1. On August 5, 1949, the first ever NASCAR Cup Series race was held in the state of Alabama at the Mobile International Speedway. Bob Flock of Atlanta, Georgia won the 100-mile race in a Hudson Hornet, becoming the first driver to win a Cup Series race in Alabama.

2. August 5, 1864 marked the Battle of Mobile Bay, a significant naval engagement in the American Civil War. The battle resulted in a Union victory and the capture of Mobile Bay, a key Confederate port city. The famous quote by Admiral David Farragut, "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!" was uttered during this battle.

3. In 1927, the first issue of The Southern Literary Messenger was published on August 5. The literary magazine was based in Auburn, Alabama and featured works from prominent southern writers such as William Faulkner and Eudora Welty.

4. On August 5, 1938, the first-ever televised football game in the United States was broadcast from Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama. The game was between the football teams of the University of Tennessee and the University of Alabama.

5. Alabama native Carl Lewis won his fourth Olympic gold medal on August 5, 1992 at the Summer Olympics held in Barcelona, Spain. Lewis won the long jump event with a jump of 8.67 meters, setting a new Olympic record. Lewis is considered one of the greatest Olympic athletes of all time, having won 10 medals in track and field events.