January 5
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Featured Event
© savenkov/Shutterstock.com
The arrival of the Great Frost
Europeâs coldest winter in 500 years began to take hold on this day in 1709. It would kill hundreds of thousands of people, make travel and trade nearly impossible, and disrupt two wars. Climatologists are still trying to understand the cause of what became known as the Great Frost. [Read todayâs edition of Today in History >>]
Featured Biography
Featured Biography
Rob BogaertsâAnefo/Nationaal Archief
The real hero is always a hero by mistake; he dreams of being an honest coward like everybody else.
A renowned critic and semiotician (student of signs and symbols), Umberto Eco, born this day in 1932, is perhaps better known as the author of the best-selling murder mystery and fantasy novel The Name of the Rose (1981).
Famous Birthdays
More on January 5
© Central PressâHulton Archive/Getty Images
NASA/JPLâCaltech
2005
The dwarf planet Eris was discovered in images taken two years earlier at Palomar Observatory in California. [How much do you know about astronomy and space?]
William CampbellâThe Chronicle Collection/Getty Images
1998
Daniel arap Moi was sworn in as president of Kenya for his fifth consecutive term. [Take our African leaders quiz.]
Chris Walter/Retna Ltd.
1973
Bruce Springsteen released his debut album, Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. [How much do you know about songwriters?]
© Bruce GlikasâFilmMagic/Getty Images
1953
Waiting for Godot, a hugely influential and enduring play by Samuel Beckett, was staged for the first time, in Paris. [Take our quiz about the history of theatre.]
Evan Agostini/Getty Images
1946
Diane Keaton, who first achieved fame in quirky comic roles before earning acclaim as a dramatic actress, was born in Los Angeles. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about A-list actors.]
© HD Fanatic/Fotolia
1933
Construction began on the Golden Gate Bridge, which connects San Francisco with Marin county in California. When it was completed in 1937, it was the tallest and longest suspension bridge in the world.
Courtesy of Zachary Freyman
1931
Dancer and choreographer Alvin Ailey, Jr., was born in Rogers, Texas. [Test your knowledge of dance.]
© 1979 Omni Zoetrope; photograph from a private collection
1931
Actor Robert Duvall, who was known for his convincing portrayals of a diverse range of characters, was born in San Diego. [Take our quiz about movies.]
Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.; neg. no. LC USZ62 79430
1925
Nellie Tayloe Ross assumed office in Wyoming, making her the first female governor in the United States. [Discover seven female firsts in U.S. Politics.]
dpa dena/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images
1919
A locksmith named Anton Drexler founded the German Workersâ Party, the forerunner of the Nazi Party, in Munich, Germany. [Test your knowledge of Nazi Germany.]
Courtesy of the Ford Motor Company
1914
Following the great success of the Model T, American automobile maker Henry Ford raised his workersâ pay from $2.40 to $5.00 a day and reduced the hours of the workday. [Take our quiz about American industry and innovation.]
APICâHulton Archive/Getty Images
1863
Actor, director, and producer Konstantin Stanislavsky, who developed a highly influential theory of acting called the Stanislavsky method, was born in Moscow. [Take our actors and acting quiz.]