1. Formation of Lawrence County: On January 5, 1875, Lawrence County was officially formed in what is now South Dakota. The county was named after John Lawrence, who was an early settler in the area.

2. Blizzard of 1949: January 5, 1949, marked the beginning of a devastating blizzard that lasted for three days in South Dakota. The storm dropped more than two feet of snow and caused severe damage and loss of life.

3. Death of Robert J. Gamble: Robert J. Gamble, who served as the second governor of South Dakota from 1917 to 1921, died on January 5, 1955. Gamble was a prominent lawyer and judge before becoming governor.

4. Pine Ridge Reservation Protests: On January 5, 1973, a group of Lakota activists and members of the American Indian Movement (AIM) occupied the town of Wounded Knee on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. The occupation lasted for 71 days and drew national attention to Native American issues.

5. Launch of Crazy Horse Memorial: On January 5, 1948, sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski began work on carving the Crazy Horse Memorial near Custer, South Dakota. The monument, which depicts the Lakota war leader Crazy Horse riding a horse and pointing into the distance, is still under construction and is one of the largest mountain carvings in the world.