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Notable Deaths on August 5
116 people
553 – 2025
August 5 has seen 116 notable figures pass away throughout recorded history — from 553 – 2025. Below are the most significant names who died on this date.
By thisDay.info Editorial Team · — Wikipedia
2022 — Ali Haydar
Syrian army officer (born 1932)
Did you know
He was commissioned into the Syrian Army in 1952 after a stint studying at the Homs Military Academy
Did you know
After the Ba'ath Party seized power in a 1963 coup d'état, Haydar was put in charge of Syria's special forces and supported al-Assad in his rise to the presidency
Did you know
Haydar opposed the 1984 coup d'état attempt led by Rifaat al-Assad, instead remaining loyal to Hafez al-Assad
Did you know
At the time a Major General, he was formally removed from his position and then imprisoned in August 1994, though he was treated well during his brief prison stay and was released without a trial or public humiliation
553
642
642
824
Abbasid vizier
Abū al-Ḥasan ʿUbayd Allāh ibn Yaḥyā ibn Khāqān was an Abbasid official who served twice as vizier, under caliphs al-Mutawakkil and al-Mu'tamid.
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877
882
890
joint kings of Northumbria
Eowils and Halfdan (Healfdan) were kings in Danish (Viking) ruled Northumbria in the early tenth century.
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910
910
Euthymius I Syncellus was the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from February 907 to 15 May 912. A monk since his youth, he became spiritual father of the future emperor Leo VI the Wise, and was raised by him to…
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917
Chinese general (born 863)
Li Decheng (李德誠), formally Prince Zhongyi of Zhao (趙忠懿王), was a prominent general of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period Wu state. He and his family would remain highly honored during the time of Wu's…
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940
King of Gwynedd
Gruffudd ap Llywelyn was the only Welsh king to unite all of Wales, ruling from 1055 to 1063. He had previously been King of Gwynedd and Powys from 1039 to 1055. Gruffudd was the son of Llywelyn ap Seisyll, King of…
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1063
1364
3rd Earl of Cambridge (born 1375)
Richard of Conisbrough, 3rd Earl of Cambridge was the second son of Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, and Isabella of Castile, Duchess of York. He was beheaded for his part in the Southampton Plot, a conspiracy…
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1415
3rd Baron Scrope of Masham (born 1370)
Henry Scrope, 3rd Baron Scrope of Masham KG, also known in older sources as Lord Scrope was a favourite of Henry V, who performed many diplomatic missions. He was beheaded for his involvement in the notional Southampton…
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1415
2nd Duke of Exeter (born 1395)
John Holland, 2nd Duke of Exeter, 2nd Earl of Huntingdon was an English nobleman and military commander during the Hundred Years' War. His father, the 1st Duke of Exeter, was a maternal half-brother to Richard II of…
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1447
Polish cardinal (born 1504)
Stanislaus Hosius was a Polish Roman Catholic cardinal. From 1551 he was the Prince-Bishop of the Bishopric of Warmia in Royal Prussia, and from 1558, he served as the papal legate to the Holy Roman Emperor's Imperial…
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1579
3rd Earl of Gowrie, Scottish conspirator (born 1577)
John Ruthven, 3rd Earl of Gowrie was a Scottish nobleman who died in mysterious circumstances, referred to as the "Gowrie Conspiracy", in which he and/or his brother Alexander were attempting to kill or kidnap King…
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1600
Spanish soldier and politician, Royal Governor of Chile (born 1552)
Alonso García de Ramón was a Spanish soldier and twice Royal Governor of Chile: first temporarily from July 1600 to February 1601, and then from March 1605 to August 1610. He was born in Cuenca, Spain in 1552.
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1610
English archbishop and academic (born 1562)
George Abbot was an English bishop who was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1611 to 1633. He also served as the fourth chancellor of the University of Dublin, from 1612 to 1633.
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1633
Mexican tenor and composer (born 1619)
Juan García de Zéspedes was a Mexican composer, singer, viol player, and teacher.
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1678
English engineer, invented the eponymous Newcomen atmospheric engine (born 1664)
Thomas Newcomen was an English inventor, creator of the atmospheric engine in 1712, Baptist preacher by calling and ironmonger by trade.
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1729
2nd Baron Hervey, English courtier and politician, Vice-Chamberlain of the Household (born 1696)
John Hervey, 2nd Baron Hervey, was an English courtier and political writer. Heir to the Earl of Bristol, he obtained the key patronage of Walpole, and was involved in many court intrigues and literary quarrels, being…
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1743
French historian and author (born 1703)
Charles Clémencet was a French Benedictine historian.
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1778
English composer (born 1756)
Thomas Linley the younger, also known as Thomas Linley, Junior or Tom Linley, was the eldest son of the composer Thomas Linley and his wife Mary Johnson. He was one of the most precocious composers and performers that…
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1778
Lord North, English politician, Prime Minister of Great Britain (born 1732)
Frederick North, 2nd Earl of Guilford, better known by his courtesy title Lord North, which he used from 1752 to 1790, was Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1770 to 1782. He led the Kingdom of Great Britain through…
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1792
1st Earl Howe, English admiral and politician (born 1726)
Admiral of the Fleet Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe was a Royal Navy officer and politician. After serving in the War of the Austrian Succession, he gained a reputation for his role in amphibious operations against the…
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1799
French archaeologist and historian (born 1788)
Jacques Boucher de Crèvecœur de Perthes, sometimes referred to as Boucher de Perthes, was a French archaeologist and antiquary notable for his discovery, in about 1830, of flint tools in the gravels of the Somme valley.
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1868
Welsh poet (born 1830)
Robert Williams, usually referred to by his bardic name Trebor Mai, was a Welsh language poet, born at Ty'n-yr-ardd near Llanrhychwyn, near Llanrwst, in the old county of Caernarfonshire, the son of a tailor. He was…
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1877
Austrian physician and dermatologist (born 1816)
Ferdinand Karl Franz Schwarzmann, Ritter von Hebra was an Austrian physician and dermatologist known as the founder of the New Vienna School of Dermatology, an important group of physicians who established the…
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1880
American tribal chief (born 1823)
Spotted Tail was a Sichangu Lakota tribal chief. Famed as a great warrior since his youth, warring on Ute, Pawnee and Absaroke (“Crow”), and having taken a leading part in the Grattan Massacre, he led his warriors in…
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1881
German philosopher (born 1820)
Friedrich Engels was a German philosopher, social and political theorist, journalist, businessman, and revolutionary socialist. He is best known for his lifelong collaboration with Karl Marx, with whom he co-authored…
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1895
Princess Royal of the United Kingdom and German Empress (born 1840)
Victoria, Princess Royal was German Empress and Queen of Prussia as the wife of Frederick III, German Emperor. She was the eldest child of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha…
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1901
Australian politician, 10th Premier of New South Wales (born 1834)
Sir George Richard Dibbs KCMG was an Australian politician who was Premier of New South Wales on three occasions. In 1857, he married Anne Maria Robey. He travelled abroad, and established a branch in Valparaiso in…
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1904
American baseball player and umpire (born 1864)
Robert Lee Caruthers, nicknamed "Parisian Bob", was an American right-handed pitcher and right fielder in Major League Baseball who played primarily for the St. Louis Browns and Brooklyn Bridegrooms. The star pitcher on…
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1911
British composer (born 1885)
George Sainton Kaye Butterworth, MC was an English composer who was best known for the orchestral idyll The Banks of Green Willow and his song settings of A. E. Housman's poems from A Shropshire Lad. He was awarded the…
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1916
Greek lawyer and politician, 78th Prime Minister of Greece (born 1844)
Dimitrios Rallis was a Greek politician, founder and leader of the Neohellenic or "Third Party".
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1921
English trade union leader and activist (born 1847)
Dame Millicent Garrett Fawcett was an English political activist and writer. She campaigned for women's suffrage by legal change and in 1897–1919 led Britain's largest women's rights association, the National Union of…
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1929
American painter and academic (born 1856)
Charles Harold Davis was an American landscape painter.
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1933
American art director and set designer (born 1891)
David Wood Townsend was an American art director.
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1935
Hungarian economist and politician, Minister of Education of Hungary (born 1865)
Béla Jankovich de Vadas et Jeszenicze was a Hungarian politician, who served as Minister of Religion and Education between 1913 and 1917. He studied in the Theresianum of Vienna, University of Budapest, University…
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1939
Welsh cricketer and rugby player (born 1906)
Maurice Joseph Lawson Turnbull was a Welsh cricketer who played in nine Test matches for the England cricket team between 1930 and 1936.
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1944
German lawyer and politician, 17th Chancellor of Germany (born 1863)
Wilhelm Marx was a German judge, lawyer, and politician who twice served as chancellor of Germany during the Weimar Republic, from 1923 to 1925 and again from 1926 to 1928. He also briefly held the position of…
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1946
English cricketer and lawyer (born 1871)
Montagu Henry Toller was an English cricketer who played for both Devon and Somerset in the late 19th century. He made six first-class appearances for Somerset, all in 1897, but was predominantly a good club cricketer.…
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1948
Egyptian physicist and academic (born 1917)
Sameera Moussa or Samira Musa Ali was an Egyptian atomic scientist and physicist, she is the first female Egyptian nuclear physicist. Moussa held a doctorate in atomic radiation.
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1952
Portuguese-Brazilian actress and singer (born 1909)
Maria do Carmo Miranda da Cunha, known professionally as Carmen Miranda, was a Portuguese-born Brazilian singer, dancer, and actress. Nicknamed "the Brazilian Bombshell," she was known for her signature fruit hat…
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1955
German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1877)
Heinrich Otto Wieland was a German chemist. He won the 1927 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his research into the bile acids.
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1957
English-American journalist and poet (born 1881)
Edgar Albert Guest was a British-born American poet who became known as the People's Poet. His poems often had an inspirational and optimistic view of everyday life.
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1959
Canadian lawyer and politician, 9th Prime Minister of Canada (born 1874)
Arthur Meighen was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the ninth prime minister of Canada from 1920 to 1921 and from June to September 1926. He led the Conservative Party from 1920 to 1926 and from 1941 to…
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1960
1963
Swedish author (born 1890)
Moa Martinson was one of Sweden's most noted authors of proletarian literature. Her ambition was to change society with her authorship and to portray the conditions of the working class, and also the personal…
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1964
1964
American guitarist (born 1928)
Luther Monroe Perkins, Jr. was an American country music guitarist and a member of the Tennessee Three, the backup band for singer Johnny Cash. Perkins was an iconic figure in what would become known as rockabilly…
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1968
American baseball player and coach (born 1893)
Jesse Joseph Haines, nicknamed "Pop", was an American professional baseball pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). After a lengthy stint in minor league baseball, he…
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1978
American soldier and politician (born 1924)
Harold Lowell Runnels was an American businessman and politician who served five terms as a U.S. representative from New Mexico from 1971 to 1978.
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1980
American actress and comedian (born 1913)
Judy Canova, born Juliette Canova, was an American comedienne, actress, singer, and radio personality who appeared on Broadway and in films. She hosted her own eponymous network radio program, a popular series broadcast…
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1983
English economist and author (born 1903)
Joan Violet Robinson was a British economist known for her wide-ranging contributions to economic theory. One of the most prominent economists of the century, Robinson incarnated the "Cambridge School" in most of its…
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1983
1984
American football player and coach (born 1898)
Arnold Horween was an American football player and coach. He played and coached both collegiately for Harvard University and professionally in the National Football League (NFL).
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1985
1987
American football player and coach (born 1908)
Paul Eugene Brown was an American football coach and executive in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC), the National Football League (NFL), and the American Football League (AFL). Brown was both the co-founder and…
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1991
Japanese engineer and businessman, founded Honda (born 1906)
Soichiro Honda was a Japanese engineer and industrialist. In 1948, he established Honda Motor Co., Ltd. and oversaw its expansion from a wooden shack manufacturing bicycle motors to a multinational automobile and…
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1991
New Zealand politician, 31st Prime Minister of New Zealand (born 1921)
Sir Robert David Muldoon was a New Zealand politician who served as the 31st prime minister of New Zealand, from 1975 to 1984, while leader of the National Party. Departing from National Party convention, Muldoon was a…
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1992
Israeli composer (born 1908)
Menachem Avidom was an Israeli composer. His Hebrew surname is the combination of the names of his daughters Daniella and Miriam.
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1994
Belgian race car driver (born 1922)
Alain Carpentier de Changy was a racing driver from Belgium. His single Formula One World Championship Grand Prix attempt was at the 1959 Monaco Grand Prix with a Cooper run by Ecurie Nationale Belge, but he failed to…
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1994
German naval officer and submariner (born 1912)
Otto Kretschmer was a German naval officer and submariner in World War II and the Cold War.
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1998
Bulgarian commander and politician, 36th Prime Minister of Bulgaria (born 1911)
Todor Hristov Zhivkov was a Bulgarian communist politician who served as the de facto leader of the People's Republic of Bulgaria (PRB) from 1956 until 1989 as General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Bulgarian…
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1998
Austrian-Brazilian journalist and activist (born 1920)
Otto Buchsbaum was born in Vienna, Austria. He moved to Brazil in 1939. In 1967, he led, together with his wife, Florence Buchsbaum, the movement "Teatro ao Encontro do Povo", whose aim was to offer theater shows to the…
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2000
Montenegrin-Italian pilot and painter (born 1910)
Tullio Crali was a Dalmatian Italian artist associated with Futurism. A self-taught painter, he was a late adherent to the movement, not joining until 1929. He is noted for realistic paintings that combine "speed,…
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2000
Indian cricketer (born 1911)
Lala Amarnath Bhardwaj was an Indian cricketer. He is considered to be the father figure of Indian cricket. He scored the first ever century for India in Test Cricket in 1933. He was independent India's first cricket…
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2000
English actor (born 1914)
Sir Alec Guinness was an English actor. In the BFI listing of the 100 most important British films of the 20th century, he was the single most noted actor, represented across nine films—six in starring roles and three…
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2000
Ugandan politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Uganda (born 1929)
Erifasi Otema Allimadi was a Ugandan politician who served as the country's Foreign Minister (1979–1980) in the UNLF government and later on as the country's third Prime Minister of Uganda (1980–1985) in the UPC…
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2001
Australian-Spanish businessman (born 1948)
Christopher Charles Skase was an Australian businessman who later became one of his country's most wanted fugitives, after his business empire crashed spectacularly and he fled to Mallorca, Spain.
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2001
American actor (born 1982)
Joshua Ryan Evans was an American actor who became known for his role of Timmy Lenox in the soap opera Passions. Evans was aged 17 to 20 during his tenure on Passions, but had the appearance and voice of a small child…
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2002
American sportscaster (born 1916)
Francis Dayle "Chick" Hearn was an American sportscaster who was the play-by-play announcer for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association for 41 years, as well as the team's assistant general manager…
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2002
Italian journalist and author (born 1920)
Franco Lucentini was an Italian writer, journalist, translator and editor of anthologies.
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2002
American baseball player (born 1952)
Darrell Ray Porter was an American professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1971 to 1987 for the Milwaukee Brewers, Kansas City Royals, St. Louis Cardinals, and Texas Rangers. The…
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2002
American actor, producer, and screenwriter (born 1937)
Matthew Thomas Robinson Jr. was an American actor, writer and television producer. Robinson was the first actor to portray the character of Gordon Robinson on the PBS children's TV program Sesame Street. When Sesame…
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2002
Russian gymnast and coach (born 1936)
Polina Ghrighorievna Astakhova was a Soviet and Ukrainian artistic gymnast. She won ten medals at the 1956, 1960 and 1964 Summer Olympics.
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2005
American football player and coach (born 1915)
James Joseph O’Hora was an American college football coach for over 30 years.
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2005
Filipino lawyer and politician, 31st Filipino Secretary of Education (born 1941)
Raul Sagarbarria Roco was a Filipino politician. He was the founder and presidential nominee of Aksyon Demokratiko, which he founded in 1997 as a vehicle for his presidential bid in 1998 and his second one in 2004. He…
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2005
Welsh footballer (born 1909)
Edwin Jonathan Jenkins was a Welsh professional footballer. He began his professional career with Cardiff City, making his debut for the club in February 1930. After two seasons as a reserve, he featured regularly for…
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2005
French cardinal (born 1926)
Jean-Marie Aron Lustiger was a French cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Paris from 1981 until his resignation in 2005. He was made a cardinal in 1983 by Pope John Paul II. His life is depicted…
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2007
Romanian actor, singer, director, and producer (born 1943)
Florian Pittiș was a Romanian stage and television actor, theatre director, folk music singer, and radio producer.
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2007
English-American chemist and academic (born 1932)
Neil Bartlett was a British chemist who specialized in fluorine and compounds containing fluorine, and became famous for creating the first noble gas compounds. He taught chemistry at the University of British Columbia…
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2008
Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (born 1929)
Reginald John Lindsay OAM was an Australian country music singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer and radio and television personality. He won three Golden Guitar Awards and wrote more than 500 songs in his…
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2008
American author, screenwriter, and producer (born 1914)
Budd Schulberg was an American screenwriter, television producer, novelist and sports writer. He was known for his novels What Makes Sammy Run? (1941) and The Harder They Fall (1947), as well as his screenplays for On…
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2009
Polish farmer and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of Poland (born 1954)
Andrzej Zbigniew Lepper was a Polish poltician, farmer, and trade unionist who led the Self-Defence of the Republic of Poland, an agrarian populist party that, between 2005 and 2007, was the third-largest political…
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2011
Australian bodybuilder (born 1989)
Aziz Sergeyevich Shavershian, better known as Zyzz, was an Australian bodybuilder and model. He established a cult following after posting videos of himself on YouTube, starting in 2007.
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2011
Polish director and screenwriter (born 1917)
Erwin Axer was a Polish theatre director, writer and university professor. A long-time head of Teatr Współczesny in Warsaw, he also staged numerous plays abroad, notably in German-speaking countries, in the US and…
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2012
Belgian lawyer and politician (born 1949)
Michel Daerden was a francophone Belgian politician, a member of the Parti Socialiste, and a finance auditor.
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2012
American football player (born 1984)
Fred Matua was an American football guard. After playing college football for Southern California, he was selected by the Detroit Lions in the seventh round of the 2006 NFL draft. He was also a member of the Lions,…
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2012
Russian-American businessman, co-founded Film Society of Lincoln Center (born 1916)
Martin Eli Segal was a Russian-born American businessman who co-founded the Film Society of Lincoln Center in 1969 with two other Lincoln Center executives, William F. May and Schuyler G. Chapin. He also served as the…
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2012
Costa Rican-Mexican singer-songwriter and actress (born 1919)
Chavela Vargas was a Mexican singer. She gained widespread recognition for her distinctive interpretations of Mexican rancheras. However, her impact extends beyond this genre, encompassing various styles within popular…
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2012
French author and translator (born 1960)
Roland C. Wagner was a French writer of humorous science fiction. Since his professional debut in 1981, he wrote around one hundred novellas and around fifty novels. He was the only writer to have received the Prix…
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2012
American sculptor and educator (born 1926)
Ruth Aiko Asawa was an American modernist artist primarily known for her abstract looped-wire sculptures inspired by natural and organic forms. In addition to her three-dimensional work, Asawa created figurative and…
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2013
Canadian-American ice hockey player (born 1966)
Shawn Christopher Burr was a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger. Burr played in the NHL for parts of 16 seasons from 1985 to 2000.
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2013
Canadian singer-songwriter and producer (born 1942)
William Lawrence Dunn was a Canadian singer-songwriter, film director and politician. Born in Montreal, he was of mixed Mi'kmaq and Scottish/Irish background. Dunn often highlighted indigenous issues in his work.
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2013
2013
American activist (born 1951)
May Song Vang was an American Hmong community leader and activist. She was the widow of General Vang Pao, a former member of the Royal Lao Army and prominent Hmong American leader, who died in 2011. May Song Vang became…
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2013
2013
American general (born 1962)
Harold Joseph "Harry" Greene was an American military officer. During his time with the United States Army, he held various commands associated with engineering and logistical support for American and coalition troops…
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2014
Russian author (born 1936)
Vladimir Viktorovich Orlov was a Russian novelist, notable for his fantasy novel Danilov, the Violist.
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2014
Indian-English historian, journalist, and author (born 1914)
Henry Chapman Pincher was an English journalist, historian and novelist whose writing mainly focused on espionage and related matters, after some early books on scientific subjects.
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2014
American physician and academic, 11th Surgeon General of the United States (born 1927)
Jesse Leonard Steinfeld was an American physician and public health official. He was appointed the eleventh surgeon general of the United States from 1969 to 1973.
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2014
English journalist and politician (born 1912)
Arthur Walter James was a British journalist and Liberal Party politician.
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2015
Welsh footballer (born 1943)
Anthony Horace Millington was a Welsh footballer who played as a goalkeeper for West Bromwich Albion, Crystal Palace, Peterborough United and Swansea City in the 1960s and 1970s and made 21 international appearances for…
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2015
American zoologist (born 1953)
Alan Robert Rabinowitz was an American zoologist who served as the president, CEO, and chief scientist at Panthera Corporation, a nonprofit conservation organization devoted to protecting the world's 40 wild cat…
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2018
American author, Pulitzer Prize winner, and Nobel laureate (born 1931).
Chloe Anthony Wofford "Toni" Morrison was an American novelist and editor. She was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993. Her first novel, The Bluest Eye, was published in 1970. The critically acclaimed Song of…
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2019
2020
Australian singer-songwriter (born 1943)
Judith Durham was an Australian singer, songwriter and musician who became the lead singer of the Australian folk music group the Seekers in 1962.
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2022
Filipino actress (born 1963)
Evangeline Rose Gil Eigenmann, known professionally as Cherie Gil, was a Filipino actress and singer. With a career spanning nearly 50 years, she was dubbed the "La Primera Contravida" for her acting prowess which…
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2022
Japanese fashion designer (born 1938)
Issey Miyake was a Japanese fashion designer. He was known for his technology-driven clothing designs, notably the Pleats, Please line, exhibitions and fragrances such as L'eau d'Issey.
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2022
Irish hurler (born 1998)
Dillon Quirke was an Irish hurler who played for Tipperary Senior Championship club Clonoulty–Rossmore and at inter-county level with the Tipperary senior hurling team.
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2022
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Notable deaths
Who died on August 5?
Ali Haydar — Syrian military officer (1932–2022)
FeaturedAli Haydar
Death year2022
Known forHe was a close confidant to President Hafez al-Assad and one of the members of Assad's inner circle
Deaths on this date116 (553 – 2025)
Explore August 5
Jump between the main pages for this date to compare events, people, and the daily quiz.
Also on August 5 in History
2024
Following the non-cooperation movement against the government of Bangladesh, Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina resigns and flees the country, ending her rule of 15 consecutive years and a total of almost two decades. The date is also known as 36 July. Wikipedia →
2021
Australia's second most populous state Victoria enters its sixth COVID-19 lockdown, enacting stage four restrictions statewide in reaction to six new COVID-19 cases recorded that morning. Wikipedia →
2019
See all events on August 5
The revocation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir (state) occurred and the state was bifurcated into two union territories (Jammu and Kashmir (union territory) and Ladakh). Wikipedia →
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