1. In 1832, the first issue of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette was published. The newspaper has been in continuous operation since and has won multiple Pulitzer Prizes for its reporting.

2. On April 5, 1908, the first Philadelphia Phillies game was played at the brand new Baker Bowl stadium. The Phillies lost to the New York Giants 3-0.

3. In 1933, a huge tornado outbreak occurred in Pennsylvania on April 5th and 6th. The outbreak produced at least 30 tornadoes that caused extensive damage in several counties, including Westmoreland and Fayette.

4. On April 5, 1961, Alan Shepard, a native of Derry, Pennsylvania, became the first American in space when he piloted the Mercury capsule Freedom 7 on a suborbital flight.

5. In 1979, the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Middletown, Pennsylvania experienced a partial meltdown on April 5th, which resulted in the release of radioactive gases. The accident was the most serious nuclear power plant incident in U.S. history.