August 5th is the 217th day of the year. There are 148 days remaining in 2022

Today is also International Beer Day, National Oyster Day, National Underwear Day and National Water Balloon Day

31 days left until Labor Day, 87 to Halloween, 93 days until Daylight Saving Time ends

Sunny 94.3 is proud to present This Day in History daily. Check here to see all of our This Day in History archive.

• August 5, 1884

  The cornerstone for the Statue of Liberty’s pedestal was laid on Bedloe’s Island in New York Harbor.

• August 5, 1891

  American Express issues their first travelers checks

• August 5, 1909

  The first corporation tax was passed by the U.S. Congress.

• August 5, 1914

  The first electric traffic light system in the U.S. was installed in Cleveland, Ohio, at the intersection of East 105th Street and Euclid Avenue.

• August 5, 1921

  KDKA of Pittsburgh broadcasts first baseball game over radio, the Pittsburgh Pirates beating the Philadelphia Phillies (8-5).

• August 5, 1926

  Harry Houdini stays in a sealed tank underwater 91 minutes before escaping

• August 5, 1930

  Neil Armstrong, American pilot, engineer, and astronaut, first Moonwalker, was born (d. 2012)

• August 5, 1936

  Jesse Owens of the United States won the 200-meter dash at the Berlin Olympics, collecting the third of his four gold medals.

• August 5, 1953

  Operation Big Switch began as remaining prisoners taken during the Korean War were exchanged at Panmunjom.

• August 5, 1957

  The dance show “American Bandstand,” hosted by Dick Clark – who would become known as “America’s oldest teenager” – debuted on ABC-TV.

• August 5, 1962

  South African anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela was arrested on charges of leaving the country without a passport and inciting workers to strike; it was the beginning of 27 years of imprisonment.

• August 5, 1964

  U.S. Navy pilot Everett Alvarez Jr. became the first American flier to be shot down and captured by North Vietnam; he was held prisoner until February 1973.

• August 5, 1974

  The White House released transcripts of subpoenaed tape recordings showing that President Richard Nixon and his chief of staff, H.R. Haldeman, had discussed a plan in June 1972 to use the CIA to thwart the FBI’s Watergate investigation; revelation of the tape sparked Nixon’s resignation.

• August 5, 1975

  The first all-female hard-rock band is formed when producer Kim Fowley puts together The Runaways, featuring Joan Jett, future Bangle Michael Steele, and Lita Ford.

• August 5, 1981

  Olivia Newton-John receives her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. That same day President Ronald Reagan fired 11,359 striking air-traffic controllers who ignored his order to return to work.

• August 5, 1989

  The world-record largest hamburger (5,520 pounds worth – not counting pickles), was served to county fair-goers in Seymour, Wisconsin

• August 5, 2000

  We lost Sir Alec Guinness, aka Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars episodes 4-6, who died at age 86

• August 5, 2001

  The Odyssey cable network was renamed the Hallmark Channel.  It apparently worked out.

• August 5, 2009

  Steven Tyler of Aerosmith falls off the stage at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota, suffering injuries to his head and neck, which force the rest of the band’s tour to be canceled.

• August 5, 2010

  The Senate confirmed Elena Kagan, 63-37. She became the Supreme Court’s 112th justice and the fourth woman in its history. That same day thirty-three (33) workers were trapped in a copper mine in northern Chile. In an amazingly creative rescue, all were saved after being entombed for 69 days.

• August 5, 2012

  A gunman opened fire, killing six people at a Sikh temple near Milwaukee before shooting himself dead during an exchange of fire with one of the first officers to respond. The robotic explorer Curiosity blazed through the pink skies of Mars, steering itself to a gentle landing inside a giant crater. Jamaica’s Usain Bolt pulled away from the pack and crossed the finish line to claim consecutive gold medals in the marquee track and field event at the Summer Games in London.

• August 5, 2013

  Major League Baseball suspended Alex Rodriguez and 12 other players for 50 games for their role in the Biogenesis baseball doping scandal

• August 5, 2017

  The U.N. Security Council unanimously approved tough new sanctions against North Korea for its escalating nuclear and missile programs. ALSO – eight-time Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt finished third in the 100-meter dash at the world track championships in London, which marked his farewell from the sport; the winner was American Justin Gatlin.

• August 5, 2021

  A Texas appeals court upheld the murder conviction of Amber Guyger, a former Dallas police officer who was sentenced to prison for fatally shooting her neighbor in his home.

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