July 5th in History

1295 - Scotland and France formed an alliance, the so-called "Auld Alliance", against England.

1594 - Portuguese forces under the command of Pedro Lopes de Sousa began an unsuccessful invasion of the Kingdom of Kandy during the Campaign of Danture in Sri Lanka

1610 - John Guy set sail from Bristol with 39 other colonists for Newfoundland.

1687 - Isaac Newton published Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica.

1775 - The Second Continental Congress adopted the Olive Branch Petition.

1803 - The Convention of Artlenburg was signed, leading to the French occupation of Hanover (which had been ruled by the British king).

1809 - The Battle of Wagram, the largest of the Napoleonic Wars, was fought.

1811 - Venezuela declared independence from Spain.

1865 - The Salvation Army was founded in the East End of London, England.

1884 - Germany took possession of Cameroon.

1940 - World War II: The United Kingdom and the Vichy France government broke off diplomatic relations.

1945 - World War II: The liberation of the Philippines was declared.

1948 - National Health Service Acts created the national public health systems in the United Kingdom

1962 - Algeria became independent from France.

1975 - Cape Verde gained its independence from Portugal.

1995 - Armenia adopted its constitution, four years after its independence from the Soviet Union.

1996 - Dolly the sheep became the first mammal cloned from an adult cell.

2004 - The first Indonesian presidential election was held.

2009 - The largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold ever discovered, consisting of more than 1,500 items, was found near the village of Hammerwich, near Lichfield, in Staffordshire, England.

2012 - The Shard in London was inaugurated as the tallest building in Europe, with a height of 310 metres (1,020 ft)

Famous Birthdays

1321 - Joan of The Tower, Queen consort of David II of Scotland

1554 - Elisabeth of Austria, Queen consort of France

1717 - Peter III of Portugal

1805 - Jérôme Napoleon Bonaparte, nephew of Napoleon I,  Emperor of the French

1905 - Myles Horton, educator and activist

1911 - Georges Pompidou, Prime Minister and President of France

1928 - Katherine Helmond, actress

1954 - Jimmy Crespo, guitarist and songwriter

1956 - Horacio Cartes, President of Paraguay

1966 - Claudia Wells, actress

1977 - Nicolas Kiefer, tennis player

1979 - Shane Filan, singer-songwriter

1981 - Ryan Hansen, actor

1982 - Joey Foster, racing driver

1992 - Chiara Scholl, tennis player