5 December is the 339th day (340th in Leap Year s) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar . There are 26 days remaining.
- 1484 - Pope Innocent VIII issues the '' Summis Desiderantes '', a Papal Bull that deputizes Heinrich Kramer and Jacob Sprenger as Inquisitors to root out alleged Witchcraft in Germany and leads to one of the severest witchhunts in European history.
- 1492 - Christopher Columbus becomes the first Europe an to set foot on the island of Hispaniola .
- 1560 - Francis II Of France dies and is succeeded by Charles IX Of France .
- 1590 - Niccolò Sfondrati becomes Pope Gregory XIV .
- 1766 - In London , James Christie holds his first sale.
- 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 .
- 1830 - World premiere of Hector Berlioz's most famous work Symphonie Phantastique in Paris.
- 1831 - Former US President John Quincy Adams takes his seat in the House Of Representatives .
- , US President James K. Polk confirms that large amounts of Gold had been discovered in California .
- 1892 - Sir John Thompson becomes the fourth Prime Minister Of Canada .
- 1926 - Sergei Eisenstein 's '' Battleship Potemkin '' is premiered.
- 1932 - German -born Swiss Physicist Albert Einstein is granted an American Visa .
- becomes the 36th U.S. State to ratify the Twenty-first Amendment To The United States Constitution , thus establishing the required 75% of states needed to enact the amendment (this overturned the 18th Amendment which had outlawed Alcohol in the United States ).
- troops attack Wal Wal in Abyssinia , taking four days to capture the city.
- 1936 - The Soviet Union adopts a new Constitution and the Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic is established as a full Union Republic of the USSR .
- 1941 - In Battle Of Moscow Zhukov launched a massive Soviet counter-attack against the German army, with the biggest offensive launched against Army Group Centre.
- 1941 - John Steinbeck 's book '' Sea Of Cortez '' is published (Steinbeck used knowledge gained writing this book to develop the marine biologist character Doc (see Ed Ricketts ) in '' Cannery Row '').
- 1945 - Flight 19 , a squadron of five U.S. Navy TBF Avenger bombers on a training flight out of Fort Lauderdale , is lost in the Bermuda Triangle .
- 1952 - ''The Abbott and Costello Show'', starring comedians Bud Abbott and Lou Costello , debuts on American television.
- 1955 - The American Federation Of Labor and the Congress Of Industrial Organizations merge and form the AFL-CIO .
- 1955 - Martin Luther King, Jr. leads the Montgomery Bus Boycott , 12/5/1955-12/21/1956.
- 1958 - Subscriber Trunk Dialling (STD) is inaugurated in the UK by Queen Elizabeth II when she speaks to the Lord Provost in a call from Bristol to Edinburgh .
- 1958 - The Preston bypass, the UK 's first stretch of Motorway opens to traffic for the first time, now part of the M6 and M55 Motorway s.
- of Saugerties, New York is awarded the first Medal Of Honor of the war.
- 1974 - ''Party Political Broadcast'', the final episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus , is broadcast on BBC 2 .
- 1976 - United Nations General Assembly adopts Pakistan resolution on security of non-Nuclear States.
- 1977 - Egypt breaks diplomatic relations with Syria , Libya , Algeria , Iraq and South Yemen . The move is in retaliation to the Declaration of Tripoli against Egypt.
- 1978 - The Soviet Union signs a 'friendship treaty' with the Democratic Republic 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.
- 2005 - The 2005 Southeast Asian Games end in Manila .
- 2005 - The Lake Tanganyika Earthquake causes significant damage, mostly in the Democratic Republic Of The Congo .
- 2005 - The Civil Partnership Act comes into effect in the United Kingdom , and the first Civil Partnership is registered there.
- 2005 - The close of Clark Foam is announced, this day would become known to surfers as Black Monday.
- 1377 - Jianwen Emperor of China (d. 1402 )
- 1443 - Pope Julius II (d. 1513 )
- 1495 - Nicolas Cleynaerts , Flemish grammarian (d. 1542 )
- 1537 - Ashikaga Yoshiaki , Japanese shogun (d. 1597 )
- 1539 - Fausto Paolo Sozzini , Italian theologian (d. 1604 )
- 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 )
- 1687 - Francesco Geminiani , Italian violinist and composer (d. 1762 )
- 1782 - Martin Van Buren , 8th President Of The United States (d. 1862 )
- 1803 - Fyodor Ivanovich Tyutchev , Russian poet (d. 1873 )
- 1820 - Afanasy Fet , Russian poet (d. 1892 )
- 1822 - Elizabeth Cary Agassiz , American college president (d. 1907 )
- 1830 - Christina Rossetti , British poet (d. 1894 )
- 1839 - George Armstrong Custer , American general (d. 1876 )
- 1841 - Marcus Daly , American mining tycoon (d. 1900 )
- 1855 - Clinton Hart Merriam , American ornithologist (d. 1942 )
- 1859 - John Jellicoe , British admiral (d. 1935 )
- 1867 - Józef Piłsudski , Polish revolutionary and statesman (d. 1935 )
- 1868 - Arnold Sommerfeld , German physicist (d. 1951 )
- 1869 - Ellis Parker Butler , American author (d. 1937 )
- 1870 - Vítězslav Novák , Czech composer (d. 1949 )
- 1871 - Bill Pickett , American rodeo performer (d. 1932 )
- 1872 - Harry Nelson Pillsbury , American chess player (d. 1906 )
- 1875 - Sir Arthur Currie , Canadian soldier (d. 1933 )
- 1879 - Clyde Cessna , American airplane manufacturer (d. 1954 )
- 1886 - Rose Wilder Lane , American writer and reporter (d. 1968 )
- 1890 - David Bomberg , British painter (d. 1957 )
- 1890 - Fritz Lang , Austrian-born film director (d. 1976 )
- 1895 - Elbert Frank Cox , American mathematician
- 1896 - Carl Ferdinand Cori , Austrian-born biochemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1984 )
- 1898 - Grace Moore , American soprano (d. 1947 }
- 1901 - Walt Disney , American animated film producer (d. 1966 )
- 1901 - Milton H. Erickson , American psychiatrist (d. 1980 )
- 1901 - Werner Heisenberg , German physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1976 )
- 1902 - Strom Thurmond , American politician (d. 2003 )
- 1903 - Johannes Heesters , Dutch singer and actor
- 1903 - Cecil Frank Powell , British physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1969 )
- 1906 - Otto Preminger , Austrian-born director, producer, and actor (d. 1986 )
- 1907 - Giuseppe Occhialini , Italian physicist (d. 1993 )
- 1911 - Władysław Szpilman , Polish pianist (d. 2000 )
- 1914 - Hans Hellmut Kirst , German author (d. 1989 )
- 1927 - Bhumibol Adulyadej , King Of Thailand
- 1932 - Sheldon Lee Glashow , American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1932 - Little Richard (Richard Wayne Penniman), American singer and pianist
- 1934 - Joan Didion , American writer
- 1935 - Calvin Trillin , American writer
- 1940 - Peter Pohl , Swedish writer
- 1943 - Eva Joly , Norwegian-born French magistrate
- 1944 - Jeroen Krabbé , Dutch actor
- 1946 - José Carreras , Spanish tenor
- 1947 - Jim Messina , American musician ( Buffalo Springfield )
- 1947 - Jim Plunkett , American football player
- 1949 - Ray Comfort , New Zealand evangelist
- 1950 - Camarón De La Isla , Spanish flamenco singer (d. 1992 )
- 1950 - Osvaldo Golijov , Argentine-born composer
- 1953 - Larry Zbyszko , American professional wrestler
- 1956 - Brian Backer , American actor
- 1956 - Krystian Zimerman , Polish pianist
- 1957 - Art Monk , American football player
- 1958 - Dean Erickson , American actor
- 1960 - Jack Russell , American singer ( Great White (band) )
- 1962 - José Cura , Argentine tenor
- 1963 - Eddie 'the Eagle' Edwards , British skier
- 1965 - Johnny Rzeznik American singer ( Goo Goo Dolls )
- 1967 - Gary Allan , American singer
- 1968 - Margaret Cho , American comedian and actress
- 1968 - Lisa Marie , American model and actress
- 1973 - Luboš Motl , Czech physicist
- 1975 - Ronnie O'Sullivan , British snooker player
- 1976 - Amy Acker , American actress
- 1979 - Matteo Ferrari , Italy footballer
- 1979 - Niklas Hagman , Finnish hockey player
- 1982 - Eddy Curry , American basketball player
- 1985 - Josh Smith , American basketball player
- 1985 - Frankie Muniz , American child actor
- 1988 - Ross Bagley , American child actor
- 749 - Saint John Of Damascus , theologian
- 1082 - Ramon Berenguer II, Count Of Barcelona
- 1355 - John III, Duke Of Brabant (b. 1300 )
- 1560 - King Francis II Of France (b. 1544 )
- 1624 - Gaspard Bauhin , Swiss botanist (b. 1560 )
- 1654 - Jean François Sarrazin , French writer
- 1663 - Severo Bonini , Italian composer (b. 1582 )
- 1749 - Pierre Gaultier De Varennes Et De La Vérendrye , New French explorer and trader (b. 1685 )
- 1758 - Johann Friedrich Fasch , German composer (b. 1688 )
- 1770 - James Stirling , Scottish mathematician (b. 1692 )
- 1784 - Phillis Wheatley , British poet (b. 1753 )
- 1791 - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , Austrian composer (b. 1756 )
- 1819 - Friedrich Leopold Graf Zu Stolberg , German poet (b. 1750 )
- 1870 - Alexandre Dumas Père , French writer (b. 1802 )
- 1887 - Eliza Roxcy Snow , American poet (b. 1804 )
- 1891 - Emperor Pedro II Of Brazil (b. 1825 )
- 1925 - Władysław Reymont , Polish writer and Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1867 )
- 1926 - Claude Monet , French impressionist painter (b. 1840 )
- 1931 - Vachel Lindsay , American poet (b. 1879 )
- 1940 - Jan Kubelík , Austro-Hungarian-born Czechoslovak violinist (b. 1880 )
- 1950 - Shri Aurobindo , Indian guru (b. 1872 )
- 1951 - Shoeless Joe Jackson , American baseball player (b. 1889 )
- 1951 - Abanindranath Tagore , Indian writer (b. 1871 )
- 1963 - Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy , Prime Minister Pakistan (b. 1892 )
- 1963 - Karl Amadeus Hartmann , German composer (b. 1905 )
- 1963 - Sri Deep Narayan Mahaprabhuji , Indian Hindu mystic
- 1965 - Joseph Erlanger , American physiologist and Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1874 )
- 1989 - Sir John Pritchard , British conductor (b. 1921 )
- 1991 - Richard Speck , American mass murderer (b. 1941 )
- 1993 - Doug Hopkins , American guitarist and songwriter ( Gin Blossoms ) (b. 1961 )
- 2001 - Franco Rasetti , Italian physicist (b. 1901 )
- 2002 - Roone Arledge , American sports broadcasting pioneer (b. 1931 )
- 2002 - Ne Win , Burmese leader (b. 1911 )
- 2005 - Frits Philips , Dutch industrialist and businessman from multinational Philips Electronics (b. 1905 )
- 2005 - Kevin " Big Kev " Mc Quay, Australian businessman (b. 1949 )
December 4 - December 6 - November 5 - January 5 — Listing Of All Days
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