Browse Historical Events by Day: What Happened on December 5th?

The Greek philosopher Socrates is sentenced to death by drinking hemlock, following his trial in Athens.

Pope Clement V moves the papal residence to Avignon, beginning the Avignon Papacy.

The Mary Celeste, an American ship that mysteriously disappeared, is discovered adrift and deserted in the Atlantic Ocean off the Azores Islands. The ,Captain, his family, or the crew of the vessel were never found, and the reason for the abandonment of the Mary Celeste has never been determined. More

A fire at the Brooklyn Theater, which had been built five years earlier, began when a piece of scenery caught fire and fell on the stage. In about 10 minutes, the fire was out of control and the audience panicked. People clogged stairwells and trampled fellow patrons in an attempt to flee the spreading flames. It is estimated that at least 285 perished. More

German physicist Albert Einstein is granted a visa to enter the United States, fleeing Nazi Germany.

The 21st Amendment is passed, ending the prohibition of alcohol in America by repealing the 18th amendment which had been as passed thus becoming Prohibition, the only Constitutional amendment to be repealed in United States history.

Flight 19, a Navy Aircraft squadron disappears in the Bermuda Triangle. Thee squadron consisted of five TBM Avenger torpedo bombers which departed the U.S. Naval Air Station at Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for a routine navigational training flight with Lt. Charles C. Taylor acting as the flight's leader. All 14 Naval Aviators on the flight were lost, as were all 13 crew members of a Martin PBM Mariner flying boat that subsequently launched from Naval Air Station Banana River to search for Flight 19. More

Lethal smog covers the city of London for five days. It was caused by a combination of industrial pollution and high-pressure weather conditions bringing London to a near standstill and resulting in thousands of deaths. Four years later, the UK Parliament passed the Clean Air Act marking a turning point in the history of environmentalism. More

The Montgomery Bus Boycott ends after the U.S. Supreme Court rules that racial segregation on public buses is unconstitutional.

The death of Nelson Mandela, former President of South Africa and anti-apartheid icon.