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What Happened Today in History on February 5

Explore the historical events that shaped our world on February 5th. From major milestones to cultural achievements, see what happened on this day in history. Dates for earlier events may be approximate.

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176 BCE, February 5

The third and final Punic War, between Rome and Carthage, comes to an end. The Punic Wars were a series of three wars between 264 and 146 BCE, fought between Rome and Carthage lasting more than 100 years of fighting on land and sea across the western Mediterranean region with immense materiel and human losses on both sides. It ended in 146 BCE with a total Roman victory. More

2 BCE, February 5

The Roman Senate and people honor Caesar Augustus with the title "Pater Patriae" (Father of the Country).

1204 CE, February 5

Doukas was proclaimed Emperor of the Byzantine Empire as Alexios V, following the overthrow and killing of Alexios IV and his co-emperor father Isaac II, who, had failed to produce the funds promised to the Fourth Crusade, Crusaders and their Venetian partners, who had placed a siege of the city.

As further negotiations proved unfruitful, on April 12, 1204, the Crusaders and Venetian partners went ahead with a full three -day assault and brutal sacking of the city; desecrating holy sites and destroying countless treasures. Alexios V fled the city that night and a Latin Empire was established with Baldwin of Flanders as the new emperor. The Fourth Crusade permanently weakened Byzantium, and the restored empire in 1261 was a but a shadow of its former self, ultimately falling to the Ottoman Turks in 1453.

1242 CE, February 5

Battle of Taillebourg: King Louis IX of France defeats Henry III of England.

1261 CE, February 5

Byzantine Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos recaptures Constantinople, ending the Latin Empire.

1594 CE, February 5

Flemish painter Pieter Bruegel the Elder dies in Brussels, Belgium.

1971 CE, February 5

Apollo 14's Lunar module with astronauts, Alan B. Shepard Jr. (Commander) and Edgar D. Mitchell (Lunar Module Pilot) descends to the lunar surface on the third U.S. moon landing.

The 3rd Apollo 14 astronaut was Stuart A. Roosa, (Command Module Pilot). The astronauts returned to earth on Feb. 9, 1971 Landing on the Pacific Ocean. More

2000 CE, February 5

The World Health Organization (WHO) declares the measles virus eliminated in the United States.

2017 CE, February 5

Super Bowl LI sees the New England Patriots come back from a 28-3 deficit to defeat the Atlanta Falcons.

2020 CE, February 5

The U.S. Senate acquits President Donald Trump of impeachment charges on both articles of impeachment – abuse of power and obstruction of Congress made by the House of Representatives in December 2019.