On April 5, 1960
Oakland, California’s new professional football team was initially named the Oakland Señors. However, just nine days later, the team was renamed the “Raiders.”

Image of a truck owned by the Interlines Motor Express painted to advertise the Oakland Raiders football team in 1962
via Wikimedia Commons, public domain

On April 5, 1851, Mayor of New York City Ambrose Kingsland sent a message to members of the city’s Common Council proposing that a portion of land be designated for public recreation. This area became known as Central Park.

Image of Ambrose Kingsland via Wikimedia Commons, public domain

On April 5, 1933, President Roosevelt created the Civilian Conservation Corps, a work relief program for unmarried men ages 18 – 25. In the nine years the CCC existed about 3 million young men worked a variety of mostly-outdoor jobs all throughout the US. Shown are workers on an experimental farm in Beltsville, Maryland.

Image from NARA via Wikimedia Commons, public domain in the US.

An air-to-air right side view of an RF-4C Phantom II aircraft of the 152nd Tactical Reconnaissance Group in flight over Lake Tahoe

April 5, 1988

via Wikimedia Commons, public domain

American actor Spencer Tracy was born on April 5, 1900 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

In the early 1920s Tracy played the part of a robot in his first Broadway performance.

Image of Spencer Tracy in 1935 via Wikimedia Commons, public domain

Sitting Bull by American artist Walter W. Winans who was born on April 5, 1852.

Winans also won a gold medal in men’s shooting at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.

Image via Wikimedia Commons, public domain

“I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.”

– Booker T. Washington who was born on April 5, 1856 in Hale’s Ford, Virginia.

Image: Booker T. Washington via Wikimedia Commons, public domain

On April 5, 1965, the 37th Academy Awards took place in Santa Monica, California.

It’s the only time in the history of the Oscars that three films (Becket, Mary Poppins and My Fair Lady) each received 12 or more nominations.

Images via Wikimedia Commons, public domain

Man on the left? 5th Governor of Virginia and Signer of The Declaration of Independence Benjamin Harrison V
(Born on April 5, 1726)

Man in the center? Benjamin Harrison V‘s son who was the 9th President of The United States William Henry Harrison.

Man on the right? William Henry Harrison’s grandson and 23rd President of The United States Benjamin Harrison

On today’s date April 5, 1968, Simon & Garfunkel released their chart-topping single “Mrs. Robinson”

Image: Simon and Garfunkel in 1968 by GAC-General Artists Corporation-management and Columbia Records, their recording company via Wikimedia Commons, public domain

Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) of the UCLA Bruins delivering a thunderous reverse two-handed dunk against Stanford c. 1967

17 years later on April 5, 1984 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar became the NBA’s career scoring leader, a record which stood until 2023.

Image via Wikimedia Commons, public domain

A photo of American actor Gregory Peck from 1937 while he was a student at Berkeley.

During his time at Berkeley, Peck performed in a number of plays including a production of Moby Dick which was nearly two decades before he played the role of Captain Ahab in the 1956 film.

Gregory Peck was born on April 5, 1916 in San Diego, California.

Image via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0

Born April 5, 1858 Washington Atlee Burpee was a noted poultry breeder by his late teens. Customers who bought his corn seed for poultry feed began requesting other seeds, starting the Burpee Seed Company. Burpee established farms to evaluate varieties of vegetables and flowers in Pennsylvania, California, and New Jersey.

Image from the 1901 Burpee Seed-Sense catalog via Wikimedia Commons, no known restrictions

On April 5, 1614, Pocahontas married Jamestown settler and English tobacco planter John Rolfe.

Pocahontas and her husband John Rolfe had a son who they named Thomas.

Sadly Pocahontas only lived long enough to see her son Thomas reach the age of 2.

Image: Painting of Rolfe and Pocahontas from the 1800s via Wikimedia Commons, public domain

Ramona Lubo, a Coahuilla Native American woman, Cahuilla, California
April 5, 1899

She is believed to be the person who Helen Hunt Jackson based her novel “Ramona” which was published in 1884.

via Wikimedia Commons, public domain

Theodore Roosevelt with others standing on back of train, facing crowd. Eugene, Ore. April 5, 1911

via Library of Congress, no known restrictions

Over four centuries ago, on April 5, 1621 (Old Style Date) the Mayflower departed Plymouth to return to England.

Image: Return of The Mayflower via NYPL Digital Collections, no known restrictions