April 5 in Pop Culture History

1614 – In Virginia, Native American Pocahontas married English colonist John Rolfe.

1722 – On Easter Sunday, Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen discovered a Polynesian Island 1400 miles from the coast of South America and named it Easter Island.

1753 – The British Museum was founded with the purchase of the 50,000-volume library of Sir Hans Sloane and his collection of 69,352 items of nature and art.

1922 – The American Birth Control League, the forerunner of Planned Parenthood, was incorporated.

1923 – Firestone Tire and Rubber Company began production of balloon-type tires.

1933 – President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 6102, “forbidding the Hoarding of Gold Coin, Gold Bullion, and Gold Certificates” by U.S. citizens.

1936 (Tornado) Tupelo, Mississippi

1949 – Fireside Theater debuted on NBC.

1975 – #1 Hit April 5, 1975 – April 11, 1975: Minnie Riperton – Lovin’ You

1987 – FOX debuted two shows, Married… with Children and The Tracey Ullman Show.

1991 – Katie Couric was designated a co-host of the Today Show.

1994 – Lead Singer of Nirvana, Kurt Cobain, committed suicide and was found three days later. #27club

1996 – A Thin Line Between Love and Hate and Primal Fear were released in theaters.

1997 – The Crocodile Hunter premiered on Animal Planet

2002 – National Lampoon’s Van Wilder debuted in theaters.

2006 – The first case of H5N1 avian flu was confirmed in the UK after tests on a dead swan found in Cellardyke, Fife.

2008 – #1 Hit April 5, 2008 – April 11, 2008: Leona Lewis – Bleeding Love

2012 – Scandal premiered on ABC

2013 – Penn & Teller were honored with the 2,494th star at the Hollywood Walk of Fame for their achievement in the category of Live Performance.

2013 – Evil Dead was released in theaters.

2063 – (fictional) In Star Trek lore, Zefram Cochrane made the first human warp flight with the Phoenix. This attracted the Vulcans and they made first contact with humans.