Agents with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raided a slaughterhouse in Tennessee, detaining nearly 100 Hispanic workers in one of the largest immigration raids in the history of the U.S.
5 April 1420
A Wednesday in history
Weekday
Wednesday
Season
Spring (N. Hemisphere)
Century
15th century
Records
851
2018
2010An explosion at a coal mine in West Virginia killed 29 miners in the United States' worst mining disaster in 40 years.
2010Two bombings in Pakistan killed up to 50 people and injured around 100 others.
2009The North Korean satellite Kwangmyŏngsŏng-2 was launched from the Tonghae Satellite Launching Ground and passed over Japan, sparking concerns it may have been a trial run of technology that could be used to launch intercontinental ballistic missiles.
- 2002
In the first reported data breach, 250,000 social security numbers collected by the State of California were stolen from a data center.
2000Fan violence broke out before a UEFA Cup semifinal in Istanbul, Turkey, resulting in two Leeds United supporters being stabbed to death and Galatasaray supporters being banned from attending the second leg in England.
1998The Akashi Kaikyo Bridge (pictured), then the world's longest suspension bridge, linking Awaji Island and Kobe in Japan, opened to traffic.
1986The Libyan secret service bombed a discotheque in West Berlin, resulting in three deaths and 229 others injured.
1983In China, the People's Armed Police, primarily responsible for internal security, was founded.
1979Faculty members, clerical workers, and librarians at Boston University went on strike.
1974Carrie (pictured), the first novel by American author Stephen King, was published.
1966During the Buddhist Uprising, South Vietnamese military prime minister Nguyễn Cao Kỳ personally attempted to lead the capture of the restive city of Đà Nẵng before backing down.
1955Aware that he was slowing down both physically and mentally in his old age, Winston Churchill retired as prime minister of the United Kingdom.
1944Siegfried Lederer, a Czech Jew, escaped from Auschwitz with the aid of an SS officer who opposed the Holocaust.
- 1936
An F5 tornado struck Tupelo, Mississippi, killing at least 216 people during one of the deadliest tornado outbreaks in U.S. history.
1933Nazi sympathisers attempted to kidnap two German-Jewish filmmakers in Liechtenstein.
1902A spectator stand collapsed during a football match at Ibrox Park in Govan, Scotland, killing 25 supporters and injuring more than 500 others.
1847Birkenhead Park, generally acknowledged as the world's first publicly funded civic park, opened in Birkenhead, England.
1710The Statute of Anne, the first legislation in Great Britain providing for copyright regulated by the government and courts, received royal assent and entered into force five days later.
1614Pocahontas (pictured), a Native American woman, married English colonist John Rolfe, leading to a period of peace between the Powhatan people and the inhabitants of Jamestown, Virginia.
- 1242
Northern Crusades: In the Battle on the Ice, Novgorod forces led by Alexander Nevsky rebuffed an invasion attempt by the Teutonic Knights at Lake Peipus on the present-day border of Estonia and Russia.
- 919
The Fatimid Caliphate began a second unsuccessful invasion of Egypt, then under Abbasid rule.
Photo archive
24 historic images from this day — tap to open the gallery.
What was life like?
Prices, jobs, food, music and everyday routine — the world as it felt to live in.
Sources & fact check
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