments and observations during the mission, which lasted eight days. His journey inspired a generation of Canadians and paved the way for future Canadian astronauts in space.
1921

Constitution of Liechtenstein comes into effect

The Constitution of the Principality of Liechtenstein was promulgated on October 5, 1921, replacing the 1862 constitution. This constitution established a constitutional, hereditary monarchy on a democratic and parliamentary basis. 
1973

Signature of the European Patent Convention

The European Patent Convention (EPC) was signed on October 5, 1973, in Munich, Germany. It established a unified patent system for Europe, allowing inventors and companies to obtain a single patent valid in multiple European countries. The EPC aimed to harmonize patent laws across its member states and streamline the patent application and granting process. 
1984

13th NASA Space Shuttle Mission (41G)

STS-41-G, also known as Space Shuttle Challenger mission STS-41-G, was launched on October 5, 1984. It was the 13th flight of the Space Shuttle Challenger and the 6th mission of the Space Shuttle Challenger program. The primary objective of the mission was to deploy the Earth Radiation Budget Satellite (ERBS) and conduct scientific experiments. The crew included seven astronauts, and it marked the first time an American woman, Sally Ride, made a second spaceflight. The mission lasted for 8 days, during which various scientific experiments and observations were conducted in space.
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