On this day

August 5, 2012

Revisit the news, notable people, and historical moments connected to this date.

Historical Context for August 5, 2012

In 2012, the world population was approximately 7,201,202,485 people[†]

Notable Deaths

Erwin Axer

2012Erwin Axer, Polish director and screenwriter (born 1917)[†]

Erwin Axer was a Polish theatre director, writer and university professor. A long-time head of Teatr WspóƂczesny in Warsaw, he also staged numerous plays abroad, notably in German-speaking countries, in the US and Leningrad (USSR). Laureate of Witkacy Prize – Critics' Circle Award (1993).

Michel Daerden

2012Michel Daerden, Belgian lawyer and politician (born 1949)[†]

Michel Daerden was a francophone Belgian politician, a member of the Parti Socialiste, and a finance auditor.

Fred Matua

2012Fred Matua, American football player (born 1984)[†]

Fred Matua was an American football guard. After playing college football for Southern California, he was selected by the Detroit Lions in the seventh round of the 2006 NFL draft. He was also a member of the Lions, Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns, Washington Redskins, Florida Tuskers, and Omaha Nighthawks.

2012Martin E. Segal, Russian-American businessman, co-founded Film Society of Lincoln Center (born 1916)[†]

Martin Eli Segal was a Russian-born American businessman who co-founded the Film Society of Lincoln Center in 1969 with two other Lincoln Center executives, William F. May and Schuyler G. Chapin. He also served as the Film Society's founding president and CEO until 1978. Segal was founding chair of the Commission for Cultural Affairs, the Cultural Assistance Center, and the New York International Festival of the Arts.

Chavela Vargas

2012Chavela Vargas, Costa Rican-Mexican singer-songwriter and actress (born 1919)[†]

Chavela Vargas was a Costa Rican-born Mexican singer. She gained widespread recognition for her distinctive interpretations of Mexican rancheras. However, her impact extends beyond this genre, encompassing various styles within popular Latin American music.

Roland Charles Wagner

2012Roland Charles Wagner, French author and translator (born 1960)[†]

Roland C. Wagner was a French writer of humorous science fiction. Since his professional debut in 1981, he had written around one hundred novellas and around fifty novels. He was the only writer to have received the Prix Rosny-Aßné seven times, as well as many other awards.

Historical Events

Wisconsin Sikh temple shooting

2012The Wisconsin Sikh temple shooting took place in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, killing six victims; the perpetrator committed suicide after being wounded by police.[†]

The Wisconsin Sikh temple shooting was a mass shooting that took place at the gurdwara in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, on August 5, 2012, when 40-year-old Wade Michael Page fatally shot six people and wounded four others. A seventh victim died of his wounds in 2020. Page committed suicide by shooting himself in the head.

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Headlines from August 5, 2012

Knight Capital Reaches Rescue Deal With Investor Group

By Michael J. de la Merced and Nathaniel Popper

The Knight Capital Group has secured a deal on Sunday to secure a financial lifeline from an investor group that included TD Ameritrade and the Blackstone Group, capping its efforts to stay alive, a person with direct knowledge of the matter told DealBook.

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From Chaplin to Groucho to T. S. Eliot

By Michiko Kakutani

In “Hello Goodbye Hello,” the British columnist Craig Brown weaves dozens of real-life encounters into a glittering daisy chain that reads like a mathematical proof of six degrees of separation.

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