- August 5, 0642 Battle of Maserfeld – Penda of Mercia defeats and kills Oswald of Bernicia.
- August 5, 0882 “France’s Louis III dies at St Denis August 5 at age 19, and his brother Carloman becomes sole king
- August 5, 1100 Henry I crowned King of England in Westminster Abbey.
- August 5, 1305 “William Wallace, who led Scottish resistance to England, is captured by the English near Glasgow and transported to London for trial and execution.”
- August 5, 1388 “Battle of Otterburn, border skirmish between the Scottish and the English in Northern England.”
- August 5, 1583 Gilbert claims Newfoundland (1st English colony in North America)
- August 5, 1583 “Sir Humphrey Gilbert establishes first English colony in North America, at what is now St John’s, Newfoundland.”
- August 5, 1620 “The Mayflower departs Southampton, England.”
- August 5, 1689 “1,500 Iroquois attack village of Lachine, in New France.”
- August 5, 1689 “A band of 1,500 Iroquois surround the village of Lachine, Quebec during a violent thunderstorm and set fire to the houses; they then massacre 24 inhabitants and kidnap 90; 42 of the 90 are never seen again; they also kill about 200 more settlers and capture 100 in raids in the vicinity.”
- August 5, 1716 Battle of Petrovaradin
- August 5, 1735 “Freedom of the press: New York Weekly Journal writer John Peter Zenger is acquitted of seditious libel against the royal governor of New York, on the basis that what he published was true.”
- August 5, 1763 Pontiac’s War: Battle of Bushy Run – British forces led by Henry Bouquet defeat Chief Pontiac’s Indians at Bushy Run.
- August 5, 1772 First Partition of Poland begins.
- August 5, 1772 “Poland loses one-third of her territory and half her population as she is partitioned among Russia, Austria, and Prussia.”
- August 5, 1775 “First Spanish ship, San Carlos, enters Sab Francisco Bay”
- August 5, 1812 “War of 1812: Tecumseh’s Indian force ambushes Thomas Van Horne’s 200 Americans at Brownstone Creek, causing them to flee and retreat.”
- August 5, 1845 “In Australia’s worst shipping disaster, 407 die when the Cataraqui is wrecked off King Island.”
- August 5, 1850 “Australia Government Act grants representative governments to South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria, which is separated from New South Wales.”
- August 5, 1858 Cyrus West Field and others complete the first transatlantic telegraph cable after several unsuccessful attempts. It operated for less than a month.
- August 5, 1858 First transatlantic telegraph cable laid
- August 5, 1860 “Carl IV of Sweden-Norway is crowned king of Norway, in Trondheim.”
- August 5, 1861 “American Civil War: In order to help pay for the war effort, the United States government issues the first income tax as part of the Revenue Act of 1861 (3% of all incomes over US $800; rescinded in 1872).”
- August 5, 1861 US Army abolishes flogging
- August 5, 1861 US levies its first Income Tax (3% of incomes over $800)
- August 5, 1864 “Spectrum of a comet observed for first time, by Giovanni Donati”
- August 5, 1870 “Franco-Prussian War: The Battle of Spicheren is fought, resulting in a Prussian victory.”
- August 5, 1874 “Japan launches its postal savings system, modeled after a similar system in England.”
- August 5, 1879 “First game of night football at Melbourne Cricket Ground, under gas-lights.”
- August 5, 1882 “Authorizing of first steel warships, beginning of the modern Navy in US”
- August 5, 1882 Martial law is enacted in Japan.
- August 5, 1882 Standard Oil of New Jersey is established.
- August 5, 1884 Cornerstone for Statue of Liberty laid on Bedloe’s Island (NYC)
- August 5, 1884 The cornerstone for the Statue of Liberty is laid on Bedloe’s Island in New York Harbor.
- August 5, 1888 Bertha Benz drives from Mannheim to Pforzheim in the first long distance automobile trip.
- August 5, 1901 “Peter O’Connor of Ireland, sets then long jump record at 24′ 11 3/4″””
- August 5, 1901 Peter O’Connor sets the first IAAF recognised long jump world record of 24ft 11ins. The record will stand for 20 years.
- August 5, 1909 “Canadian Pacific completes the Kicking Horse grade relocation on the main line between Hector and Field, B.C. by substituting two spiral tunnels and lengthened line on a grade of 2.2% compensated, for the old “”Big Hill”” straight grade of 4.5%.”