On This Day: 5 July

5 July in Indian history

• 1997Sri Lankan Civil War: Sri Lankan Tamil MP A. Thangathurai is shot dead at Sri Shanmuga Hindu Ladies College in Trincomalee.India

5 July in world history

• 2024Keir Starmer is appointed Prime Minister by Charles III, becoming the first Labour prime minister since Gordon Brown in 2010 and the first one to win a general election since Tony Blair at the 2005 general election.
• 2009The Staffordshire Hoard, the largest collection of Anglo-Saxon gold ever discovered, consisting of more than 1,500 items, was found near Hammerwich in Staffordshire.
• 2006The United Nations Security Council held an emergency meeting hours after North Korea reportedly tested at least seven ballistic missiles.
• 1989United States National Security Council member Oliver North was given a suspended sentence, probation, and community service for his part in the Iran–Contra affair.
• 1984The United States Supreme Court gives its United States v. Leon decision providing a good-faith exception from the Fourth Amendment exclusionary rule against use of evidence obtained through defective warrants in criminal trials.
• 1977The Pakistan Armed Forces under Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq seize power in Operation Fair Play and begin 11 years of martial law. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the first elected Prime Minister of Pakistan, is overthrown.
• 1973A boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion (BLEVE) in Kingman, Arizona, following a fire that broke out as propane was being transferred from a railroad car to a storage tank, kills eleven firefighters.
• 1945The United Kingdom holds its first general election in 10 years, which would be won by Clement Attlee's Labour Party.
• 1944Second World War: Canadian troops defeated the last German counterattacks against Carpiquet, Normandy, France.
• 1941World War II: Operation Barbarossa: German troops reach the Dnieper river.
• 1937The Hormel Foods Corporation introduced Spam, the canned precooked meat product that would eventually enter into pop culture, folklore, and urban legend.
• 1922Brazilian Army rebels took over Fort Copacabana and launched a rebellion in Rio de Janeiro against President Epitácio Pessoa and President-elect Artur Bernardes.
• 1841Thomas Cook, the founder of the British travel company Thomas Cook & Son, organised his first excursion, escorting about 500 people from Leicester to Loughborough.
• 1833Admiral Charles Napier vanquishes the navy of the Portuguese usurper Dom Miguel at the third Battle of Cape St. Vincent.
• 1830Algiers surrendered to French invaders, ending the Regency of Algiers.
• 1814War of 1812: Battle of Chippawa: American Major General Jacob Brown defeats British General Phineas Riall at Chippawa, Ontario.
• 1813War of 1812: Three weeks of British raids on Fort Schlosser, Black Rock and Plattsburgh, New York commence.

Born on 5 July

• 1967Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, Iraqi politician, 80th Prime Minister of Iraq
• 1958Veronica Guerin, Irish journalist (died 1996)
• 1941Epeli Nailatikau, Fijian chief, President of Fiji (died 2026)
• 1918K. Karunakaran, Indian lawyer and politician, 7th Chief Minister of Kerala (died 2010)India
• 1896Thomas Playford IV, Australian politician, 33rd Premier of South Australia (died 1981)
• 1882Inayat Khan, Indian mystic and educator (died 1927)India

Died on 5 July

• 2012Gerrit Komrij, Dutch author, poet, and playwright (born 1944)
• 2006Thirunalloor Karunakaran, Indian poet and scholar (born 1924)India
• 1969Walter Gropius, German architect, designed the John F. Kennedy Federal Building and Werkbund Exhibition (born 1883)
• 1957Anugrah Narayan Sinha, Indian lawyer and politician, 1st Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar (born 1887)India

Frequently asked questions

What happened on 5 July in history?

2024: Keir Starmer is appointed Prime Minister by Charles III, becoming the first Labour prime minister since Gordon Brown in 2010 and the first one to win a general election since Tony Blair at the 2005 general election. 2009: The Staffordshire Hoard, the largest collection of Anglo-Saxon gold ever discovered, consisting of more than 1,500 items, was found near Hammerwich in Staffordshire. 2006: The United Nations Security Council held an emergency meeting hours after North Korea reportedly tested at least seven ballistic missiles. 1997: Sri Lankan Civil War: Sri Lankan Tamil MP A. Thangathurai is shot dead at Sri Shanmuga Hindu Ladies College in Trincomalee.

What happened on 5 July in Indian history?

1997: Sri Lankan Civil War: Sri Lankan Tamil MP A. Thangathurai is shot dead at Sri Shanmuga Hindu Ladies College in Trincomalee.

Which famous people were born on 5 July?

Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, Iraqi politician, 80th Prime Minister of Iraq (1967); Veronica Guerin, Irish journalist (died 1996) (1958); Epeli Nailatikau, Fijian chief, President of Fiji (died 2026) (1941); K. Karunakaran, Indian lawyer and politician, 7th Chief Minister of Kerala (died 2010) (1918).

Which day is observed on 5 July?

Bloody Thursday (International Longshore and Warehouse Union); Fifth of July (New York), historic celebration of the abolition of slavery in New York in 1827.; Independence Day (Algeria), celebrating the independence of Algeria from France in 1962.; Independence Day (Cape Verde), celebrating the independence of Cape Verde from Portugal in 1975.; Independence Day (Venezuela), celebrating the independence of Venezuela from Spain in 1811; also National Armed Forces Day..