1. In 1955, the first commercial jet service to Alaska began on October 5th with a Pan American World Airways’ Boeing 377 Stratocruiser flying from Seattle to Anchorage.
2. In 1962, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck the region of Fairbanks, Alaska, at 3:36 pm on October 5th, causing widespread damage and several fatalities.
3. On October 5th, 1988, the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act was signed into law, creating or expanding many of Alaska's national parks and wilderness areas.
4. In 2002, the Alaska Marine Highway ferry LeConte ran aground on rocks in a remote area of southeast Alaska on October 5th, but all 104 passengers and crew were safely rescued.
5. On October 5th, 2011, the Alaska Dispatch, an online news outlet, purchased the Anchorage Daily News from The McClatchy Company, becoming Alaska's largest news source.