APRiL 5 ~ ON THiS DAY in History

1588 – Thomas Hobbes the English philosopher was born on the 5th April 1588 (d. 1679).

1621 – The Mayflower set sail from Plymouth, Massachusetts on a return trip to England on the 5th April 1621.

1722 – The Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen discovered Easter Island on the 5th April 1722.

1732 – Jean-Honoré Fragonard the French artist was born on the 5th April 1732 (d. 1806).

1752 – Sébastien Érard the French musical instrument maker was born on the 5th April 1752 (d. 1831).

1804 – High Possil Meteorite: The 1st recorded meteorite in Scotland fell in Possil on the 5th April 1804.

1827 – Joseph Lister the English surgeon and pioneer of antiseptic surgery was born on the 5th April 1827 (d. 1912).

1837 – Algernon Charles Swinburne the English poet was born on the 5th April 1837 (d. 1909).

1847 – Birkenhead Park, the first civic public park, was opened in Birkenhead on the 5th April 1847.

1899 – Elsie Thompson the American super-centenarian was born on the 5th April 1899 (d. 2013).

1900 – Archaeologists in KnossosCrete discovered a large cache of clay tablets on the 5th April 1900, with hieroglyphic writing in a script called Linear B.

1900 – Spencer Tracy the American actor was born on the 5th April 1900 (d. 1967).

1908 – Bette Davis the American actress was born on the 5th April 1908 (d. 1989).

1916 – Gregory Peck the American actor was born on the 5th April 1916 (d. 2003).

1928 – Tony Williams the American singer from The Platters was born on the 5th April 1928 (d. 1992).

1932 – Alcohol prohibition in Finland ended on the 5th April 1932, when alcohol sales began in Alko liquor stores.

1940 – Tommy Cash the American singer-songwriter, and brother of Johnny Cash was born on the 5th April 1940.

1949 – Judith Resnik the American astronaut was born on the 5th April 1949 (d. 1986).

1950 – Agnetha Fältskog the Swedish singer from ABBA was born on the 5th April 1950.

1951 – Dean Kamen the American inventor of the Segway was born on the 5th April 1951.

1954 – Stan Ridgway the American singer-songwriter from the Wall of Voodoo was born on the 5th April 1954.

1955 – Winston Churchill resigned as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on the 5th April 1955, amid indications of failing health.

1956 – Anthony Horowitz the English author was born on the 5th April 1956.

1998 – In Japan, the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge linking Awaji Island with Honshū and costing about $3.8 billion USD, opened to traffic on the 5th April 1998, becoming the largest suspension bridge in the world.