December 5

Events
Up to 1900
1082 - Ramon Berenguer II, Count of Barcelona is assassinated.
1484 - Pope Innocent VIII writes a Papal Bull that sets the inquisition into full swing and leads to the deaths hundreds of thousands of people accused of being witches
1492 - Christopher Columbus becomes the first European to set foot on the island of Hispaniola (now Haiti and the Dominican Republic).
1496 - King Manuel I of Portugal issues a decree of expulsion of "heretics" from the country.
1560 - Francis II of France dies and is succeeded by Charles IX of France.
1757 - Seven Years' War: Battle of Leuthen - Frederick II of Prussia leads Prussian forces to a decisive victory over Austrian forces under Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine.
1766 - In London, James Christie holds his first sale (he later founded Christie's, the world's oldest auction house).
1776 - At the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, the Phi Beta Kappa is founded as the first scholastic fraternity in the United States.
1792 - George Washington is re-elected President of the United States by the Electoral College.
1831 - Former US President John Quincy Adams takes a seat in the United States House of Representatives.
1847 - Jefferson Davis enters the United States Senate.
1848 - California gold rush: In a message before the U.S. Congress, US President James K. Polk confirms that large amounts of gold had been discovered in California.
1873 - In Boston, Massachusetts, Warren Avenue Baptist Church sexton Thomas Piper strangles and beats to death his first victim, Bridget Landregan (the press later dubbed the then unknown serial killer "The Boston Belfry Murderer").
1876 - The Brooklyn Theater Fire kills 278 people in New York City.
1901 2000
1916 - Prime Minister of the United Kingdom H. H. Asquith resigns.
1917 - Sidonio Pais takes power in Portugal.
1920 - Dimitrios Rallis forms a government in Greece.
1926 - Sergei Eisenstein's movie Battleship Potemkin debuts.
1932 - German physicist Albert Einstein granted a visa
1933 - Prohibition ends: Utah becomes the 36th U.S. state to ratify the Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution, thus establishing the required 3/4th of states needed to enact the amendment (this overturned the 18th Amendment which had outlawed alcohol in the United States).
1934 - Italian troops attack Wal Wal in Ethiopia (it took four days to capture the city).
1936 - The Soviet Union adopts a new constitution.
1939 - The remains of Pedro II of Brazil, who was removed in a republican coup in 1889, are taken back to Brazil and reburied on the 48th anniversary of his death, and just over 50 years after losing power.
1941 - The nonfiction book Sea of Cortez by John Steinbeck is published (Steinbeck used knowledge gained writing this book to develop the marine biologist character Doc in Cannery Row).
1945 - Flight 19, a United States Navy training flight, was lost in the Bermuda triangle.
1952 - The Abbott and Costello Show starring comedians Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, debuts.
1952 - London's "Great Smog" begins.
1955 - The trade unions American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations decide to merge and form the AFL-CIO.
1958 - Subscriber Trunk Dialling (STD) is inaugurated in the UK by the Queen when she dials a call from Bristol to Edinburgh and speaks to the Lord Provost.
1964 - Vietnam War: For his heroism in battle earlier in the year, Captain Roger Donlon of Saugerties, New York is given the first Medal of Honor of the war.
1969 - The four node ARPANET network is established.
1974 - The last new episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus is broadcast on the BBC.
1978 - The Soviet Union signs a "friendship treaty" with the communist government of Afghanistan.
1979 - Sonia Johnson is formally excommunicated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for her outspoken criticism of the church concerning the proposed Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.
1992 - Kent Conrad of North Dakota resigns his seat in the United States Senate and is sworn into the other seat from North Dakota, becoming the only US Senator ever to have held two seats on the same day.
1983 - Dissolution of the Military Junta in Argentina.
1993 - Helmut Zilk, Mayor of Vienna, is injured by a letter bomb.
From 2001
2003 - The Icelandic language Wikipedia publishes its first articles.
2005 - The Lake Tanganyika earthquake occurs.
2005 - The United Kingdom Civil Partnership Act enters effect.
2006 - Commodore Frank Bainimarama overthrows the Government of Fiji in a coup. Jona Senilagakali is installed as Prime Minister, a post that he holds for a month.
2007 - A gunman shoots 8 people dead at Westroads Mall, Omaha, Nebraska, with an assault rifle, before killing himself.
2013 - Former South African President Nelson Mandela dies at the age of 95. See Death and state funeral of Nelson Mandela.
2016 - Prime Minister of New Zealand John Key announces his resignation.
2017 - Austria's highest court rules in favour of same-sex marriage.
2017 - The International Olympic Committee bans Russia from the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, for doping offences.
Births
Up to 1850
852 - Zhu Wen, Chinese Emperor of the Later Liang Dynasty (d. 912)
1377 - Jianwen Emperor of China (d. 1402)
1443 - Pope Julius II (d. 1513)
1495 - Nicolas Cleynaerts, Flemish philologist (d. 1542)
1537 - Ashikaga Yoshiaki, Ashikaga shogun (d. 1597)
1547 - Ubbo Emmius, Dutch historian and geographer (d. 1625)
1595 - Henry Lawes, English composer (d. 1662)
1661 - Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford and Mortimer, English statesman (d. 1724)
1666 - Francesco Scarlatti, Italian composer (d. 1741)
1687 - Francesco Geminiani, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1762)
1782 - Martin Van Buren, 8th President of the United States (d. 1862)
1792 - Andres de Santa Cruz, President of Peru (d. 1865)
1803 - Fyodor Tyutchev, Russian poet (d. 1873)
1820 - Afanasy Fet, Russian poet (d. 1892)
1822 - Elizabeth Cary Agassiz, American educator, first president of Radcliffe College (d. 1907)
1825 - E. Marlitt, German writer (d. 1887)
1829 - Henri-Gustave Joly de Lotbiniere, 4th Premier of Quebec (d. 1908)
1830 - Christina Rossetti, English poet (d. 1894)
1839 - George Armstrong Custer, American general (d. 1876)
1841 - Marcus Daly, American mining tycoon (d. 1900)
1850 - Alexander Girardi, Austrian actor and tenor (d. 1918)
1851 1900
1855 - C. Hart Merriam, ornithologist (d. 1942)
1859 - John Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe, English admiral, 2nd Governor-General of New Zealand (d. 1935)
1861 - Konstantin Korovin, Russian painter (d. 1939)
1863 - Paul Painleve, French mathematician and politician (d. 1933)
1867 - Antti Aarne, Finnish folklorist (d. 1925)
1867 - Jozef Pilsudski, Polish politician (d. 1935)
1868 - Arnold Sommerfeld, German physicist (d. 1951)
1870 - Vitezslav Novak, composer (d. 1949)
1872 - Harry Nelson Pillsbury, chess player (d. 1906)
1879 - Clyde Cessna, founder Cessna Aircraft Company (d. 1954)
1886 - Rose Wilder Lane, American writer, reporter (d. 1968)
1890 - David Bomberg, painter (d. 1957)
1890 - Fritz Lang, movie director (d. 1976)
1894 - Charles Roberts Swart, State President of South Africa (d. 1982)
1895 - Elbert Frank Cox, American mathematician and academic (d. 1969)
1896 - Carl Ferdinand Cori, Czech doctor, won the 1947 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (d. 1984)
1897 - Gershom Scholem, Jewish theologian and religious historian (d. 1982)
1898 - Grace Moore, American singer, opera star (died in plane crash 1947)
1901 1925
1901 - Werner Heisenberg, German physicist (d. 1976)
1901 - Walt Disney, American movie producer (d. 1966)
1901 - Milton H. Erickson, American psychiatrist (d. 1980)
1902 - Emeric Pressburger, Hungarian-British screenwriter, movie director and producer (d. 1988)
1902 - Strom Thurmond, American politician (d. 2003)
1903 - Johannes Heesters, Dutch-born singer and actor (d. 2011)
1903 - Cecil Frank Powell, English physicist (d. 1969)
1905 - Gus Mancuso, American baseball player, coach and sportscaster (d. 1984)
1906 - Otto Preminger, Austrian-American director, producer (d. 1986)
1907 - Lin Biao, Chinese politician (d. 1971)
1911 - Wladyslaw Szpilman, Polish pianist and composer (d. 2000)
1914 - Hans Hellmut Kirst, German writer (d. 1989)
1916 - Hilary Koprowski, Polish virologist (d. 2013)
1917 - Wenche Foss, Norwegian actress and singer (d. 2011)
1925 - Anastasio Somoza Debayle, President of Nicaragua (d. 1980)
1926 1950
1927 - Bhumibol Adulyadej, King of Thailand (d. 2016)
1930 - Vladimir Curbet, Moldovan choreographer (d. 2017)
1930 - Roger Vonlanthen, Swiss footballer
1932 - Little Richard, American singer (d. 2020)
1932 - Sheldon Lee Glashow, American physicist
1932 - Alf Dubs, Baron Dubs, Czech-born English politician
1932 - Fazu Aliyeva, Russian poet and journalist (d. 2016)
1934 - Hassan Akesbi, Moroccan footballer
1934 - Joan Didion, American writer
1935 - Calvin Trillin, writer
1938 - JJ Cale, American singer-songwriter (d. 2013)
1940 - Peter Pohl, Swedish writer
1940 - Boris Ignatiev, Russian footballer and manager
1942 - Klaus Sammer, German footballer
1943 - Eva Joly, French-Norwegian magistrate
1943 - Jim Marrs, American author and conspiracy theorist (d. 2017)
1944 - Jeroen Krabbe, actor
1945 - Moshe Katsav, former President of Israel
1946 - Jose Carreras, Spanish tenor
1946 - Andy Kim, Canadian singer-songwriter
1947 - Bruce Golding, former Prime Minister of Jamaica
1947 - Jim Messina, musician
1947 - Jim Plunkett, American football player
1948 - Russell Trood, Australian politician and academic (d. 2017)
1949 - David Manning, British diplomat
1949 - Abdullah Senussi, Sudanese-Libyan military officer
1951 1975
1951 - Link Byfield, Canadian politician (d. 2015)
1954 - Hanif Kureishi, English writer
1956 - Klaus Allofs, German footballer
1956 - Brian Backer, American actor
1956 - Krystian Zimerman, pianist
1958 - Dynamite Kid, British professional wrestler (d. 2018)
1960 - Frans Adelaar, Dutch footballer
1961 - Ralf Dujmovits, German mountaineer
1962 - Jose Cura, Argentine tenor
1963 - Doctor Dre, American TV and radio host
1963 - Alberto Nisman, Argentine lawyer (d. 2015)
1963 - Eddie "the Eagle" Edwards, British ski jumper
1965 - John Rzeznik, American singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer
1966 - Patricia Kaas, French singer
1968 - Margaret Cho, American comedienne and actress
1969 - Sajid Javid, British politician
1970 - Tim Hetherington, British photojournalist (d. 2011)
1971 - Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, German politician, former Defence Minister
1971 - Ashia Hansen, British athlete
1973 - Sorin Grindeanu, former Prime Minister of Romania
1973 - Lubos Motl, physicist
1973 - Andrei Krasnopjorov, Estonian footballer
1975 - Ronnie O'Sullivan, English snooker player
1975 - Paula Patton, American actress
From 1976
1976 - Amy Acker, American actress
1978 - Marcelo Zalayeta, Uruguayan footballer
1979 - Matteo Ferrari, Italian footballer
1979 - Gareth McAuley, Irish footballer
1979 - Nick Stahl, American actor
1980 - Ibrahim Maalouf, Lebanese-French trumpeter and composer
1982 - Keri Hilson, American singer
1982 - Eddy Curry, NBA Player, (Chicago Bulls)
1982 - Jan Mucha, Slovakian footballer
1984 - Abdelkader Ghezzal, Algerian footballer
1984 - Faouzi Chaouchi, Algerian footballer
1984 - Rais M'Bolhi, Algerian footballer
1985 - Shikhar Dhawan, Indian cricketer
1985 - Josh Smith, NBA Player (Atlanta Hawks)
1985 - Frankie Muniz, American actor
1987 - James Argent, British singer and radio host
1988 - Ross Bagley, American actor
1988 - Miralem Sulejmani, Serbian footballer
1988 - Joanna Rowsell, British cyclist
1988 - Tsukasa Shiotani, Japanese footballer
1989 - Kwon Yu-ri, South Korean singer, dancer and actress
1990 - Cleber Reis, Brazilian footballer
1993 - Ross Barkley, English footballer
1994 - Ondrej Duda, Slovakian footballer
1995 - Anthony Martial, French footballer
2006 - Knut, world famous polar bear (d. 2011)
Deaths
Up to 1950
63 BC - Publius Cornelius Lentulus Sura, Roman statesman
1082 - Ramon Berenguer II, Count of Barcelona
1355 - John III, Duke of Brabant (b. 1300)
1560 - Francis II of France (b. 1544)
1570 - Johan Friis, Danish statesman (b. 1494)
1663 - Severo Bonini, Italian composer (b. 1582)
1770 - James Stirling, Scottish mathematician (b. 1692)
1791 - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Austrian composer (b. 1756)
1860 - Friedrich Christoph Dahlmann, German historian and statesman (b. 1785)
1870 - Alexandre Dumas, French writer (b. 1802)
1891 - Emperor Pedro II of Brazil (b. 1825)
1892 - Daniel D. T. Farnsworth, Governor of West Virginia (b. 1819)
1916 - Gustav Sack, German poet and dramatist (b. 1885)
1918 - Schalk Willem Burger, South African politician (b. 1852)
1924 - Martin H. Glynn, Governor of New York (b. 1871)
1925 - Wladislaw Reymont, Polish writer (b. 1867)
1926 - Claude Monet, French painter (b. 1840)
1931 - Vachel Lindsay, American poet (b. 1879)
1940 - Jan Kubelik, Czech violinist (b. 1880)
1950 - Sri Aurobindo, Indian spiritual figure (b. 1872)
1951 2000
1951 - Shoeless Joe Jackson, American baseball player (b. 1889)
1953 - Jorge Negrete, Mexican singer and actor (b. 1911)
1955 - Glenn L. Martin, American pilot and businessman (b. 1886)
1963 - Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, Pakistani politician (b. 1892)
1965 - Joseph Erlanger, American doctor, won the 1944 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1874)
1969 - Princess Alice of Battenberg (b. 1885)
1973 - Robert Watson-Watt, Scottish inventor (b. 1892)
1977 - Katherine Milhous, American illustrator and author (b. 1894)
1989 - John Pritchard, English conductor (b. 1921)
1991 - Richard Speck, American serial killer (b. 1941)
1998 - Albert Gore, Sr., American lawyer and politician (b. 1907)
From 2001
2002 - Ne Win, Burmese political leader (b. 1911)
2005 - Frits Philips, Dutch businessman (b. 1905)
2007 - Karlheinz Stockhausen, German composer (b. 1928)
2008 - Patriarch Alexius II of Russia (b. 1929)
2008 - Constantin Ticu Dimitrescu, Romanian politician (b. 1928)
2008 - Nina Foch, Dutch-American actress (b. 1924)
2009 - Otto Graf Lambsdorff, German politician (b. 1926)
2009 - Alfred Hrdlicka, Austrian artist (b. 1928)
2011 - Violetta Villas, Belgian-born Polish singer, songwriter, composer and actress (b. 1938)
2012 - Dave Brubeck, American musician, composer and bandleader (b. 1920)
2012 - Oscar Niemeyer, Brazilian architect (b. 1907)
2012 - Elisabeth Murdoch, Australian philanthropist (b. 1909)
2013 - Fred Bassetti, American architect (b. 1917)
2013 - Barry Jackson, English actor (b. 1938)
2013 - Nelson Mandela, President of South Africa, Anti-Apartheid activist, statesman and Nobel Peace Prize winner (b. 1918)
2013 - Colin Wilson, English writer (b. 1931)
2014 - Manuel De Sica, Italian composer (b. 1949)
2014 - Jackie Healy-Rae, Irish politician (b. 1931)
2014 - Queen Fabiola of Belgium, Spanish-born Queen Consort of Belgium (b. 1928)
2015 - William McIlvanney, Scottish writer (b. 1936)
2015 - Siddhi Savetsila, Thai politician (b. 1919)
2015 - Dimitar Iliev Popov, Prime Minister of Bulgaria (b. 1927)
2016 - Geydar Dzhemal, Russian Islamic revolutionist and activist (b. 1947)
2016 - Jayalalithaa, Indian actress and politician, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu (b. 1948)
2017 - August Ames, Canadian-American pornographic actress (b. 1994)
2017 - Jean d'Ormesson, French writer and journalist (b. 1925)
2017 - Henning Jensen, Danish footballer (b. 1949)
2017 - Michael I of Romania (b. 1921)
2017 - Maurice Green, American virologist (b. 1926)
2017 - Johnny Hallyday, French rock musician (b. 1943)
2018 - Dynamite Kid, British professional wrestler (b. 1958)
2018 - Thor Hansen, Norwegian poker player (b. 1947)
2018 - Harry W. Shlaudeman, American politician (b. 1926)
2019 - Marvin Goodfriend, American economist (b. 1950)
2019 - Robert Walker, American actor (b. 1940)
Observances
Saint Nicholas Eve - Including Sinterklaas in the Netherlands
The King's Birthday (Thailand)
International Volunteer Day
December 05