About the day » Friday January 5, 1940Calender converter

• Fake Boertien, Hoogeveen, Drenthe, Nederland († 1940)
• Alberta Herfst, Amsterdam († 1959)
• Berniece Staloch, Faribault Co., Minnesota († 1940)
• Hendrikus Wolf, Wezep, Nederland († 1940)
• Arvin James Bleyenberg, Edgerton, Pipestone, Minnesota, US († 2022)
• Helena Catharina Ewouds († 2000)
• Adriana Maria Verbunt, Waalre († 1944)
• Helena Catharina Ewouds, Amsterdam († 2000)
• Geertruida J.M. Peperkamp, Elst († 2000)
• Ankje Liemburg, Leeuwarden (Friesland) († 1945)

• Antje Stephanes Pool (71), Yuma, Colorado, Verenigde Staten
• Carmine Maria Giglio (70), São Paulo, São Paulo, Brasil
• Alexander Willem Fievez, Maastricht Holland
• Annie Pool (71), Yuma, Yuma County, Colorado, Verenigde Staten
• California Jane Decker (73), May, Brown County, Texas, United States of America
• Artur Paül (43), Bad Soden am Taunus, Hessen, Deutschland
• Barbara Catharine Kuhn (78), Evansville, Vanderburgh County, Indiana
• Benjamin Staal (80), Amsterdam
• Aris Buijs (87), Anna Paulowna (Noord-Holland) Nederland-The Netherlands
• Arie Sol (28), Groningen

• 1938 » Juan Carlos I of Spain
• 1938 » Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, Kenyan author and playwright
• 1939 » M. E. H. Maharoof, Sri Lankan politician († 1997)
• 1940 » Athol Guy, Australian singer-songwriter and bassist
• 1941 » Bob Cunis, New Zealand cricketer († 2008)
• 1941 » Chuck McKinley, American tennis player († 1986)
• 1941 » Hayao Miyazaki, Japanese animator, director, and screenwriter
• 1941 » Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, Indian cricketer and coach († 2011)
• 1942 » Charlie Rose, American journalist and talk show host
• 1942 » Maurizio Pollini, Italian pianist and conductor

• 1922 » Ernest Shackleton, Anglo-Irish sailor and explorer (b. 1874)
• 1933 » Calvin Coolidge, American lawyer and politician, 30th President of the United States (b. 1872)
• 1942 » Tina Modotti, Italian photographer, model, actress, and activist (b. 1896)
• 1943 » George Washington Carver, American botanist, educator, and inventor (b. 1864)
• 1951 » Andrei Platonov, Russian journalist and author (b. 1899)
• 1951 » Soh Jaipil, South Korean-American journalist and activist (b. 1864)
• 1952 » Hristo Tatarchev, Bulgarian-Italian physician and activist (b. 1869)
• 1952 » Victor Hope, 2nd Marquess of Linlithgow, Scottish colonel and politician, 46th Governor-General of India (b. 1887)
• 1954 » Rabbit Maranville, American baseball player and manager (b. 1891)
• 1956 » Mistinguett, French actress and singer (b. 1875)

• Koningin Wilhelmina (Huis van Oranje-Nassau) was from 1890 till 1948 sovereign of the Netherlands (also known as Koninkrijk der Nederlanden)
• In The Netherlands , there was from August 10, 1939 to September 3, 1940 the cabinet De Geer II, with Jonkheer mr. D.J. de Geer (CHU) as prime minister.
• In The Netherlands , there was from September 3, 1940 to July 27, 1941 the cabinet Gerbrandy I, with Prof. dr. P.S. Gerbrandy (ARP) as prime minister.
• The Netherlands had about 8.8 million citizens.
• March 5 » Six high-ranking members of Soviet politburo, including Joseph Stalin, sign an order for the execution of 25,700 Polish intelligentsia, including 14,700 Polish POWs, in what will become known as the Katyn massacre.
• May 15 » World War II: After fierce fighting, the poorly trained and equipped Dutch troops surrender to Germany, marking the beginning of five years of occupation.
• June 14 » World War II: The German occupation of Paris begins.
• August 31 » Pennsylvania Central Airlines Trip 19 crashes near Lovettsville, Virginia. The CAB investigation of the accident is the first investigation to be conducted under the Bureau of Air Commerce act of 1938.
• October 28 » Second World War: Greece rejects Italy's ultimatum. Italy invades Greece through Albania a few hours later.
• December 22 » World War II: Himara is captured by the Greek army.

The temperature on January 5, 1940 was between -11.7 °C and -1.1 °C and averaged -7.9 °C. There was 6.8 hours of sunshine (86%). The average windspeed was 2 Bft (weak wind) and was prevailing from the east-northeast.