5 August in history
8 events that happened on 5 August, from 642 to 1962.
✦ Anniversary of the day
642 CE 1,384 years ago
Penda of Mercia defeats and kills Oswald of Northumbria at Maserfield
Penda of Mercia, allied with the Welsh kingdom of Gwynedd, defeated King Oswald of Northumbria, probably at Oswestry in Shropshire. Oswald was killed and later venerated as a saint, and the victory made Penda the most powerful ruler in England.
1100 CE 926 years ago
Henry I is crowned King of England
Three days after William Rufus died in a hunting accident, his brother Henry was crowned at Westminster. His Charter of Liberties and administrative reforms made him one of England's ablest medieval kings.
1305 CE 721 years ago
William Wallace is handed over to the English at Robroyston
Sir John de Menteith, a Scottish knight loyal to Edward I, turned William Wallace over to English soldiers at Robroyston, near Glasgow. Wallace, who had won at Stirling Bridge in 1297, was taken to London and executed for treason.
1583 CE 443 years ago
Sir Humphrey Gilbert claims Newfoundland for England
At St John's harbour, Humphrey Gilbert claimed Newfoundland for Elizabeth I, an early step in English overseas expansion. No settlement followed, and Gilbert was lost at sea on the voyage home.
1858 CE 168 years ago
The first transatlantic telegraph cable is completed
Cable ships landed the ends of the first telegraph line across the Atlantic in Ireland and Newfoundland. It carried messages for just three weeks before failing, but proved the idea possible.
1962 CE 64 years ago
Marilyn Monroe is found dead in Los Angeles
Marilyn Monroe was found dead at her home in Brentwood, aged 36; the coroner ruled probable suicide from barbiturates. Her death cut short the career of Hollywood's most famous star.
Born on 5 August 3
Died on 5 August 4
Dates as the sources give them: in the Julian calendar before 1582, and in some countries for longer (Britain until 1752, Russia until 1918). Only people whose day of birth or death the records agree on are listed.