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April 2025
May
On This Day 5 mins Read

April 5: Facts & Historical Events On This Day

Did you know that on this day, April 5, 1722, Jacob Roggeveen discovered Easter Island?

Fact Checked Human Written Verified Sources Regularly Updated

April 5th celebrates Read A Road Map Day & Deep Dish Pizza Day.

We’re now on the 95th day of the year, and have 270 days left in 2025.

I’m sure you’re aware that April 5th has been an important day throughout history. You may not realize how important just yet, but just wait until you check out these facts and events that all happened on this day throughout history.

Did you know that on this day, April 5, 1722, Jacob Roggeveen discovered Easter Island? This ended 1,400 years of isolation for the island.

Keep reading for more fun & interesting facts about April 5th in history!

Historical Events

What memorable events happened on April 5 in history? Keep reading to find out!

Inventors of the weight loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy were awarded the $3 million Breakthrough Prize.

The medications, which work by mimicking a hormone to stimulate insulin release in the gut, showed potentially revolutionary results in the treatment of type 2 diabetes and obesity.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was taken to hospital after testing positive for COVID-19.

PayPal withdrew a $3.6 million investment in North Carolina due to the state passing anti-gay legislation.

OTD in 2016: PayPal withdrew a $3.6 million investment in North Carolina due to the state passing anti-gay legislation.

The investment was to provide 400 people jobs in Charlotte. Paypal said, "As a company that is committed to the principle that everyone deserves to live without fear of discrimination simply for being who they are, becoming an employer in North Carolina, where members of our teams will not have equal rights under the law, is simply untenable."

North Korea performed a controversial intercontinental ballistic missile test.

North Korea announced the test was a protest after United Nations Security Council condemned the country.

North Korea launched the infamous Kwangmyŏngsŏng-2 satellite.

While North Korea claimed the satellite reached orbit, no reputable international body managed to confirm this.

Kurt Cobain from Nirvana committed suicide at age 27 by shooting himself in the head with a shotgun.

OTD in 1994: Kurt Cobain from Nirvana committed suicide at age 27 by shooting himself in the head with a shotgun.

Dolby stereo was used for the first time on David Letterman.

One hundred thousand rioters gathered at Tiananmen Square in Beijing to protest against the Chinese government.

The US Air Force accidentally bombed the Belgian town of Mortsel.

The target of the air raid was the Minerva car factory, which was being used to repair German Luftwaffe planes. Disastrously, most of the bombs missed the factory by a long shot and hit Mortsel, resulting in 936 civilian casualties.

The Firestone Tire and Rubber Company started selling inflatable tires from Akron, Ohio.

OTD in 1923: The Firestone Tire and Rubber Company started selling inflatable tires from Akron

The first international rugby league took place in Wigan, England.

The war on the Pacific began after Chile declared war with Bolivia and Peru.

The war resulted in up to 28,000 deaths and casualties.

Jacob Roggeveen discovered Easter Island.

The Dutch explorer discovered the Polynesian island 1,400 miles from the coast of South America on Easter Sunday, hence the name Easter Island.

American Indian princess Pocahontas married English tobacco planter, John Rolfe.

OTD in 1614: American Indian princess Pocahontas married English tobacco planter

Their marriage ensured peace between Jamestown, Virginia, and Powhatan Indians.

Pope Paschal I crowned Lothair I as the Emperor of Italy.

Lothair I was the firstborn son of Emperor Louis the Pious and grandson of Charlemagne himself. He was just twenty-eight years old at the time.

Famous Births

Is today your birthday? If so, you share the same birthday with Pharrell Williams. Here are a few other famous people born on this day.

1999

Tessa Brooks

American YouTuber

Age

26 years old

Born IN

California, USA

2001

Hunter Rowland

American Vlogger

Age

24 years old

Born IN

Florida, USA

1973

Pharrell Williams

American Record Producer

Age

52 years old

Born IN

Virginia, USA

1982

Hayley Atwell

British-American Actress

Age

43 years old

Born IN

England, UK

Birthday & Zodiac

Everyone who was born on April 5 shares the same zodiac sign, Aries.

If you are an Aries, just know that it’s a good idea sometimes to slow down. Being supercharged gives you many advantages in life, but take time to play with your energy and find some balance.

People born in April all have the Diamond birthstone. Diamond symbolizes divine light and brilliance, and the bearer is faithful while acquiring great riches and treasures in one’s life.

The daisy, April’s primary birth flower, stands for innocence and purity. The sweet pea, the secondary birth flower, conveys blissful pleasure and the sentiment of farewell.

If you were born on April 5th, your estimated date of conception would be July 13th in the previous year.

A baby that is conceived on April 5, 2025, will likely be due around December 27, 2025.

Famous Deaths

Unfortunately, April 5th has also been a day where we've had to say some goodbyes over the years…

1967 — 1994

Kurt Cobain

American Singer Kurt Cobain was born on February 20, 1967. He died on this day in 1994, at age 27 in Washington, USA.

1966 — 2021

Paul Ritter

English Actor Paul Ritter was born on December 20, 1966. He died on this day in 2021, at age 54 in England, UK.

Quotes

Below you'll find the most popular quotes people have said on April 5th throughout history.

1998

“I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back.”

Maya Angelou

(American Memoirist)

1923

“It seems as if an age of genius must be succeeded by an age of endeavour; riot and extravagance by cleanliness and hard work.”

Virginia Woolf

(English Writer)

Special Holidays

If you can spare some time today, here are some unique holidays you could get involved with.

United States

National Read A Road Map Day

Navigation has become a breeze in modern times. We simply key in our destination and allow our Sat Nav to direct us. Today is Read A Road Map Day, so it’s time to ditch the devices and go on a fun journey using a road map instead.

United States

National Deep Dish Pizza Day

Pizza comes in some fantastic shapes and sizes these days, but the one that will always have a place in our hearts (and thighs) is deep dish pizza. Thankfully some genius came up with Deep Dish Pizza Day so that we have an excuse to gorge ourselves on gorgeous deep dish pizza!

Fact Of The Day

Days Until

Your countdown to 2025's upcoming special days!

  • Earth Day

    17 days

  • Cinco de Mayo

    30 days

  • Juneteenth

    75 days

  • Independence Day

    90 days

  • Halloween

    209 days

  • Christmas Day

    264 days

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About The Author

Luke Ward
Owner

Luke Ward is the owner of FactstoryHub. He has over 14 years of experience in researching, informative writing, fact-checking, SEO & web design. In his spare time, he loves to explore the world, drink coffee & attend trivia nights.

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