September 5: Facts & Historical Events On This Day

74-year-old Erramatti Mangamma became the world’s oldest mother after giving birth to twins in India.

Hurricane Irma hit the Atlantic Basin area of the United States.

Gusts of winds were reported to have reached record speeds of 185 mph, and as a result, the region was devastated by the destruction caused. The category five hurricane was announced as the strongest hurricane on record to hit the area.

The Joan Rivers American daytime TV talk show aired for the first time.

The show was hosted by comedian Joan Rivers and ran for five seasons, ending in December 1993.

Western Australia became the last Australian state to abolish capital punishment.

Gotthard Road Tunnel opened in St Gotthard, Switzerland, making it the longest tunnel in the world at the time.

In July 1969, the Swiss government approved the construction of the 11 miles (17 km) Gotthard Road tunnel following a surge in vehicle production and the need for a more convenient route.

The Voyager 1 Space Probe was launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida.

Voyager 1's mission was to study the outer solar system and, if possible, the interstellar space beyond it. The probe's nuclear batteries are expected to run out of power by 2025.

In The Netherlands, this day was named “Dolle Dinsdag,” which means Mad Tuesday.

The name comes from the false hope that cities in The Netherlands were becoming liberated from the Germans during World War II. Despite not all towns becoming free, celebrations were still held countrywide.

The Russo-Japanese war ended with the official signing of the Treaty of Portsmouth.

US President Theodore Roosevelt heavily negotiated the treaty. Roosevelt was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize for his contributions to creating the treaty.

Sylvanus Bowser’s invention of the gasoline pump was delivered to a dealer in Fort Wayne, Indiana, US.

Interestingly the automobile still hadn't been invented by this date.

The oldest museum in The Netherlands, the Centraal Museum Utrecht, opened.

The Reign of Terror occurred in France, where many massacres and public executions happened during the French Revolution.

In France, the Committee of Public Safety organized public executions to scare protesters hoping they would stop the revolting. Many were protesting as a response to the formation of the First French Republic the previous year.

The first Continental Congress meeting was held in Philadelphia, US.

Congress drove the American Revolution less than two years later.

William Cecil inaugurated himself as English minister of foreign affairs.

On this day, Cecil was sworn in as a secretary of the state for the King of England.