February 5
February 5 is the 36th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar.[1] There are 329 days remaining until the end of the year, or 330 days in leap years.[1] Significant historical events associated with this date include the Roman Republic's sack of Carthage on February 5, 146 BCE, which concluded the Third Punic War and resulted in the city's complete destruction after a three-year siege.[2] In the film industry, United Artists was established on February 5, 1919, by Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, and D.W. Griffith to grant independent filmmakers greater control over production and distribution.[3] During the Apollo program, the lunar module of Apollo 14 carrying astronauts Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell touched down in the Fra Mauro highlands on February 5, 1971, marking the third human landing on the Moon and enabling geological sampling from a new site. The date also features the feast day of Saint Agatha of Sicily, a third-century Christian martyr venerated as the patron saint of Catania, bellfounders, and those afflicted by breast disease or fire-related perils.[4] Among notable individuals born on February 5 is Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portuguese footballer renowned for holding records in goals scored across top-tier leagues and international competitions.Events
Pre-1600
- 1578 – Giovanni Battista Moroni, Italian Renaissance painter renowned for his psychologically penetrating portraits of ecclesiastical and secular subjects, which demonstrated meticulous attention to contemporary dress and setting, died in Bergamo at about age 53.[5][6]
- 1597 – Paul Miki, Japanese Jesuit seminarian and native evangelist who preached Christianity amid growing persecution, along with 25 companions including Franciscans, Jesuits, and laypeople, were crucified in Nagasaki by order of regent Toyotomi Hideyoshi, marking the first documented martyrdoms of foreign missionaries in Japan and galvanizing the underground Christian community.[7][8]
1601–1900
- 1661 – Shunzhi Emperor (born 1638), the third emperor of China's Qing dynasty and the first to govern the entire country after the Manchu conquest of the Ming dynasty, whose early death from smallpox at age 22 led to the ascension of his son Kangxi and further consolidation of Qing authority.[9]
- 1790 – William Cullen (born 1710), Scottish physician and chemist who advanced medical education through systematic lectures at the University of Edinburgh and contributed to early refrigeration experiments by observing the cooling effects of evaporating liquids under vacuum.[10]
- 1807 – Pasquale Paoli (born 1725), Corsican patriot and military leader who established a short-lived independent republic in Corsica from 1755 to 1769, resisting Genoese and later French control, and whose later exile in England highlighted his role in promoting Enlightenment-inspired governance.[11]
- 1818 – Charles XIII (born 1748), King of Sweden from 1809 and briefly of the United Kingdom of Sweden and Norway from 1814, whose regency during his nephew's minority and navigation of Napoleonic Wars alliances resulted in the loss of Finland to Russia but the acquisition of Norway, marking a shift toward constitutional monarchy amid military setbacks.[12]
- 1881 – Thomas Carlyle (born 1795), Scottish historian, essayist, and philosopher whose works such as The French Revolution: A History (1837) emphasized heroic individualism and critiqued industrial society's materialism, influencing Victorian thought on leadership and history despite his pessimistic views on democracy.[13]
1901–present
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (c. 1918–2008), Indian spiritual leader and founder of the Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique, died on February 5, 2008, at his residence in Vlodrop, Netherlands, at approximately age 90.[14] He popularized TM in the West during the 1950s and 1960s, attracting millions of practitioners worldwide, including high-profile figures like the Beatles, and establishing organizations that promoted meditation for stress reduction and personal development.[15] Proponents cite studies indicating TM's physiological benefits, such as lowered blood pressure and improved psychological well-being comparable to other relaxation methods.[16] Critics, however, have questioned the scientific validity of broader claims like the "Maharishi Effect" on societal crime rates and dismissed TM as pseudoscientific or commercially exploitative, pointing to its high course fees and hierarchical structure.[17] Kirk Douglas (1916–2020), American actor and filmmaker, died on February 5, 2020, in Los Angeles at age 103 from natural causes.[18] Over a seven-decade career, he starred in over 90 films, including box-office successes like Spartacus (1960) and Paths of Glory (1957), earning three Academy Award nominations for Best Actor in Champion (1949), The Bad and the Beautiful (1952), and Lust for Life (1956), though he received only an Honorary Oscar in 1996 for lifetime achievement.[19] Douglas wielded significant industry influence, notably defying the Hollywood blacklist by publicly crediting screenwriter Dalton Trumbo for Spartacus, which contributed to ending the practice.[20] Christopher Plummer (1929–2021), Canadian actor, died on February 5, 2021, in Weston, Connecticut, at age 91 following complications from a fall.[21] Renowned for his stage and screen versatility, he gained global fame as Captain von Trapp in The Sound of Music (1965), though he later expressed ambivalence toward the role, and won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Beginners (2011) at age 82, becoming the oldest recipient.[22] Plummer secured two Tony Awards for Broadway performances in Cyrano (1974) and Barrymore (1997), alongside Emmy recognition, establishing a legacy of classical theater work spanning Shakespearean roles and over 100 films.[23] Toby Keith (1961–2024), American country music singer-songwriter, died on February 5, 2024, at age 62 after a battle with stomach cancer diagnosed in 2021.[24] His 30-year career yielded 20 Billboard Hot Country Songs No. 1 hits, including "Should've Been a Cowboy" (1993), which held the record for most weeks at No. 1 until 2021, and patriotic anthems like "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)" (2002) that resonated post-9/11, selling over 44 million albums.[25] Keith's music emphasized working-class themes and military support, reflected in his founding of the USO Special Services tour and No. 1 hits such as "As Good as I Once Was" (2005).[26]Births
Pre-1600
- 1578 – Giovanni Battista Moroni, Italian Renaissance painter renowned for his psychologically penetrating portraits of ecclesiastical and secular subjects, which demonstrated meticulous attention to contemporary dress and setting, died in Bergamo at about age 53.[5][6]
- 1597 – Paul Miki, Japanese Jesuit seminarian and native evangelist who preached Christianity amid growing persecution, along with 25 companions including Franciscans, Jesuits, and laypeople, were crucified in Nagasaki by order of regent Toyotomi Hideyoshi, marking the first documented martyrdoms of foreign missionaries in Japan and galvanizing the underground Christian community.[7][8]
1601–1900
- 1661 – Shunzhi Emperor (born 1638), the third emperor of China's Qing dynasty and the first to govern the entire country after the Manchu conquest of the Ming dynasty, whose early death from smallpox at age 22 led to the ascension of his son Kangxi and further consolidation of Qing authority.[9]
- 1790 – William Cullen (born 1710), Scottish physician and chemist who advanced medical education through systematic lectures at the University of Edinburgh and contributed to early refrigeration experiments by observing the cooling effects of evaporating liquids under vacuum.[10]
- 1807 – Pasquale Paoli (born 1725), Corsican patriot and military leader who established a short-lived independent republic in Corsica from 1755 to 1769, resisting Genoese and later French control, and whose later exile in England highlighted his role in promoting Enlightenment-inspired governance.[11]
- 1818 – Charles XIII (born 1748), King of Sweden from 1809 and briefly of the United Kingdom of Sweden and Norway from 1814, whose regency during his nephew's minority and navigation of Napoleonic Wars alliances resulted in the loss of Finland to Russia but the acquisition of Norway, marking a shift toward constitutional monarchy amid military setbacks.[12]
- 1881 – Thomas Carlyle (born 1795), Scottish historian, essayist, and philosopher whose works such as The French Revolution: A History (1837) emphasized heroic individualism and critiqued industrial society's materialism, influencing Victorian thought on leadership and history despite his pessimistic views on democracy.[13]
1901–present
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (c. 1918–2008), Indian spiritual leader and founder of the Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique, died on February 5, 2008, at his residence in Vlodrop, Netherlands, at approximately age 90.[14] He popularized TM in the West during the 1950s and 1960s, attracting millions of practitioners worldwide, including high-profile figures like the Beatles, and establishing organizations that promoted meditation for stress reduction and personal development.[15] Proponents cite studies indicating TM's physiological benefits, such as lowered blood pressure and improved psychological well-being comparable to other relaxation methods.[16] Critics, however, have questioned the scientific validity of broader claims like the "Maharishi Effect" on societal crime rates and dismissed TM as pseudoscientific or commercially exploitative, pointing to its high course fees and hierarchical structure.[17] Kirk Douglas (1916–2020), American actor and filmmaker, died on February 5, 2020, in Los Angeles at age 103 from natural causes.[18] Over a seven-decade career, he starred in over 90 films, including box-office successes like Spartacus (1960) and Paths of Glory (1957), earning three Academy Award nominations for Best Actor in Champion (1949), The Bad and the Beautiful (1952), and Lust for Life (1956), though he received only an Honorary Oscar in 1996 for lifetime achievement.[19] Douglas wielded significant industry influence, notably defying the Hollywood blacklist by publicly crediting screenwriter Dalton Trumbo for Spartacus, which contributed to ending the practice.[20] Christopher Plummer (1929–2021), Canadian actor, died on February 5, 2021, in Weston, Connecticut, at age 91 following complications from a fall.[21] Renowned for his stage and screen versatility, he gained global fame as Captain von Trapp in The Sound of Music (1965), though he later expressed ambivalence toward the role, and won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Beginners (2011) at age 82, becoming the oldest recipient.[22] Plummer secured two Tony Awards for Broadway performances in Cyrano (1974) and Barrymore (1997), alongside Emmy recognition, establishing a legacy of classical theater work spanning Shakespearean roles and over 100 films.[23] Toby Keith (1961–2024), American country music singer-songwriter, died on February 5, 2024, at age 62 after a battle with stomach cancer diagnosed in 2021.[24] His 30-year career yielded 20 Billboard Hot Country Songs No. 1 hits, including "Should've Been a Cowboy" (1993), which held the record for most weeks at No. 1 until 2021, and patriotic anthems like "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)" (2002) that resonated post-9/11, selling over 44 million albums.[25] Keith's music emphasized working-class themes and military support, reflected in his founding of the USO Special Services tour and No. 1 hits such as "As Good as I Once Was" (2005).[26]Deaths
Pre-1600
- 1578 – Giovanni Battista Moroni, Italian Renaissance painter renowned for his psychologically penetrating portraits of ecclesiastical and secular subjects, which demonstrated meticulous attention to contemporary dress and setting, died in Bergamo at about age 53.[5][6]
- 1597 – Paul Miki, Japanese Jesuit seminarian and native evangelist who preached Christianity amid growing persecution, along with 25 companions including Franciscans, Jesuits, and laypeople, were crucified in Nagasaki by order of regent Toyotomi Hideyoshi, marking the first documented martyrdoms of foreign missionaries in Japan and galvanizing the underground Christian community.[7][8]
1601–1900
- 1661 – Shunzhi Emperor (born 1638), the third emperor of China's Qing dynasty and the first to govern the entire country after the Manchu conquest of the Ming dynasty, whose early death from smallpox at age 22 led to the ascension of his son Kangxi and further consolidation of Qing authority.[9]
- 1790 – William Cullen (born 1710), Scottish physician and chemist who advanced medical education through systematic lectures at the University of Edinburgh and contributed to early refrigeration experiments by observing the cooling effects of evaporating liquids under vacuum.[10]
- 1807 – Pasquale Paoli (born 1725), Corsican patriot and military leader who established a short-lived independent republic in Corsica from 1755 to 1769, resisting Genoese and later French control, and whose later exile in England highlighted his role in promoting Enlightenment-inspired governance.[11]
- 1818 – Charles XIII (born 1748), King of Sweden from 1809 and briefly of the United Kingdom of Sweden and Norway from 1814, whose regency during his nephew's minority and navigation of Napoleonic Wars alliances resulted in the loss of Finland to Russia but the acquisition of Norway, marking a shift toward constitutional monarchy amid military setbacks.[12]
- 1881 – Thomas Carlyle (born 1795), Scottish historian, essayist, and philosopher whose works such as The French Revolution: A History (1837) emphasized heroic individualism and critiqued industrial society's materialism, influencing Victorian thought on leadership and history despite his pessimistic views on democracy.[13]