On this day: February 5

February 5

Bill Ponsford

• 1783 – The first of five strong earthquakes hit the region of Calabria on the Italian Peninsula killing more than 32,000 people over a period of nearly two months.
• 1818 – Marshal of France Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte ascended to the thrones of Sweden and Norway.
• 1909 – Belgian chemist Leo Baekeland announced the creation of Bakelite, the world's first synthetic plastic.
• 1923 – Australian cricketer Bill Ponsford (pictured) made 429 runs to break the world record for the highest first-class score.
• 2009 – The United States Navy guided missile cruiser Port Royal ran aground on a coral reef off the island of Oahu.

More anniversaries:

• February 4
• February 5
• February 6

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