In History, Today on February 5

A strong earthquake of magnitude 7.8 struck southern Turkey and northwestern Syria, causing widespread destruction and fatalities across the region.

Myanmar police filed charges against ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi for illegally importing communications equipment, such as walkie-talkies found at her residence two days after the military coup.

The United States Senate voted to acquit President Donald Trump on both articles of impeachment, abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, concluding the third impeachment trial of a U.S. president.

Pope Francis became the first pope to visit the Arabian Peninsula, holding a historic public mass in Abu Dhabi attended by around 180,000 people.

Satya Nadella was appointed as the CEO of Microsoft, succeeding Steve Ballmer. Nadella became the third CEO in the company's history.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport overturned the lifetime ban of cyclist Lance Armstrong, allowing him to compete in sports other than cycling.

The European Union imposed an oil embargo on Iran, aiming to pressure the country over its nuclear program. This was part of broader international sanctions against Iran.

The beginning of the most intense marching along al-Ahram in Giza occurs as part of the Egyptian revolution calling for political reform.

A major tornado outbreak occurred across the southern United States, resulting in 87 tornadoes and causing 57 fatalities. It was one of the deadliest tornado outbreaks in the U.S. in recent history.

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell presented evidence to the United Nations Security Council alleging that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction, which was a pivotal moment leading up to the Iraq War.

Tens of thousands of protesters in Thailand took to the streets to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai, accusing him of corruption and economic mismanagement.

Byron De La Beckwith is convicted of the 1963 murder of civil rights leader Medgar Evers, over 30 years after the crime.

The Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega is indicted on drug trafficking charges by a U.S. federal grand jury.

Astronauts land on the Moon during the Apollo 14 mission, becoming the third successful manned lunar landing.

A hydrogen bomb known as the Tybee Bomb is lost off the coast of Savannah, Georgia, after a mid-air collision.

The Yalta Conference begins in Crimea, bringing together leaders Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin to discuss the reorganization of post-World War II Europe.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt proposes a plan to expand the Supreme Court, known as the 'court-packing plan'.

The Royal Greenwich Observatory begins broadcasting the hourly time signals known as the Greenwich Time Signal or the 'BBC pips.'

The United States Congress passes the Immigration Act of 1917, which restricts immigration by imposing literacy tests and barring immigrants from Asia.

The first synthetic plastic, Bakelite, is announced by Belgian chemist Leo Baekeland.

The European college of the University of Tokyo was reorganized into the Tokyo Imperial University, marking a significant development in Japan's higher education system.

King Leopold II of Belgium establishes the Congo Free State as his personal possession, leading to significant exploitation and human rights abuses.

The largest alluvial gold nugget in history, known as the 'Welcome Stranger', is found in Moliagul, Victoria, Australia.

The Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia, opens to the public.

The Battle of the Alamo began, as Mexican troops under General Santa Anna began a siege of the Texan defenders of the Alamo Mission.

Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte ascends to the throne of Sweden as King Charles XIV John.

A British naval force began bombarding Copenhagen, leading to the Second Battle of Copenhagen.

The French National Convention banned slavery in all its territories.

An earthquake devastates the Italian city of Calabria, causing widespread destruction and loss of life.

The Spanish captured Minorca from the British during the American Revolutionary War.

The last execution of the Twenty-six Martyrs of Japan takes place in Nagasaki, Japan. These Christian missionaries and converts were executed by crucifixion on the orders of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, marking a significant event in the history of Christianity in Japan.

The Treaty of Vaucelles was signed, establishing a five-year truce between King Henry II of France and Emperor Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire in an attempt to halt the Italian Wars.

Alexios V Doukas is declared Byzantine Emperor during the Fourth Crusade.

Pope Gelasius II dies. His papacy was marked by conflicts with the emperor, Henry V, concerning the investiture controversy.

An Lushan, a general of the Tang Dynasty, declared himself emperor and established the Yan Dynasty, marking a significant point in the An Lushan Rebellion.

A powerful earthquake struck the city of Pompeii, causing significant damage and foreshadowing the eventual eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.