On This Day: 5 April

5 April in Indian history

• 1942World War II: The Imperial Japanese Navy launches a carrier-based air attack on Colombo, Ceylon during the Indian Ocean raid. Port and civilian facilities are damaged and the Royal Navy cruisers HMS Cornwall and HMS Dorsetshire are sunk southwest of the islandIndia

5 April in world history

• 2010Two bombings in Pakistan killed up to 50 people and injured around 100 others.
• 2009North Korea launches its controversial Kwangmyŏngsŏng-2 satellite. The satellite passed over mainland Japan, which prompted an immediate reaction from the United Nations Security Council, as well as participating states of six-party talks.
• 2002In the first reported data breach, 250,000 social security numbers collected by the State of California were stolen from a data center.
• 1991An ASA EMB 120 crashes in Brunswick, Georgia, killing all 23 aboard, including Sen. John Tower and astronaut Sonny Carter.
• 1971In Sri Lanka, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna launches a revolt against the United Front government of Sirimavo Bandaranaike.
• 1966During the Buddhist Uprising, South Vietnamese military prime minister Nguyễn Cao Kỳ personally attempted to lead the capture of the restive city of Đà Nẵng before backing down.
• 1946A Fleet Air Arm Vickers Wellington crashes into a residential area in Rabat, Malta during a training exercise, killing all four crew members and 16 civilians on the ground.
• 1945Cold War: Yugoslav leader Josip Broz Tito signs an agreement with the Soviet Union to allow "temporary entry of Soviet troops into Yugoslav territory".
• 1944Siegfried Lederer, a Czech Jew, escaped from Auschwitz with the aid of an SS officer who opposed the Holocaust.
• 1942World War II: Adolf Hitler issues Fuhrer Directive No. 41 summarizing Case Blue, including the German Sixth Army's planned assault on Stalingrad.
• 1938Spanish Civil War: Two days after the Nationalist army occupied the Catalan city of Lleida, dictator Francisco Franco decrees the abolition of the Generalitat (the autonomous government of Catalonia), the self-government granted by the Republic, and the offici
• 1936An F5 tornado struck Tupelo, Mississippi, killing at least 216 people during one of the deadliest tornado outbreaks in U.S. history.
• 1933Andorran Revolution: The Young Andorrans occupy the Casa de la Vall and force the government to hold democratic elections with universal male suffrage.
• 1879Bolivia declares war on Chile, and Chile declares war on Peru, starting the War of the Pacific.
• 1614Pocahontas, a Native American woman, married English colonist John Rolfe, leading to a period of peace between the Powhatan people and the inhabitants of Jamestown, Virginia.
• 1242Northern Crusades: In the Battle on the Ice, Novgorod forces led by Alexander Nevsky rebuffed an invasion attempt by the Teutonic Knights at Lake Peipus on the present-day border of Estonia and Russia.
• 919The Fatimid Caliphate began a second unsuccessful invasion of Egypt, then under Abbasid rule.

Born on 5 April

• 1983Shikha Uberoi, Indian-American tennis playerIndia
• 1968Paula Cole, American singer-songwriter and pianist
• 1947Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Filipino academic and politician, 14th President of the Philippines
• 1917Robert Bloch, American author (died 1994)
• 1908Jagjivan Ram, Indian politician, 4th Deputy Prime Minister of India (died 1986)India
• 1810Sir Henry Rawlinson, British East India Company army officer and politician (died 1895)India

Died on 5 April

• 1993Divya Bharti, Indian actress (born 1974)India
• 1940Charles Freer Andrews, English-Indian priest, missionary, and educator (born 1871)India
• 1751Frederick I, prince consort and king of Sweden (born 1676)
• 1693Anne Marie Louise d'Orléans, French noblewoman (born 1627)

Frequently asked questions

What happened on 5 April in history?

2010: Two bombings in Pakistan killed up to 50 people and injured around 100 others. 2009: North Korea launches its controversial Kwangmyŏngsŏng-2 satellite. The satellite passed over mainland Japan, which prompted an immediate reaction from the United Nations Security Council, as well as participating states of six-party talks. 2002: In the first reported data breach, 250,000 social security numbers collected by the State of California were stolen from a data center. 1991: An ASA EMB 120 crashes in Brunswick, Georgia, killing all 23 aboard, including Sen. John Tower and astronaut Sonny Carter.

What happened on 5 April in Indian history?

1942: World War II: The Imperial Japanese Navy launches a carrier-based air attack on Colombo, Ceylon during the Indian Ocean raid. Port and civilian facilities are damaged and the Royal Navy cruisers HMS Cornwall and HMS Dorsetshire are sunk southwest of the island.

Which famous people were born on 5 April?

Shikha Uberoi, Indian-American tennis player (1983); Paula Cole, American singer-songwriter and pianist (1968); Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Filipino academic and politician, 14th President of the Philippines (1947); Robert Bloch, American author (died 1994) (1917).

Which day is observed on 5 April?

National Maritime Day; Cold Food Festival, held on April 4 if it is a leap year (China); and its related observances:; Earliest day on which Sham el-Nessim can fall, while May 9 is the latest; celebrated on Monday after the Orthodox Easter (Egypt); Children's Day (Palestinian territories); First Contact Day (International observance).