Calvin Takes a Leak

June 5, 1988

It is believed that the infamous image of Calvin peeing was taken from the June 5, 1988 comic showing Calvin filling a water balloon. It was first used to show Calvin peeing on the letters FSU, the acronym for Florida State University.
Bill Watterson, the creator of Calvin and Hobbes, did not approve of the image and was not involved in its creation or production.
Watterson was strongly opposed to commercialization of the Calvin and Hobbes characters, which he saw as a major negative influence in the world of cartoon art. As such, almost no official Calvin and Hobbes merchandise exists outside of the comic strips themselves.

Beginning of the AIDS Epidemic

June 5, 1981

A report is issued concerning an unexplained outbreak, among homosexual men, of a type of pneumonia which usually affects only cancer patients.
The first known AIDS death occurred in 1969, although the cause of the 15-year-old boy's death wasn't determined until 1987.

Apple II Computer

June 5, 1977

The Apple II goes on sale. At a cost of $1298, it was one of the first microcomputers sold fully assembled.

Robert F. Kennedy Shot

June 5, 1968

24-year-old Palestinian Sirhan Bishara Sirhan shoots Robert F. Kennedy three times. Kennedy died the following day. Five other people were wounded. Kennedy had just won the California primary. After addressing his supporters at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California, he was leaving the hotel kitchen when Sirhan approached and began firing. He had been advised by his bodyguard to avoid the kitchen.

Bus Segregation Ruled Unconstitutional

June 5, 1956

An Alabama federal court ruled that any law requiring racially segregated seating on buses violated the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. This was a result of the year-long bus boycott that started when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white man.

First Person on FBI Ten Most Wanted

June 5, 1949

Thomas Holden kills his wife and her two brothers. After fleeing across state lines, he became the first person listed on the FBI Ten Most Wanted list when it was first published the following year.
He was eventually captured and died in prison.
Holden and Francis Keating robbed payroll deliveries, trains, and banks, becoming one of the most notorious holdup teams by the end of the 1920s. They were captured and convicted in 1928 and each sentenced to 25 years in prison.
After two years, they escaped Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary and went on to form a new gang, committing a series of daylight robberies during 1930 and 1931. They were recaptured and returned to Leavenworth, where Holden was paroled in 1947. Two and a half years later, Holden killed his wife and two of her brothers during a drunken family argument.

Lizzie Borden Murders

June 5, 1893

The trial of Lizzie Borden begins for the murders of her father and stepmother. They had been axed to death in their home. She was acquitted 15 days later.
"Lizzie Borden took an axe
And gave her mother forty whacks.
When she saw what she had done,
She gave her father forty-one."

Uncle Tom's Cabin

June 5, 1851

Harriet Beecher Stowe's epic story of slavery, Uncle Tom's Cabin, begins appearing in serial form in a Washington D.C. anti-slavery newspaper. The following year the book version was published, becoming the first American novel to sell 1,000,000 copies.

William Boyd

Born June 5, 1895 d. 1972

American actor. He played Hopalong Cassidy in the movies and television. His Hopalong Cassidy character was the first licensed character to appear on a metal lunchbox (1950).
Boyd's charisma and good looks helped make him a matinee idol in the 1920s, earning a salary of over $100,000 a year. In 1935, he was offered the supporting role of Red Connors in the movie Hop-Along Cassidy, but asked for and got the title role. The films were box office hits in the 1930s, but by the late 1940s "B" westerns were being phased out. Boyd mortgaged everything he owned to buy the rights to his films and licensed them to NBC television where they were edited to broadcast length and became an instant hit. In 1949, Hopalong Cassidy became the first network television Western series and the films earned Boyd millions, mostly from merchandising and endorsement deals. In 1950, more than 100 companies manufactured $70 million of Hopalong Cassidy products.
Boyd enlisted in the army during World War I, but was exempt from military service because of a "weak heart".
Film: The Road to Yesterday (1925).

Invented the Zippo Lighter

George G. Blaisdell

Born June 5, 1895 d. 1978

American businessman. Invented the Zippo cigarette lighter (1932). The lighters were so popular among military personnel that during World War II, Zippo ceased civilian production and only produced lighters for the military.
The Zippo lighter's distinctive click received a U.S. trademark in 2018.

Pancho Villa (José Doroteo Arango Arámbula)

Born June 5, 1878 d. 1923

Mexican revolutionary. He raided Texas and New Mexico, and led revolutions against Mexico.

Discovered Adding Sugar to Wine to Increase Alcohol Content

Jean-Antoine Chaptal

Born June 5, 1756 d. 1832

French chemist. He developed the process of adding sugar to unfermented wine to increase its alcohol content. He also coined the name "nitrogen" and wrote the first book on industrial chemistry.