Notable Events in History on February 5th

Notable Events in History on February 5th

Today is Thursday, February 5th, marking the 36th day of the year with 329 days remaining. On this day in history, white separatist Byron De La Beckwith was convicted of the 1963 murder of civil rights leader Medgar Evers. In 1917, the U.S. Congress passed the Immigration Act of 1917, restricting Asian immigration and implementing immigrant literacy testing. The SS Tuscania was torpedoed by a German U-boat in 1918, resulting in over 200 casualties during World War I. Apollo 14 astronauts Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell made history by stepping onto the moon's surface in 1971. Services were held for U.S. Army Col. William B. Nolde, the last official American combat casualty in the Vietnam War, in 1973.

President Bill Clinton signed the Family and Medical Leave Act in 1993, granting workers up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for family emergencies. An outbreak of 87 tornadoes swept through nine states in 2008, claiming 57 lives in Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Alabama. The New England Patriots secured their fifth Super Bowl victory in 2017 after a remarkable comeback led by Tom Brady. In 2020, President Donald Trump was acquitted in his first impeachment trial, with only one Republican senator, Mitt Romney, voting to convict. The Senate acquitted Trump in a second trial in 2021 for allegedly inciting the Capitol siege on January 6th. Beyoncé made history in 2023 by winning her 32nd Grammy, becoming the most decorated artist in Grammy history.