On this day

5 February in history.

5 moments from 1852 to 1924: discovery, creativity and courage, each with a source to read more.

5 moments

1909

The first fully synthetic plastic. Belgian-born chemist Leo Baekeland announced Bakelite, a hard plastic made entirely in the lab. It was soon used for radios, telephones and countless everyday things.

Photo: Original: MarkusZi Vector: Dirk Hünniger / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

1852
The Hermitage opens its doors to the public
The New Hermitage in Saint Petersburg opened to visitors. Today the Hermitage is one of the biggest and oldest art museums in the world.
Wikipedia: Hermitage Museum Wikipedia: Saint Petersburg
Photo: GAlexandrova / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
1869
A giant gold nugget called Welcome Stranger
Two miners in Moliagul, Australia, found a lump of gold just under the soil. It is still the largest gold nugget of its kind ever found.
Wikipedia: Welcome Stranger Wikipedia: Moliagul
Photo: Unknown author / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
1919
Film stars start their own studio
Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and director D. W. Griffith founded United Artists, so artists could control their own films.
Wikipedia: United Artists Wikipedia: Charlie Chaplin Wikipedia: Mary Pickford
Photo: United Artists / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
1924
The "pips" tell Britain the time
The Royal Observatory in Greenwich started broadcasting six short beeps on the radio every hour, so anyone could set their clock exactly.
Wikipedia: Greenwich Time Signal Wikipedia: Royal Observatory, Greenwich
Photo: Unknown author / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Moments chosen for discovery, creativity and courage. Each one links to a source where you can read more; photos are credited to their owners.