January 5, 1643 - The American colonies experience the first divorce proceedings. Anne Clarke, resident of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, is awarded a divorce from her husband.

January 5, 1846 - In a signal to Britain that the United States planned to claim the Oregon Territory as its own, the U.S. House of Representatives declares an end to the sharing of the territory by the two countries.

January 5, 1900 - The cause of Earth's magnetism is discovered by Henry Augustus Rowland of Johns Hopkins University.

January 5, 1924 - Walter Chrysler, having left employment at General Motors, produces his first motorcar.

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January 5, 1931 - Robert Duvall, actor (The Godfather, Apocalypse Now), is born.

January 5, 1933 - Workers begin construction on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

January 5, 1934 - The American and National Baseball Leagues decide to use the same size baseball.

January 5, 1972 - President Nixon announces that the space program will shift from rocket flights to manned space shuttles.

"In a civil war, a general must know ... exactly when to move over to the other side." - Henry Reed