Today's Trivia and What Happened on April 5

Who was the first person to use the mathematical plus (+) and minus (‑) signs in print?

Who was the first person to use the mathematical plus (+) and minus (‑) signs in print? Close Large View

Johann Widmann, a German mathematician. They were used in reference to surpluses and deficits in business problems in his 1489 book Behende und hübsche Rechenung auff allen Kauffmanschafft (Nimble and neat calculation in all trades). He is also credited with giving the first university lecture on algebra.

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Quote: He can compress more words into the fewest ideas than anyone I ever met. - Abraham Lincoln

Quote: He can compress more words into the fewest ideas than anyone I ever met. - Abraham Lincoln Close Large View

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What Happened On

Lord Carnarvon and his daughter with Howard Carter at Tut's tomb Lord Carnarvon and his daughter with Howard Carter at Tut's tomb

Lord Carnarvon and his daughter with Howard Carter at Tut's tomb Lord Carnarvon and his daughter with Howard Carter at Tut's tomb
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Victim of the Mummy's Curse?

April 5, 1923

Lord Carnarvon dies of an infected mosquito bite five months after he and Howard Carter opened King Tutankhamen's tomb, leading many to speculate, including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (creator of Sherlock Holmes), that his death was caused by protections put in place by Tutankhamen's priests to guard the royal tomb.

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April 5, 1892 ad and an Ice Cream Sundae April 5, 1892 ad and an Ice Cream Sundae

April 5, 1892 ad and an Ice Cream Sundae April 5, 1892 ad and an Ice Cream Sundae
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Ice Cream Sundae

April 5, 1892

The first newspaper ad for an Ice Cream Sundae appeared on April 5, 1892, in the Ithaca Daily Journal. Although there are many claims as to where and by whom the Ice Cream Sundae was invented, this is the first historically documented evidence for one. Reportedly, the first one was created the previous Sunday, April 3 by Church minister John M. Scott and pharmacy co-owner Chester Platt. They covered dishes of ice cream with cherry syrup and candied cherries. The men named the dish "Cherry Sunday" in honor of the day it was created. It was an immediate sensation and Platt soon added "Strawberry Sundays" and "Chocolate Sundays".

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Pocahontas Marries Capt. Rolfe

Pocahontas Marries Capt. Rolfe Close Large View

Pocahontas Marries Capt. Rolfe

April 5, 1614

Pocahontas, the daughter of Indian Chief Powhatan, marries Capt. John Rolfe. She is famous for the story told by Captain John Smith of how she risked her life to save his after his capture. After being falsely told that Smith had died, she married Rolfe and traveled to England with him, where she died. Her exact cause of death is unknown, but theories range from pneumonia, smallpox, tuberculosis, or even to her having been poisoned.
First Ladies Nancy Reagan and Edith Wilson are both descendants of Pocahontas and Rolfe.

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West Berlin Disco Bombing

April 5, 1986

Three people are killed and 229 are injured when a West Berlin Disco is bombed. It was a popular venue for U.S. soldiers and two of the dead and 79 of the injured were American servicemen. U.S. intelligence blamed Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and responded by bombing Tripoli and Benghazi, Libya killing at least 30 soldiers and 15 civilians. Eleven days after the bombing the U.S. would retaliate by bombing Libya attempting to assassinate Gaddafi, killing his infant daughter. In 2001, a German woman was convicted of placing the bomb. She was aided by her Palestinian husband, another Palestinian, and a Libyan who worked at the German embassy.

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The Amazing Spider-Man

April 5, 1978

The Amazing Spider-Man debuts on CBS.

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Cuba

April 5, 1958

Fidel Castro declares war against the Cuban regime of President Fulgencio Batista.

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Churchill Resigns

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Churchill Resigns

April 5, 1955

The British Prime Minister resigns due to failing health.

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Ethel and Julius after being found guilty Ethel and Julius after being found guilty

Ethel and Julius after being found guilty Ethel and Julius after being found guilty
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Julius and Ethel Rosenberg Sentenced to Death

April 5, 1951

The married couple, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, are sentenced to death for selling top secret information to the Soviets. They were executed in 1953, making them the first U.S. citizens executed for treason during peace time and the first married couple executed together in the U.S.

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First Lung Removal Operation

April 5, 1933

Dr. Evarts Ambrose Graham removes the cancerous lung of a fellow physician, curing the patient.

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First Presidential Veto

First Presidential Veto Close Large View

First Presidential Veto

April 5, 1792

George Washington vetoes an Apportionment Bill for the members of the House.

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Birthdays

Judith A. Resnik

Judith A. Resnik Close Large View
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Judith A. Resnik

Born April 5, 1949 d. 1986

American astronaut. She and civilian teacher Christa McAuliffe were the first U.S. women astronauts to die on a space mission (1986, Challenger disaster).

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Frank Gorshin, Jr.

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Frank Gorshin, Jr.

Born April 5, 1933 d. 2005

American actor. TV: Batman (1966-67, The Riddler). He also played the half-whiteface, half-blackface Bele in the Star Trek episode, Let That Be Your Last Battlefield (1969).

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Joseph Sobek

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Inventor of Racquetball

Joseph Sobek

Born April 5, 1918 d. 1998

American sportsman, inventor of racquetball (1950). He was the first person inducted into the Racquetball Hall of Fame.

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Bette Davis in Jezebel (left) and a publicity photo Bette Davis in Jezebel (left) and a publicity photo

Bette Davis in Jezebel (left) and a publicity photo Bette Davis in Jezebel (left) and a publicity photo
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Bette Davis (Ruth Elizabeth Davis)

Born April 5, 1908 d. 1989

American Oscar-winning actress. After her success in her Oscar-winning role as as a spoiled Southern belle in Jezebel (1938), she sought the role of Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind (1939), but was turned down by producer David O. Selznick.
On the death of her nemesis Joan Crawford she commented, "You should never say bad things about the dead, you should only say good. Joan Crawford is dead. Good."
Film: All About Eve (1950) and What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962).

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Booker T. Washington

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Booker T. Washington (Booker Taliaferro Washington)

Born April 5, 1856 d. 1915

American educator, presidential advisor. First leader of the Tuskegee Institute (1881) for the training of Negroes. Born into slavery, he was emancipated at the end of the Civil War. He believed the way for blacks to gain equal social rights was to demonstrate "industry, thrift, intelligence, and property." He helped create numerous education opportunities for blacks. He was the first African-American depicted on a U.S. coin.

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Mike McCready

Born April 5, 1966

American Hall of Fame guitarist and founding member of Pearl Jam.

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Lana Clarkson

Born April 5, 1962 d. 2003

American actress. She was found shot to death in music producer Phil Spector's home. In 2009, Spector was found guilty of second degree murder for her death. Film: Deathstalker (1983, warrior Kaira) and Barbarian Queen (1985, title role).

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Dean Kamen

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Dean Kamen

Born April 5, 1951

American inventor. He invented the Segway PT, an electric, self-balancing human transporter. He also invented the first drug infusion pump.

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Max Gail

Born April 5, 1943

American actor. TV: Barney Miller (Sgt. Wojohowicz).

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General Colin Luther Powell

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General Colin Luther Powell

Born April 5, 1937 d. 2021

U.S. Secretary of State (2001-05), Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (1989-93), and National Security Advisor (1987-89). His appointment to Secretary of State made him the highest-ranking African-American U.S. government official ever up to that time.

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Gale Storm (Josephine Owaissa Cottle)

Born April 5, 1922 d. 2009

American actress. TV: My Little Margie (1952-55, title role).

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Arthur Hailey

Born April 5, 1920 d. 2004

British-born author. Writings: Hotel (1965) and Airport (1968).

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Robert Bloch

Born April 5, 1917 d. 1994

American author. Writings: Psycho (1959, the basis for the Alfred Hitchcock film).

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Gregory Peck

Born April 5, 1916 d. 2003

American Oscar-winning actor. Film: Roman Holiday (1953), To Kill a Mockingbird (1962, Oscar), and The Omen (1976).

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Albert R. Broccoli

Born April 5, 1909 d. 1996

American movie producer.Broccoli and Harry Saltzman produced the James Bond movie series.
In 1966, while in Japan scouting locations to film the You Only Live Twice, he booked a flight on BOAC Flight 911, but canceled his ticket at the last minute to watch a ninja demonstration. The plane crashed due to clear-air turbulence with all 113 passengers and 11 crew members dying in the crash.

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Herbert von Karajan

Born April 5, 1908 d. 1989

Austrian classical conductor.

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Spencer Tracy (John Edward Tracy)

Born April 5, 1900 d. 1967

American Oscar-winning actor. Film: Boys Town (1938, Father Flanagan, Oscar), Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941, Dr. Jekyll), and The Old Man and the Sea (1958, narrator). He teamed with Katharine Hepburn for numerous films.

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W. Atlee Burpee

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W. Atlee Burpee

Born April 5, 1858 d. 1915

American seedsman. In 1876 at age 18, he founded what would become the world's largest mail-order seed company.

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Founder of Antiseptic Surgery

Joseph Lister

Born April 5, 1827 d. 1912

English physician, founder of antiseptic surgery. He performed the first operation using antiseptic (1867, mastectomy on his sister).

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Elihu Yale

Born April 5, 1649 d. 1721

English colonial official. For whom Yale University is named.

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Deaths

Charlton Heston

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Charlton Heston (Charles Carter)

Died April 5, 2008 b. 1923

American Oscar-winning actor. Film: The Ten Commandments (1956, Moses), Ben-Hur (1959, title role, Oscar), Planet of the Apes (1968), The Omega Man (1971), and Soylent Green (1973). He was a five-term president of the National Rifle Association (1998-2003).

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Walmart's first store (1962, Wal-Mart Discount City in Rogers, Arkansas) Walmart's first store (1962, Wal-Mart Discount City in Rogers, Arkansas)

Walmart's first store (1962, Wal-Mart Discount City in Rogers, Arkansas) Walmart's first store (1962, Wal-Mart Discount City in Rogers, Arkansas)
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Founder of Wal-Mart

Samuel Moore Walton

Died April 5, 1992 b. 1918

American businessman, founder of Walmart (1962) and Sam's Club (1983).

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Howard Robard Hughes, Jr.

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Howard Robard Hughes, Jr.

Died April 5, 1976 b. 1905

American billionaire, world-class aviator, motion picture executive. His eccentricity is described in the book I Caught Flies for Howard Hughes and the film The Aviator (2004).

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Douglas MacArthur

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Douglas MacArthur

Died April 5, 1964 b. 1880

American 5-star general. "I shall return." He and his father were the first father and son to receive the U.S. Medal of Honor.

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Fahreda Mazar Spyropoulos

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Fahreda Mazar Spyropoulos

Died April 5, 1937 b. circa 1871

Syrian belly dancer, billed as "Little Egypt." She performed at Chicago's 1893 exposition, launching the turn of the century's belly dancing craze.
Reportedly, Mark Twain had a near fatal heart attack watching her perform (1898). In 1896, she was arrested by New York City police for dancing naked at a stag party given by the grandson of P.T. Barnum.

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Lord Carnarvon and his daughter with Howard Carter at Tut's tomb Lord Carnarvon and his daughter with Howard Carter at Tut's tomb

Lord Carnarvon and his daughter with Howard Carter at Tut's tomb Lord Carnarvon and his daughter with Howard Carter at Tut's tomb
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Victim of the Mummy's Curse?

Lord Carnarvon (George Edward Stanhope Molyneux Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvon, DL)

Died April 5, 1923 b. 1866

English Aristocrat. Was Lord Carnarvon a victim of the "Mummy's Curse"? In 1922, he and Howard Carter opened King Tutankhamen's tomb. He died five months later due to an infected mosquito bite, leading many to speculate, including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (creator of Sherlock Holmes), that his death was caused by protections put in place by Tutankhamen's priests to guard the royal tomb.

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Honor Blackman

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Honor Blackman

Died April 5, 2020 b. 1925

English actress. Film: Jason and the Argonauts (1963, Hera) and Goldfinger (1964, Pussy Galore). TV: The Avengers (1962-64, Cathy Gale) and The Upper Hand (1990-96, Laura West).

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Richard Dysart

Died April 5, 2015 b. 1929

American actor. TV: L.A. Law (1986-94, Leland McKenzie).

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Kurt Cobain

Died April 5, 1994 b. 1967

American Rock and Roll Hall of Fame singer, songwriter, guitarist, with Nirvana. Music: Smells Like Teen Spirit (1991).
In 1987, Cobain formed Nirvana with Krist Novoselic and Aaron Burckhard and established it as part of the Seattle music scene that later became known as grunge. Cobain was found dead in his Seattle home on April 8, 1994, at the age of 27. Investigators concluded he had died on April 5 from a self-inflicted shotgun wound to the head.
Quote: They laugh at me because I'm different; I laugh at them because they're all the same.

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Chiang Kai-shek

Died April 5, 1975 b. 1887

Chinese general, head of state (1927-75). He led the Allied forces in China during World War II.

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Earl Derr Biggers

Died April 5, 1933 b. 1884

American author, created the Chinese detective Charlie Chan.

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Mayflower in Plymouth Harbor by William Halsall, 1882 Mayflower in Plymouth Harbor by William Halsall, 1882

Mayflower in Plymouth Harbor by William Halsall, 1882 Mayflower in Plymouth Harbor by William Halsall, 1882
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John Carver

Died April 5, 1621 b. circa 1576

American colonist, church elder. He chartered the Mayflower for its expedition to the New World (1620) and was the first governor of the Plymouth colony.

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