Famous people born on August 5 — and what else happened that day
If your birthday is August 5, you share it with Neil Armstrong, Loni Anderson, Patrick Ewing — and you were born under Leo, the sign of the warm, confident, and born for the spotlight.
Birthday basics for August 5
Leo ♌
Zodiac sign
Peridot
Birthstone
Gladiolus
Birth flower
217th
Day of the year
August 5 is the 217th day of the year (218th in leap years), with 148 days still to come.
Famous people born on August 5
Neil Armstrong — American astronaut and first person to walk on the Moon (born 1930).
Loni Anderson — American actress who starred in WKRP in Cincinnati (born 1945).
Patrick Ewing — Jamaican-American basketball Hall of Famer for the New York Knicks (born 1962).
Also sharing the day:
Guy de Maupassant (b. 1850) — French writer regarded as a master of the short story.
John Huston (b. 1906) — American director of classics like The Maltese Falcon and The African Queen.
Maureen McCormick (b. 1956) — American actress who played Marcia Brady on The Brady Bunch.
August 5 in history
1858 — The first transatlantic telegraph cable was completed.
1914 — The world's first electric traffic light was installed in Cleveland, Ohio.
1926 — Harry Houdini spent 91 minutes underwater in a sealed tank before escaping.
1861 — The U.S. federal government levied its first income tax to help fund the Civil War.
1884 — The cornerstone of the Statue of Liberty was laid on Bedloe's Island in New York Harbor.
1963 — The United States, United Kingdom, and Soviet Union signed the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.
August 5 birthday questions
What zodiac sign is August 5?
Anyone born on August 5 is a Leo — warm, confident, and born for the spotlight.
What is the birthstone for August 5?
The birthstone for a August 5 birthday is Peridot, and the birth flower is the Gladiolus.
Who is the most famous person born on August 5?
Neil Armstrong is among the best known — American astronaut and first person to walk on the Moon (born 1930).
What happened on August 5?
In 1858, The first transatlantic telegraph cable was completed.
What day of the year is August 5?
August 5 is the 217th day of the year (218th in leap years), with 148 days still to come.
Make their day unforgettable
Know someone born on August 5? See the full story of their exact birthday — the headlines, the #1 song, what things cost — and turn it into a personalized front-page newspaper they can keep.