Did you know
In 1984, Western Australia becomes the last Australian state to abolish capital punishment. This featured entry focuses on the immediate decision and its direct historical impact.
September 5 in History
1984 — Western Australia becomes the last Australian state to abolish capital punishment
September 5 spans 57 recorded events across recorded history, from 917 to 2022. Below is a curated digest of the most significant moments tied to this date.
By thisDay.info Editorial Team · — Wikipedia
Historical Events
57 events
917 – 2022
Today in history
More major events on September 5
The featured story and these ranked highlights form a quick summary. Every recorded event remains available in the chronology below.
- 1905 Russo-Japanese War: In New Hampshire, United States, the Treaty of Portsmouth, mediated by U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, ends the war. Source
- 1836 Sam Houston is elected as the first president of the Republic of Texas. Source
- 1960 Poet Léopold Sédar Senghor is the first elected President of Senegal. Source
Did you know
Western Australia is the westernmost state of Australia. This helps explain why the event mattered beyond the initial announcement.
Did you know
It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. This clarifies the institutional and public response around the event.
Did you know
Western Australia is Australia's largest state, with a land area of 2,527,013 square kilometres (975,685 sq mi), and is also the second-largest subdivision of any country on Earth. This shows how the event shaped policy and public communication in the same period.
Did you know
In 1984, Western Australia becomes the last Australian state to abolish capital punishment had consequences that extended beyond the first headline. The key context is the institutions involved, the policy shift, and how the public response evolved afterward.
917
Liu Yan declares himself emperor, establishing the Southern Han state in southern China, at his capital of Panyu.
Emperor of Southern Han from 917 to 942
1367
1590
An army led by Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma forces Henry IV of France to lift the siege of Paris.
Italian general and governor (1545–1592)
1661
Fall of Nicolas Fouquet: Louis XIV's Superintendent of Finances is arrested in Nantes by D'Artagnan, captain of the king's musketeers.
French official (1615–1680)
1697
War of the Grand Alliance : A French warship commanded by Captain Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville defeated an English squadron at the Battle of Hudson's Bay.
War between France and a European coalition (1688–1697)
1698
In an effort to Westernize his nobility, Tsar Peter I of Russia imposes a tax on beards for all men except the clergy and peasantry.
Monarchical title in some Slavic countries
1774
First Continental Congress assembles in Philadelphia.
1774 meeting of American colonial delegates
1781
Battle of the Chesapeake in the American Revolutionary War: The British Navy is repelled by the French Navy, contributing to the British surrender at Yorktown.
1781 battle of the American Revolutionary War
1791
Olympe de Gouges writes the Declaration of the Rights of Woman and of the Female Citizen.
French playwright and activist (1746–1793)
1793
French Revolution: The French National Convention initiates the Reign of Terror.
1789–1799 sociopolitical change in France
1798
Conscription is made mandatory in France by the Jourdan law.
Compulsory enrollment into national or military service
1812
War of 1812: The Siege of Fort Wayne begins when Chief Winamac's forces attack two soldiers returning from the fort's outhouses.
1812–1815 conflict in North America
1816
Louis XVIII of France has to dissolve the Chambre introuvable ("Unobtainable Chamber").
King of France from 1814 to 1824
1836
Sam Houston is elected as the first president of the Republic of Texas.
American general and statesman (1793–1863)
1839
The United Kingdom declares war on the Qing dynasty of China.
1839–1842 war between the United Kingdom and China
1862
American Civil War: The Army of Northern Virginia crosses the Potomac River at White's Ford in the Maryland Campaign.
1861–1865 conflict in the United States
1877
American Indian Wars: Oglala Sioux chief Crazy Horse is bayoneted by a United States soldier after resisting confinement in a guardhouse at Fort Robinson in Nebraska.
Frontier conflicts in North America, 1609–1890s
1882
The first United States Labor Day parade is held in New York City.
Federal holiday in the United States
1887
A fire at the Theatre Royal, Exeter kills 186, making it the UK's deadliest ever building fire.
1887 fire and crowd crush in Exeter, England
1905
Russo-Japanese War: In New Hampshire, United States, the Treaty of Portsmouth, mediated by U.S.
President Theodore Roosevelt, ends the war.
1914
World War I: First Battle of the Marne begins.
Northeast of Paris, the French attack and defeat German forces who are advancing on the capital.
1915
The pacifist Zimmerwald Conference begins.
1915 international socialist conference in Switzerland
1932
The French Upper Volta is broken apart between Ivory Coast, French Sudan, and Niger.
French colony in West Africa (1919-1958); now Burkina Faso
1937
Spanish Civil War: Llanes falls to the Nationalists following a one-day siege.
1936–1939 civil war in Spain
1938
Chile: A group of youths affiliated with the fascist National Socialist Movement of Chile are executed after surrendering during a failed coup.
Country in South America
1942
World War II: Japanese high command orders withdrawal at Milne Bay, the first major Japanese defeat in land warfare during the Pacific War.
Global conflict (1939–1945)
1943
World War II: In the Pacific Theater, the 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment lands and occupies Lae Nadzab Airport, near Lae during the Salamaua–Lae campaign.
Theater of World War II
1944
1945
Cold War: Igor Gouzenko, a Soviet Union embassy clerk, defects to Canada, exposing Soviet espionage in North America, signalling the beginning of the Cold War.
1947–1991 geopolitical rivalry between US and USSR
1945
Iva Toguri D'Aquino, a Japanese American who broadcast under the name Orphan Annie during World War II, is arrested in Yokohama by U.S.
military authorities amid widespread speculation of her being wartime radio propagandist Tokyo Rose.
1948
In France, Robert Schuman becomes President of the Council while being Foreign minister; as such, he is the French negotiator of the major treaties of the end of World War II.
Prime Minister of France from 1947 to 1948
1954
KLM Flight 633 crashes into the River Shannon in Shannon, County Clare, Ireland, killing 28.
1954 aviation accident
1957
Cuban Revolution: Fulgencio Batista bombs the revolt in Cienfuegos.
1955–1958 sociopolitical change in Cuba
1960
Poet Léopold Sédar Senghor is the first elected President of Senegal.
First president of Senegal, poet, and cultural theorist (1906–2001)
1960
Muhammad Ali (then known as Cassius Clay) wins the gold medal in the light heavyweight boxing competition at the Olympic Games in Rome.
American boxer and activist (1942–2016)
1968
End of the Congress of Carrara, one of the major 20th century anarchist congresses.
1969
Mỹ Lai Massacre: U.S.
Army Lieutenant William Calley is charged with six specifications of premeditated murder for the death of 109 Vietnamese civilians in My Lai.
1970
Vietnam War: Operation Jefferson Glenn begins: The United States 101st Airborne Division and the South Vietnamese 1st Infantry Division initiate a new operation in Thừa Thiên–Huế Province.
1955–1975 war in Southeast Asia
1972
Munich massacre: A Palestinian terrorist group called "Black September" attacks and takes hostage 11 Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympic Games.
Two die in the attack and nine are murdered the following day.
1975
Sacramento, California: Lynette Fromme attempts to assassinate U.S.
President Gerald Ford.
1977
Voyager Program: NASA launches the Voyager 1 spacecraft.
Ongoing NASA interstellar program
1978
Camp David Accords: Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat begin peace discussions at Camp David, Maryland.
1978 political agreement between Egypt and Israel
1980
The Gotthard Road Tunnel opens in Switzerland as the world's longest highway tunnel at 16.9 kilometres (10.5 mi) stretching from Göschenen to Airolo.
Tunnel beneath the Swiss Alps
1981
The first women arrive at what becomes Greenham Common Women's Peace Camp in the UK.
Peace camp in Berkshire, England
1984
STS-41-D: The Space Shuttle Discovery lands after its maiden voyage.
1984 American crewed spaceflight
1986
Pan Am Flight 73 from Mumbai, India with 358 people on board is hijacked at Karachi International Airport.
1986 airliner hijacking
1990
Sri Lankan Civil War: Sri Lankan Army soldiers slaughter 158 civilians.
1983–2009 Sri Lankan internal conflict
1991
The current international treaty defending indigenous peoples, Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989, comes into force.
1996
Hurricane Fran makes landfall near Cape Fear, North Carolina as a Category 3 storm with 115 mph sustained winds.
Fran caused over $3 billion in damage and killed 27 people.
2005
Mandala Airlines Flight 091 crashes after takeoff from Polonia International Airport in Medan, Indonesia, killing 149.
2005 aviation accident in Indonesia
2012
An accidental explosion at a Turkish Army ammunition store in Afyon, western Turkey kills 25 soldiers and wounds four others.
Fatal accident in Turkey
2021
The President of Guinea, Alpha Condé is captured by armed forces during a coup d'état.
President of Guinea from 2010 to 2021
2022
Liz Truss is declared the winner of the UK Conservative Party leadership election, beating Rishi Sunak.
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in 2022
2022
At least 93 people die and 25 are missing after a magnitude 6.8 earthquake strikes Sichuan, China.
Earthquake in China