This Day in History is DUE’s daily dose of trivia for all the history buffs out there. So sit back and take a ride of all the fascinating things that happened today!
People are trapped in history and history is trapped in people, and hence, every day has been a significant one in the foibles of history. Now, let’s take a tour of “This Day in History – 5th February”.
1919: Hollywood film studio United Artists is founded
More than a century ago today, Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford and D. W. Griffith came together to create their own film studio United Artists. It was the first major production company to be controlled by its artists rather than by businessmen. It also started the trend among studios to act as distributing agencies for films other than those it produced. The corporation gained success with Chaplin’s The Gold Rush (1925) and the rise of sound. Facing many obstacles on the way, UA released many hot shots and took control of the James Bond and Pink Panther film franchise. In December 2014, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) wholly acquired UA.
1922: The first issue of Reader’s Digest is published
DeWitt Wallace and Lila Bell Acheson Wallace founded the Reader’s Digest magazine more than hundred years ago. We can call them the world’s earliest content curators. DeWitt Wallace recognized that people were hungry for information. He began collecting and condensing the best stories from a vast array of publications. Each issue contained 31 articles, one to read each day of the month. In the 1940s, it surpassed a million copies a month and was the best selling publication in America—exceeded in sales only by the Bible. Its small measurements allowed readers to carry it in a pocket or purse. This made it a unique innovation among magazines at the time. Its mission is to provide families with healthy, wealthy, and wise lives, through simple, informative, and fun content.
1976: Actor Abhishek Bachchan is born
The son of actors Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan, Abhishek made his acting debut with Refugee in 2000. He won 3 consecutive Filmfare Awards for Best Supporting Actor for the movies Yuva, Sarkar and Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, and is the only actor after Dilip Kumar to do so. He also won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi for producing the comedy-drama Paa in 2009.
1981: The largest Jell-O is made in Brisbane
According to The 1993 Guinness Book of Records, Paul Squire and Geoff Ross hold the world record for the largest single amount of Jell-O. It weighted 9,246-gallons and was watermelon-flavored. It was supplied in a Pool Fab tank today on February 5, 1981, at Roma Street Forum in Brisbane, Australia.
1985: Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo is born
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro plays as a forward for Serie A club Juventus and captains the Portugal national team. Born and raised in Madeira, he has won 5 Ballon d’Or awards and 4 European Golden Shoes. With 31 major trophies in his arsenal, CR7 also holds the records for the most goals (134) and assists (41) in the history of the UEFA Champions League. Moreover, he is the first footballer, and only the third sportsman, to earn $1 billion in their career.
1989: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar breaks NBA record
Los Angeles Lakers’ Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored the 31,420th point of his career. He broke the Wilt Chamberlain’s all-time scoring record. With less than 9 minutes left in the game, Magic Johnson passed the ball to Jabbar who scored his 22nd point of the night. He received a standing ovation from the fans and entered the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1995. He remains the NBA’s all-time leading scorer and also holds the league record for most minutes played (54,446) and most blocked shots (3,189).
1992: Brazilian footballer Neymar Jr. is born
Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior was born in Mogi das Cruzes, São Paulo, Brazil. He plays as a forward for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and the Brazil national team. He made his professional debut at 17 and soon relocated to Europe to join Barcelona. In 2017, he transferred to PSG in a €222 million worth move, making him the most expensive player ever. He led the club to its first ever Champions League Final and is the second highest goal scorer for Brazil, trailing Pelé. In 2019, Forbes ranked him the world’s third highest-paid athlete, and fourth highest-paid in 2020.
2003: PM Vajpayee renames satellite after astronaut Kalpana Chawla
The satellite MetSat-1 was first launched by the PSLV-C4 in 2002. A year later, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee renamed it to Kalpana-1 in memory of Kalpana Chawla. She was a NASA astronaut who had perished in the Space Shuttle Columbia Disaster. She is the posthumous recipient of the Congressional Space Medal of Honor. Several streets, universities, and institutions have also been named in her honor.
2020: US Senate votes to acquit President Donald Trump
The US Senate voted 52-48 to acquit Trump of abuse and 53-47 on obstruction of Congress. The votes to convict him thus fell far short of the two-thirds majority, as the voting fell largely along party lines. He had requested Ukraine to investigate rival Joe Biden and had blocked documents and witnesses sought by the House. Senator Mitt Romney was the only Republican lawmaker to convict Trump and break party lines. Trump called this event ‘our Country’s VICTORY on the Impeachment Hoax!’ and continued using the words ‘witch hunt’ and ‘crusade’. Top Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer dismissed Trump’s acquittal as ‘virtually valueless’ since Republicans refused to hear new witnesses at the trial. Today, Trump is the only US President who has been impeached twice.
