A Day in the Past

On this day: 5 April

142 things happened on 5 April, from AD 823 to 2021. UK stories come first, then the rest of the world.

Printable worksheet Take the quiz

In the UK 6

UK history first: stories from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

1614 412 years ago

UK story

Pocahontas (pictured), a Native American woman, married English colonist John Rolfe, leading to a period of peace between the Powhatan people and the inhabitants of Jamestown, Virginia.

War & peace Find out more: Pocahontas (Wikipedia)

Around the world 30

1242 784 years ago

Northern Crusades: In the Battle on the Ice, Novgorod forces led by Alexander Nevsky rebuffed an invasion attempt by the Teutonic Knights at Lake Peipus on the present-day border of Estonia and Russia.

War & peace Find out more: Northern Crusades (Wikipedia)
1566 460 years ago

Two hundred Dutch noblemen, led by Hendrick van Brederode, force themselves into the presence of Margaret of Parma and present the Petition of Compromise, denouncing the Spanish Inquisition in the Seventeen Provinces.

War & peace Find out more: Hendrick van Brederode (Wikipedia)
1933 93 years ago

U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs two executive orders: 6101 to establish the Civilian Conservation Corps, and 6102 "forbidding the Hoarding of Gold Coin, Gold Bullion, and Gold Certificates" by U.S. citizens.

Find out more: Franklin D. Roosevelt (Wikipedia)
2009 17 years ago

The North Korean satellite Kwangmyŏngsŏng-2 was launched from the Tonghae Satellite Launching Ground and passed over Japan, sparking concerns it may have been a trial run of technology that could be used to launch intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Space Find out more: Kwangmyŏngsŏng-2 (Wikipedia)

Quick quiz

Every answer is somewhere on this page. Have a go, then check!

  1. In which year did this happen: “Aware that he was slowing down both physically and mentally in his old age”?

    1. 1588
    2. 1942
    3. 1955
    Show the answer

    C: 1955. 1955 — that’s 71 years ago. Find it on the page

  2. In which year did this happen: “Pocahontas, a Native American woman, married English colonist John Rolfe”?

    1. 1710
    2. 1614
    3. 1621
    Show the answer

    B: 1614. 1614 — that’s 412 years ago. Find it on the page

  3. Which of these happened first?

    1. Pocahontas, a Native American woman, married English colonist John Rolfe
    2. The Statute of Anne, the first legislation in Great Britain providing for
    3. Aware that he was slowing down both physically and mentally in his old age
    Show the answer

    A: Pocahontas, a Native American woman, married English colonist John Rolfe. 1614: Pocahontas, a Native American woman, married English colonist John Rolfe · 1710: The Statute of Anne, the first legislation in Great Britain providing for · 1955: Aware that he was slowing down both physically and mentally in his old age Find it on the page

  4. “The Statute of Anne, the first legislation in Great Britain providing for” happened in 1710. How many years ago was that?

    1. 326 years
    2. 306 years
    3. 316 years
    Show the answer

    C: 316 years. 2026 − 1710 = 316. Find it on the page

Born on this day 40

Famous people whose birthday is 5 April.

Remembering 22

Well-known people who died on 5 April.

Special days 19

Festivals, holidays and saints’ days celebrated on 5 April somewhere in the world.

For older readers 25 Show stories about war, disasters, crime and other difficult history

Content note: these entries mention things like war, violence, deaths, disasters or crime. They are part of history, but they can be upsetting. Grown-ups and teachers: you may want to read them first. They come straight from Wikipedia and have not been rewritten for children.

Where these facts come from

Stories with a heading have been written for young readers by A Day in the Past, using the linked articles as sources. Other entries show text from Wikipedia’s “April 5” page and its “On this day” feed, written by Wikipedia contributors and shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. Each “Read more” link goes to the article an entry is based on. Photos are credited under each picture. Spotted a mistake? Please tell us.