June 5 is the 156th day of the year (157th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 209 days remaining until the end of the year.
Up to 1950
- 70 - Titus and his Roman legions breach the middle of the Wall of Jerusalem in the Siege of Jerusalem.
- 1224 - The University of Naples is founded.
- 1257 - Krakow receives city rights.
- 1283 - Battle of the Gulf of Naples: Roger of Lauria, admiral to King Peter III of Aragon, captures Charles II of Naples.
- 1654 - Queen Christina I of Sweden abdicates (leaves) the throne and secretly converts to Roman Catholicism.
- 1806 - Louis Bonaparte becomes regent of the Netherlands.
- 1817 - The first Great Lakes steamer, Frontenac, is launched.
- 1829 - HMS Pickle captures the armed slave ship, Voladora, off Cuba.
- 1832 - The June Rebellion breaks out in Paris in an attempt to overthrow the monarchy of Louis-Philippe.
- 1837 - Houston, Texas is incorporated as part of the then-Republic of Texas.
- 1849 – Denmark becomes a constitutional monarchy.
- 1851 - Harriet Beecher Stowe's serial Uncle Tom's Cabin starts a 10-month run in the 'National Era' newspaper.
- 1862 - The Treaty of Saigon is signed, ceding parts of southern Vietnam to France. The guerrilla, Huong Dinh, continues to fight against the Europeans, against the order of Emperor Tu Duc.
- 1864 - American Civil War: Battle of Piedmont, Virginia - Union forces under General David Hunter defeat a Confederate army at Piedmont, Virginia, taking nearly 1,000 prisoners.
- 1870 - Fire rips through Pera, a part of Constantinople (present-day Istanbul), destroying over 3,000 houses and killing around 1,300 people.
- 1883 - The first regularly-scheduled Orient Express leaves Paris.
- 1888 - An earthquake of over magnitude 5 strikes the Rio de la Plata region between Argentina and Uruguay.
- 1900 - Second Boer War: British soldiers take Pretoria.
- 1915 – Denmark amends its constitution to give women the right to vote.
- 1916 - Louis Brandeis is sworn in as Justice of the United States Supreme Court.
- 1917 - World War I: Conscription into the military, for the war, begins in the United States.
- 1924 - The first fax to be sent across the Atlantic Ocean is sent by Ernst Alexanderson.
- 1941 - 4,000 Chongqing residents choke to death in a bomb shelter during the bombing of Chongqing.
- 1942 - World War II: The United States declares war on Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania.
- 1944 - World War II: Over 1,000 British bombers drop 5,000 tons of bombs on German gun batteries in Normandy, in preparation for the D-Day landings the next day.
- 1945 - The Allied Control Council, the military occupation governing body of Germany after World War II, officially takes control.
- 1946 - A fire at the Fort de la Salle Hotel in Chicago kills 61 people.
- 1947 – George Marshall calls for aid to war-torn Europe.
- 1949 - Thailand's first female Member of Parliament, Orapin Chaiyakin, is elected.
1951 – 2000
- 1953 - Denmark's Constitution is reformed, allowing a woman to become monarch. Future Queen, Margrethe II of Denmark, becomes next-in-line to the throne.
- 1956 - Elvis Presley introduces the famous Hound Dog single.
- 1959 - The first government of the State of Singapore is sworn in.
- 1963 – British politician John Profumo resigns in a sex scandal.
- 1963 - Mass protests occur in Iran against Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi after Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini is arrested.
- 1967 – The Six-Day War begins, fought between Israel and its neighbours.
- 1968 - Robert F. Kennedy is shot in Los Angeles, California, by Sirhan Sirhan. Kennedy dies the next day as a result of his injuries.
- 1969 - The International Communist Conference begins on Moscow.
- 1975 - Egypt's Suez Canal opens for the first time since the Six-Day War.
- 1975 - The United Kingdom holds a referendum on membership of the European Economic Community, with a majority voting to stay part of the organization.
- 1976 - The Teton Dam in Idaho collapses, killing 11 people.
- 1977 – A coup occurs in the Seychelles.
- 1981 - The first cases of what would later be known as AIDS, are reported.
- 1984 - Operation Blue Star: Prime Minister of India Indira Gandhi orders a storming of the Golden Temple in Amritsar, the holiest place in the Sikh religion.
- 1989 – The Unknown Rebel halts a line of tanks in an act of defiance at the Chinese government's violent crackdown at Tiananmen Square in Beijing.
- 1998 – A seven-week strike begins at General Motors.
- 1998 - Ethiopia and Eritrea start fighting a border war.
- 2000 - Sumatra is hit by a magnitude 7.9 earthquake, killing over 100 people.
- 2000 - A 6-day war begins in Kisangani, Democratic Republic of the Congo between Rwandan and Ugandan forces.
Up to 1900
- 1341 – Edmund of Langley, a younger son of King Edward III of England (d. 1402)
- 1493 – Justus Jonas, German Protestant reformer (d. 1555)
- 1553 - Bernardino Baldi, Italian mathematician (d. 1617)
- 1606 – Pierre Corneille, French playwright (d. 1684)
- 1640 - Pu Songling, Chinese writer (d. 1715)
- 1646 - Elena Cornaro Piscopia, Italian mathematician (d. 1684)
- 1660 - Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough (d. 1744)
- 1718 – Thomas Chippendale, English furniture maker (d. 1779)
- 1723 – Adam Smith, Scottish economist (d. 1790)
- 1757 – Pierre Jean George Cabanis, French physiologist (d. 1808)
- 1760 - Johan Gadolin, Finnish chemist, physicist and mineralogist (d. 1852)
- 1771 – Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover (d. 1851)
- 1781 – Christian August Lobeck, German classical scholar (d. 1860)
- 1791 - Salim bin Sultan, Sultan of Muscat and Oman (d. 1856)
- 1805 - Samuel Adams, Governor of Arkansas (d. 1850)
- 1806 - Magnus Eiriksson, Icelandic theologian and writer (d. 1881)
- 1819 – John Couch Adams, English mathematician and astronomer (d. 1892)
- 1830 - Carmine Crocco, Italian guerrilla (d. 1905)
- 1850 – Pat Garrett, American Western lawman (d. 1908)
- 1862 – Allvar Gullstrand, Swedish ophthalmologist, won the 1911 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (d. 1930)
- 1868 - James Connolly, Scottish-Irish socialist leader and general (d. 1916)
- 1868 - William W. Brandon, 37th Governor of Alabama (d. 1934)
- 1876 – Tony Jackson, American musician (d. 1920)
- 1878 – Pancho Villa, Mexican revolutionary (d. 1923)
- 1879 – Robert Mayer, philanthropist (d. 1985)
- 1883 – John Maynard Keynes, English economist (d. 1946)
- 1884 – Ralph Benatzky, composer (d. 1957)
- 1884 - Frederick Lorz, American long-distance runner (d. 1914)
- 1892 - Jaan Kikkas, Estonian weightlifter (d. 1944)
- 1894 – Roy Thomson, Lord Thomson of Fleet, English publisher (d. 1976)
- 1895 – William Boyd, American actor (d. 1972)
- 1898 – Federico García Lorca, Spanish lyricist and dramatist (d. 1936)
- 1898 - Salvatore Ferragamo, Italian shoemaker (d. 1960)
- 1899 - Otis Barton, American engineer and diver (d. 1992)
- 1899 - Theippan Maungwa, Burmese writer (d. 1942)
- 1900 – Dennis Gabor, Hungarian-born physicist (d. 1979)
1901 – 1950
- 1902 - Arthur Powell Davies, American minister, author and activist (d. 1957)
- 1906 - Eraldo Monzeglio, Italian footballer (d. 1981)
- 1908 - Navi Naryana Reddy, Indian philanthropist and social reformer (d. 1991)
- 1912 – Josef Neckermann, German entrepreneur and dressage equestrian (d. 1992)
- 1914 - Beatrice De Cardi, British archaeologist
- 1919 – Richard Scarry, American children's writer (d. 1994)
- 1921 - Sheila Sim, British actress (d. 2016)
- 1925 – Art Donovan, American football player (d. 2013)
- 1925 – Boy Gobert, actor (d. 1986)
- 1926 - Camillo Cibin, Italian papal bodyguard (d. 2009)
- 1926 - Gurgen Dalibaltayan, Armenian colonel-general (d. 2015)
- 1928 – Robert Lansing, American actor (d. 1994)
- 1928 – Tony Richardson, British actor (d. 1991)
- 1930 - Alifa Rifaat, Egyptian writer (d. 1996)
- 1931 – Jacques Demy, French playwright (d. 1990)
- 1931 - Jerzy Prokopiuk, Polish anthropologist and philosopher
- 1932 – Christy Brown, Irish writer (d. 1981)
- 1933 - William Kahan, Canadian mathematician
- 1934 – Bill Moyers, American journalist
- 1934 - Vilhjalmur Einarsson, Icelandic athlete
- 1935 - Helmut Benthaus, German footballer
- 1938 – Karin Balzer, East German hurdler
- 1939 – Joe Clark, sixteenth Prime Minister of Canada
- 1939 – Margaret Drabble, English novelist
- 1941 – Martha Argerich, Argentine pianist
- 1941 – Spalding Gray, American actor, screenwriter, and monologue artist (d. 2004)
- 1941 - Robert Kraft, American businessman
- 1942 – Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, President of Equatorial Guinea
- 1944 - Massimo Cacciari, Italian philosopher and politician
- 1944 – Tommie Smith, American athlete
- 1945 - Patrick Head, English businessman
- 1946 - Stefania Sandrelli, Italian actress
- 1947 – Kevin Schon, American actor
- 1947 – Laurie Anderson, American performance artist, actress, composer
- 1949 – Ken Follett, Welsh writer
1951 – 1975
- 1952 – Nicko McBrain, English musician (Iron Maiden)
- 1953 - Kathleen Kennedy, American movie producer
- 1954 - Simon Hopkinson, English food writer
- 1955 – Edinho, Brazilian footballer
- 1956 – Kenny G, American musician
- 1958 – Ahmed Abdallah Sambi, former President of the Comoros
- 1959 - Robert Lloyd, English singer
- 1960 - Julie Kirkbride, English politician
- 1961 - Anthony Burger, American singer and pianist (d. 2006)
- 1961 - Mary Kay Bergman, American voice actress (d. 1999)
- 1962 – Princess Astrid of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este
- 1962 - Jeff Garlin, American actor, comedian and producer
- 1965 - Sandrine Piau, French soprano
- 1965 - Bob Probert, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2010)
- 1967 – Joe DeLoach, American athlete
- 1968 - Ed Vaizey, English lawyer and politician
- 1970 – Martin Gelinas, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1971 – Mark Wahlberg ("Marky Mark"), American singer and actor
- 1971 - Miyuki Komatsu, Japanese actress
- 1972 – Mike Bucci (Nova, Simon Dean), American professional wrestler
- 1973 - Andy McLaren, Scottish footballer
- 1974 - Chad Allen, American actor
- 1974 - Nina Conti, English ventriloquist and actress
- 1975 - Anna Nova, German pornographic actress
From 1976
- 1976 - Ross Noble, English comedian
- 1976 - Aesop Rock, American rapper, musician, songwriter and producer
- 1978 - Fernando Meira, Portuguese footballer
- 1979 – David Bisbal, Spanish singer
- 1979 - François Sagat, French actor
- 1979 - David Weir, British Paralympic athlete
- 1979 – Pete Wentz, American musician (Fall Out Boy)
- 1981 – Jade Goody, British TV personality (d. 2009)
- 1981 – Sebastien Lefebvre, Canadian musician (Simple Plan)
- 1982 - Zvjezdan Misimovic, Bosnia and Herzegovina footballer
- 1984 – Mark Wilson, Scottish footballer
- 1985 - Jeremy Abbott, American figure skater
- 1985 - Ekaterina Bychkova, Russian tennis player
- 1985 - Rubén de la Red, Spanish footballer
- 1986 - Dave Bolland, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1986 - Amanda Crew, Canadian actress
- 1987 - Charlie Clements, English actor
- 1987 - Marcus Thornton, American basketball player
- 1989 - Megumi Nakajima, Japanese voice actress
- 1990 - Sophie Lowe, English-Australian movie actress
- 1990 - Junior Hoilett, Canadian footballer
- 1991 - Martin Braithwaite, Danish footballer
- 1992 - Emily Seebohm, Australian swimmer
- 1993 - Laura Giuliani, Italian footballer
- 1995 - Beckii Cruel, British dancer and singer
- 1997 - Kieran Tierney, Scottish footballer
- 1998 - Yulia Lipnitskaya, Russian figure skater
- 2005 - Irene Urdangarin y Borbon, Spanish royal
Up to 1900
- 301 - Sima Lun, Chinese usurper of the Jin Dynasty (b. 249)
- 535 - Patriarch Epiphanius of Constantinople
- 567 - Patriarch Theodosius I of Alexandria
- 754 - Saint Boniface, English missionary, bishop and martyr
- 1017 - Emperor Sanjo of Japan (b. 976)
- 1296 - Edmund Crouchback, son of Henry III of England (b. 1245)
- 1316 – King Louis X of France (b. 1289)
- 1568 - Lamoral, Count Egmont, Flemish soldier and statesman (b. 1522)
- 1625 – Orlando Gibbons, English composer (b. 1583)
- 1667 - Pietro Sforza Pallavicino, Italian cardinal and historian (b. 1607)
- 1688 - Constantin Phaulkon, Greek adventurer (b. 1647)
- 1716 - Roger Cotes, English mathematician (b. 1682)
- 1722 - Johann Kuhnau, German composer and musician (b. 1660)
- 1791 - Frederick Haldimand, 22nd Governor of Quebec (b. 1718)
- 1816 - Giovanni Paisiello, Italian composer (b. 1741)
- 1819 - Bodawpaya, King of Burma (b. 1745)
- 1826 - Carl Maria von Weber, German pianist, composer and conductor (b. 1786)
- 1857 - Henry Hubbard, Governor of New Hampshire (b. 1784)
- 1866 – John McDouall Stuart, Australian explorer (b. 1815)
- 1900 – Stephen Crane, American writer (b. 1871)
1901 – 2000
- 1904 - Sami Frasheri, Albanian writer (b. 1850)
- 1906 – Karl Robert Eduard von Hartmann, German philosopher (b. 1842)
- 1910 - O. Henry, American author (b. 1862)
- 1916 – Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener, British field marshal (b. 1850)
- 1921 - Georges Feydeau, French playwright (b. 1862)
- 1930 - Pascin, Bulgarian painter (b. 1885)
- 1947 - Nils Olof Chrisander, Swedish actor and director (b. 1884)
- 1967 - Arthur Biram, Israeli philologist, philosopher and educator (b. 1878)
- 1975 - Paul Keres, Estonian painter (b. 1916)
- 1979 - Heinz Erhardt, German actor and comedian (b. 1909)
- 1991 - Heo Jong-suk, Korean writer, poet, journalist and Communist activist (b. 1902)
- 1993 – Conway Twitty, American musician (b. 1933)
- 1998 - Jeanette Nolan, American actress (b. 1911)
- 1998 - Sam Yorty, 37th Mayor of Los Angeles, California (b. 1909)
- 1999 - Mel Tormé, American jazz musician (b. 1925)
- 2000 - Don Liddle, American baseball player (b. 1925)
- 2000 – Franco Rossi, Italian movie director and producer (b. 1919)
From 2001
- 2001 - Pedro Lain Estralgo, Spanish medical researcher (b. 1908)
- 2002 – Dee Dee Ramone, American musician (The Ramones) (b. 1951)
- 2003 - Juergen Moellemann, German politician (b. 1944)
- 2003 - Manuel Rosenthal, French composer and conductor (b. 1904)
- 2004 – Ronald Reagan, American actor and politician, 40th President of the United States (b. 1911)
- 2007 – Povel Ramel, Swedish entertainer (b. 1922)
- 2008 - Eugenio Montejo, Venezuelan poet (b. 1938)
- 2012 - Barry Unsworth, British author (b. 1930)
- 2012 - Ray Bradbury, American writer (b. 1920)
- 2013 - Stanislaw Nagy, Polish cardinal (b. 1921)
- 2014 - Reiulf Steen, Norwegian politician and diplomat (b. 1933)
- 2014 - Don Davis, American musician, songwriter and producer (b. 1938)
- 2015 - Alan Bond, Australian businessman (b. 1938)
- 2015 - Jerry Collins, New Zealand rugby player (b. 1980)
- 2015 - Tariq Aziz, Iraqi politician (b. 1936)
- 2015 - Jane Briggs Hart, American aviator (b. 1921)
- 2015 - Sadun Boro, Turkish sailor (b. 1928)
- 2015 - Giacomo Furia, Italian actor (b. 1925)
- 2015 - Kazuo Chiba, Japanese Aikido teacher (b. 1940)
- 2016 - Manohar Aich, Indian bodybuilder (b. 1914)
- 2016 - Gianluca Buonanno, Italian politician (b. 1966)
- 2016 - Jerome Bruner, American psychologist (b. 1915)
- 2016 - Jarbas Passarinho, Brazilian politician (b. 1920)
- 2017 - Kathryn Stripling Byer, American poet (b. 1944)
- 2017 - Andy Cunningham, British magician, puppeteer and actor (b. 1950)
- 2017 - Helen Dunmore, British writer (b. 1952)
- 2017 - Marilyn Hall, Canadian-born American television producer and philanthropist (b. 1927)
- 2017 - Giuliano Sarti, Italian footballer (b. 1933)
- 2017 - Cheick Tioté, Ivorian footballer (b. 1986)
- 2018 - Brian Browne, Canadian jazz pianist and composer (b. 1937)
- 2018 - Pierre Carniti, Italian politician and trade unionist (b. 1936)
- 2018 - Denman, Irish-bred racehorse (b. 2000)
- 2018 - Feng Ting-kuo, Taiwanese politician (b. 1990)
- 2018 - Kate Spade, American fashion designer (b. 1962)