August 5th Fun Facts, Trivia and History
August 5th History Highlights
- 1305 – William Wallace, who led the Scottish resistance against England, was captured, tried, and executed by the English near Glasgow.
- 1583 – Sir Humphrey Gilbert established the first English colony in the New World, in (now) Newfoundland’s St. John’s harbor.
- August 5, 1924 – Little Orphan Annie, Comic Strip debuted
- If you were born on August 5th,
You were likely conceived the week of… November 12th (prior year)
August 5th is…
Oyster Day
Underwear Day
Work Like a Dog Day
August 5 Birthday Quotes
” It’s the person who has done nothing who is sure nothing can be done.”
– Patrick Ewing
” One should be willing to throw away a dozen ideas to come up with a good one, just as one should throw away a dozen words to come up with the right one.”
– James Gunn
” Look up the definition of rejection in the dictionary, get really comfortable with it, and then maybe you can go into acting.”
– Loni Anderson
“People complain that pro athletes make a lot of money, but what they don’t understand is that we need a lot of money because we spend a lot of money.”
– Patrick Ewing
Neil Armstrong Birthday Quotes
-Neil Armstrong
“Good Luck, Mr. Gorsky.”
-Neal Armstrong, based on a promise Mrs. Gorsky make to Mr. Gorsky about a man landing on the moon Neal heard as a child (*possibly).
August 5th Birthdays
1887 – Reginald Owen, English-American actor, and singer (died in 1972)
1889 – Conrad Aiken, American novelist, short story writer, critic, and poet (died in 1973)
1929 – Don Matheson, American actor (died in 2014)
1930 – Neil Armstrong, American astronaut (died in 2012)
1935 – John Saxon, American character actor (died in 2020)
1941 – Bob Clark, American director, producer, and screenwriter (died in 2007)
1945 – Loni Anderson, American actress
1947 – Rick Derringer, American singer-songwriter
1962 – Patrick Ewing, Jamaican-American basketball player
1970 – James Gunn, American director, producer, and screenwriter
1989 – Jessica Nigri, American model and cosplayer
August 5th History
1620 – The Mayflower departed from Southampton, England, headed towards North America.
1861 – In order to help pay for the war effort, the United States government levied the first income tax as part of the Revenue Act of 1861 (3% over $800)
1882 – The Standard Oil of New Jersey was established. Standard+Oil=SO=Esso, now Exxon.
1884 – The cornerstone for the Statue of Liberty, a gift from France, was laid on Bedloe’s Island (now Liberty Island) in New York Harbor.
1888 – Germany’s Bertha Benz drove from Mannheim to Pforzheim and back in the first long-distance automobile trip
1914 – Cleveland, Ohio, installed the first electric traffic light.
1921 – KDKA of Pittsburgh broadcasts first baseball game over radio, the Pittsburgh Pirates beating the Philadelphia Phillies (8-5).
August 5, 1924 – 1st appearance Little Orphan Annie, Comic Strip
1926 – Harry Houdini performed one of his greatest stunts, spending 91 minutes underwater in a sealed tank before escaping.
1933 – The comic strip, Little Orphan Annie by Harold Gray, debuted
1957 – American Bandstand debuted on the ABC television network, with host Dick Clark. The show began locally on Philadelphia television station WFIL-TV Channel 6 (now WPVI-TV) in 1952.
1978 – #1 Hit August 5, 1978 – August 11, 1978: The Rolling Stones – Miss You
1981 – US President Ronald Reagan fired 11,359 striking air-traffic controllers who ignored his order for them to return to work.
1989 – #1 Hit August 5, 1989 – August 11, 1989: Prince – Batdance
2001 – Cable network Odyssey was renamed to Hallmark Channel.
2011 – Standard & Poor’s lowered the United States’ AAA credit rating by one notch, to AA-plus.
August 5, 2011 – Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension aired on The Disney Channel
Today’s Random Trivia and Shower Thoughts
“The nerve of those Whos. Inviting me down there – and on such short notice.” – The Grinch #moviequotes
In the movie “Chef”, Carl Casper (Jon Favreau, Director of Iron Man 1 & 2) and his kid were watching Iron Man in the movie theater.
“And a one, and a two…” #TVCatchphrase
Notice the big letter on the face of the dollar bill? Each letter represents which Federal Reserve Bank printed it! “G” is for Chicago
Useless Pronunciation: E as in eye.
“The road to success is always under construction.” – Lily Tomlin
Kwyjibo – the Simpsons – Bart Simpson’s Scrabble word
Malcolm X – Real Name: Malcolm Little
Procrastination is a dish best served eventually.
The hottest chile in the world is the habanero.
“I see dead people.” – Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment) #moviequotes