Today in history: Dec. 5
Nelson Mandela, the anti-apartheid leader who became South Africa’s first Black president, died at age 95, and more events that happened on this day in history.
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1791: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
In 1791, composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart died in Vienna, Austria, at age 35.
1932: Albert Einstein
In 1932, German physicist Albert Einstein was granted a visa, making it possible for him to travel to the United States.
1933: Prohibition Repealed
In 1933, national Prohibition came to an end as Utah became the 36th state to ratify the 21st Amendment to the Constitution, repealing the 18th Amendment.
1952: The Great Smog of London
In 1952, the Great Smog of London descended on the British capital; the unusually thick fog, which contained toxic pollutants, lasted five days and was blamed for causing thousands of deaths.
1977: Egypt
In 1977, Egypt broke diplomatic relations with Syria, Libya, Algeria, Iraq and South Yemen in the wake of criticism that followed President Anwar Sadat’s peace overtures to Israel.
1998: James P. Hoffa
In 1998, James P. Hoffa claimed the Teamsters presidency after challenger Tom Leedham conceded defeat in the union’s presidential election.
2000: Strom Thurmond
In 2002, Strom Thurmond, the oldest and (until Robert Byrd overtook him) longest-serving senator in history, celebrated his 100th birthday on Capitol Hill. (In toasting the South Carolina lawmaker, Senate Republican leader Trent Lott seemed to express nostalgia for Thurmond’s segregationist past; the resulting political firestorm prompted Lott to resign his leadership position.)
2008: O.J. Simpson
In 2008, a judge in Las Vegas sentenced O.J. Simpson to 33 years in prison (with eligibility for parole after nine) for an armed robbery at a hotel room. (Simpson was released to parole on Oct. 1, 2017.)
2009: Amanda Knox
In 2009, a jury in Perugia, Italy convicted American student Amanda Knox and her former Italian boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito (rah-fy-EHL’-ay soh-LEH’-chee-toh), of murdering Knox’s British roommate, Meredith Kercher, and sentenced them to long prison terms. (After a series of back-and-forth rulings, Knox and Sollecito were definitively acquitted in 2015 by Italy’s highest court.)
2010: The Kennedy Center Honors
Ten years ago: The Kennedy Center Honors paid tribute to Paul McCartney, Oprah Winfrey, Merle Haggard, Broadway composer Jerry Herman and dancer Bill T. Jones.
2013: Nelson Mandela
In 2013, Nelson Mandela, the anti-apartheid leader who became South Africa’s first Black president, died at age 95.
2015: The New York Times
Five years ago: In the wake of a commando-style shooting rampage by a Muslim extremist couple in Southern California that left 14 people dead, The New York Times called for more gun regulation in its first Page 1 editorial in 95 years; Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. urged students, staff and faculty at his Christian school to get a permit to carry a concealed weapon on campus to counter any copycat attack.
2018: George H.W. Bush
In 2018, former President George H.W. Bush was mourned at a memorial service at Washington National Cathedral attended by President Donald Trump and former Presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter along with their spouses; former president George W. Bush was among the speakers, eulogizing his dad as “the brightest of a thousand points of light.”
2019: Nancy Pelosi
One year ago: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced that she had asked the relevant House committee chairs to begin drawing up articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump, saying his actions left them “no choice” but to act swiftly; in response, Trump tweeted that Democrats had “gone crazy.’’
2019: Uber
One year ago: In a long-anticipated safety report, ride-sharing giant Uber said more than 3,000 sexual assaults had been reported during its U.S. rides in 2018, including 235 rapes.
2009: Russia
In 2009, a nightclub blaze in Perm, Russia, killed more than 150 people.
2010: Serbia
Ten years ago: Serbia celebrated its first Davis Cup title, becoming only the second unseeded nation to win the trophy when Viktor Troicki beat Michael Llodra 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 to complete a 3-2 comeback win over France.
2019: Miramar, Florida
One year ago: Four people, including a UPS driver, were killed after robbers stole the driver’s truck and led police on a chase that ended in gunfire at a crowded intersection in Miramar, Florida; the two robbers also died along with a motorist who had been waiting at the intersection when officers ran up and opened fire.
