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 Knossos, Crete 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.