Today in History:
December 5: Krampusnacht in parts of Central Europe
- 1456 – The first of two major earthquakes struck the Kingdom of Naples, killing up to 70,000 people.
- 1775 – American Revolutionary War: Continental Army colonel Henry Knox arrived at Fort Ticonderoga in New York to arrange the transport of 60 tons of artillery (depicted) to support the siege of Boston.
- 1807 – Napoleonic Wars: British ships began a raid on Griessie after the Dutch captain refused a British demand for surrender.
- 1918 – National Guards and Sokol volunteers protested in Zagreb, leading to an armed clash with regiments of the Home Guard and former Common Army.
- 1958 – Britain's first motorway, the Preston By-pass, opened to the public.
- Sigismund Rákóczi (d. 1608)
- Yūjirō Motora (b. 1858)
- Priscilla Jana (b. 1943)
- Neil Druckmann (b. 1978)
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