Remember the Fifth Trivia Quiz

The time of political and social reform in Czechoslovakia that became known as the Prague Spring began on 5 January 1968, when reformist Alexander Dubcek replaced hardliner Antonin Novotny as First Secretary of the Communist Party of that country. Over the next few months reforms were introduced to decentralize power, and present "socialism with a human face". While these measures were welcomed by the people of Czechoslovakia, and by the West, the leaders of the Soviet Union were not impressed, and the Prague Spring came to an end in August 1968, with the invasion of the country by Warsaw Pact troops from the USSR, Bulgaria, Hungary and Poland.

Other notable events on the 5th of January include the beginning of construction of the Golden Gate Bridge (1933) and the death of entertainer and politician Sonny Bono in a skiing accident (1998).

The Greenwich time signal (GTS), known as the 'pips' has been broadcast on the hour by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) since 5 February 1924. The six short pips are electronically generated to indicate the time precisely.

Other notable events on the 5th of February include the release of Mahatma Gandhi from prison and the conclusion of the very first Winter Olympic games at Chamonix, France, both also in 1924.

The first signatures were put to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons in 1968, with it coming into effect on 5 March 1970. Since that time over 190 countries have signed the treaty, which was extended indefinitely in 1995. Its intent is to stop the spread of nuclear weaponry, with disarmament as an eventual goal, whilst promoting the peaceful use of nuclear energy.

Other events on the 5th of March include the so-called Boston Massacre in 1770, and the death of Soviet leader Josef Stalin (1953).

Having reached the age of 80, and aware that his health was declining, Winston Churchill resigned as Britain's prime minister for the final time on 5 April 1955, to be succeeded in the post by Anthony Eden. Churchill continued to serve as a member of parliament for another ten years, until shortly before his death at the age of 90.

The 5th of April has also seen the beginning of the War of the Pacific, in which Chile defeated Peru and Bolivia, in 1879 and the birth of American actress Bette Davis in 1908.

Not quite six years after his final defeat at Waterloo, Napoleon I Bonaparte died in exile on the island of St Helena, of an illness from which he had suffered for some time. The date was May 5th, 1821. Speculation that he was poisoned has not been proven.

Other things that have happened on the 5th of May include the Battle of Puebla, later celebrated in Mexico as Cinco de Mayo, in 1862 and the suborbital flight of the first American in space, Alan Shepard, Jr. in 1961.

The Six Day War in the Middle East ran from 5 June until 10 June 1967, and saw Israel making territorial gains from Syria, Jordan and Egypt, after launching a preemptive strike on the first day. Tensions have continued to run high in the region in the ensuing decades.

June 5th, 1944, was the originally planned date for the invasion of Normandy, but bad weather caused postponement for a day, leading to June 6th being remembered as D-Day. It was also on a 5th of June that Robert F. Kennedy was shot in Los Angeles (1968), dying the following day.

Notable for being the world's first successfully cloned mammal, Dolly the sheep was born in Scotland on July 5th, 1996. She was cloned from a mammary cell by scientists at the Roslin Institute at the University of Edinburgh. Dolly lived for just under six years and gave birth to six lambs.

In other news, the very first episode of the television show "Seinfeld" aired on 5 July 1989 and the bikini made its debut in Paris on that date in 1946.

Nelson Mandela, later to become leader of his country, was arrested on 5 August 1962 for his actions in opposition to the then government of South Africa. Subsequently imprisoned for nearly three decades, he was finally released in February 1990 and went on to champion reform in the nation until his death in 2013.

Other notable events on August 5th have included the declaration of independence by Upper Volta, renamed Burkina Faso, in 1960 and the collapse of a mine in Chile which trapped 33 miners for over two months (2010).

The celebration of the 20th Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany was violently interrupted on 5 September 1972 when terrorists from a group called Black September, killed and/or took hostage a number of athletes and coaches from the Israeli team. Rescue attempts were unsuccessful and eleven hostages died, as did five terrorists and one West German police officer.

On September 5, 1836 Sam Houston was elected president of the Republic of Texas, while on the same date in 2000 the Pacific island nation of Tuvalu joined the United Nations.

Marc Garneau (1949-2025) was a Canadian naval officer who became the first Canadian in space during STS-41-G, travelling as payload specialist aboard the space shuttle Challenger from 5 to 13 October 1984, in low earth orbit. He flew on two more missions thereafter, before becoming president of the Canadian Space Agency, and later serving as a member of parliament. He was Minister of Transport from 2015-2021 and Minister of Foreign Affairs for nine months in 2021.

Other October 5th events include the world premiere of "Doctor No", the first James Bond film, in 1962 and the birth of Vaclav Havel (1936-2011), who would grow up to become president of the Czech Republic.

Known as the Gunpowder Plot, the attempt by a group of Roman Catholics to blow up the parliament of James I (VI of Scotland) was thwarted when Guy Fawkes, one of the conspirators, was discovered guarding barrels of gunpowder intended to blow up James, his son and heir and members of parliament during the opening ceremonies on 5 November 1605. It did not go well for Fawkes, Robert Catesby (the plot's leader) and other conspirators.

November 5th, 1940 saw Franklin D. Roosevelt elected to his third term as US president, while on the same date in 2024, Donald Trump was elected to his second (non-consecutive) term in that office.

The nationwide prohibition of nearly everything to do with the production and distribution of alcohol had been in effect in the USA since January 1920, when the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution came into effect. It came to an end on 5 December 1933, with the ratification by Utah of the Twenty-First Amendment, repealing the earlier document. Utah was the 36th state to ratify the 21st Amendment, giving it the necessary numbers to go into effect.

Walt Disney was born on December 5th, 1901, while Nelson Mandela died on that day in 2013.