1. On August 5, 1830, Mexican President Anastasio Bustamante decreed the first Mexican colonization law, which stated that all colonies in Mexico were to be governed by Mexican law and that no colony was to be governed by foreign laws or customs.

2. On August 5, 1862, the Battle of Baton Rouge was fought during the American Civil War. The battle was a Union victory and led to the capture of Baton Rouge, Louisiana by Union forces.

3. On August 5, 1908, the first recorded airplane flight in Texas took place in Fort Worth. The Wright Brothers had made their first flight just five years earlier.

4. On August 5, 1966, the University of Texas at Austin mass shooting occurred. A gunman opened fire on the campus, killing 14 people and injuring 31 others before being subdued by police.

5. On August 5, 1987, the Texas Rangers retired the jersey of baseball legend Nolan Ryan. Ryan, who pitched for the Rangers from 1989 to 1993, was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999.