On This Day: 5 January

5 January in Indian history

• 2014A launch of the communication satellite GSAT-14 aboard the GSLV MK.II D5 marks the first successful flight of an Indian cryogenic engine.India
• 2000Sri Lankan Tamil politician Kumar Ponnambalam was killed in an assassination suspected to have been sanctioned by President Chandrika Kumaratunga.India

5 January in world history

• 2024Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 makes an emergency landing at Portland International Airport after a door plug blows off the Boeing 737 MAX 9 operating the flight. There are no fatalities, but the accident prompts the 737 MAX to be grounded and renews scrutiny on
• 2009In Eng Foong Ho v Attorney-General, the Court of Appeal of Singapore held that equality before the law was satisfied by a "reasonable nexus" between state action and the object of the law.
• 2005The dwarf planet Eris was discovered by a team using images from the Samuel Oschin telescope at Palomar Observatory.
• 2003The Metropolitan Police arrested six people in conjunction with an alleged terrorist plot to release ricin on the London Underground, although no toxin was found.
• 1991The embassy of the United States to Somalia was evacuated by helicopter airlift days after violence enveloped Mogadishu during the Somali Civil War.
• 1991Georgian forces enter Tskhinvali, the capital of South Ossetia, Georgia, opening the 1991–92 South Ossetia War.
• 1976The Troubles: In response to the killings of six Catholics the previous night, South Armagh Republican Action Force gunmen killed ten Protestants in County Armagh, Northern Ireland.
• 1975The Tasman Bridge in Tasmania, Australia, is struck by the bulk ore carrier Lake Illawarra, killing twelve people.
• 1972US President Richard Nixon announces the Space Shuttle program.
• 1970A Spantax Convair CV-990 Coronado crashes during takeoff from Stockholm Arlanda Airport, killing five people.
• 1970The 7.1 Mw Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (Extreme). Between 10,000 and 15,000 people are known to have been killed and about another 26,000 are injured.
• 1941Second World War: Australian and British troops defeated Italian forces in Bardia, Libya, the first battle of the war in which an Australian Army formation took part.
• 1912The sixth All-Russian Conference of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (Prague Party Conference) opens. In the course of the conference, Vladimir Lenin and his supporters break from the rest of the party to form the Bolshevik movement.
• 1875The Palais Garnier, one of the most famous opera houses in the world, is inaugurated in Paris.
• 1869Te Kooti's War: After surviving a five-day siege in the pā at Ngātapa, Māori leader Te Kooti escaped from New Zealand's Armed Constabulary.
• 1822The government of Central America votes for total annexation to the First Mexican Empire.

Born on 5 January

• 1987Jason Mitchell, American actor
• 1985Anthony Stewart, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1955Mamata Banerjee, Indian lawyer and politician, Chief Minister of West BengalIndia
• 1934Murli Manohar Joshi, Indian politicianIndia
• 1926Hosea Williams, American businessman and activist (died 2000)
• 1893Paramahansa Yogananda, Indian-American guru and philosopher (died 1952)India

Died on 5 January

• 2000Kumar Ponnambalam, Sri Lankan Tamil lawyer and politician (born 1938)India
• 1996Thung Sin Nio, Dutch–Indonesian activist (born 1902)
• 1985Eithne Coyle, Irish Republican, President of Cumann na mBan (born 1897)
• 1952Victor Hope, 2nd Marquess of Linlithgow, Scottish colonel and politician, 46th Governor-General of India (born 1887)India

Frequently asked questions

What happened on 5 January in history?

2024: Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 makes an emergency landing at Portland International Airport after a door plug blows off the Boeing 737 MAX 9 operating the flight. There are no fatalities, but the accident prompts the 737 MAX to be grounded and renews scrutiny on . 2014: A launch of the communication satellite GSAT-14 aboard the GSLV MK.II D5 marks the first successful flight of an Indian cryogenic engine. 2009: In Eng Foong Ho v Attorney-General, the Court of Appeal of Singapore held that equality before the law was satisfied by a "reasonable nexus" between state action and the object of the law. 2005: The dwarf planet Eris was discovered by a team using images from the Samuel Oschin telescope at Palomar Observatory.

What happened on 5 January in Indian history?

2014: A launch of the communication satellite GSAT-14 aboard the GSLV MK.II D5 marks the first successful flight of an Indian cryogenic engine. 2000: Sri Lankan Tamil politician Kumar Ponnambalam was killed in an assassination suspected to have been sanctioned by President Chandrika Kumaratunga.

Which famous people were born on 5 January?

Jason Mitchell, American actor (1987); Anthony Stewart, Canadian ice hockey player (1985); Mamata Banerjee, Indian lawyer and politician, Chief Minister of West Bengal (1955); Murli Manohar Joshi, Indian politician (1934).

Which day is observed on 5 January?

Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival (Harbin, China); Joma Shinji (Japan); National Bird Day (United States); The Twelfth day of Christmas and the Twelfth Night of Christmas. (Western Christianity).