This Day in History: December 5

Today is Friday, December 5, the 339th day of 2025. There are 26 days left in the year.

On this date in 1848, President James K. Polk addressed Congress and confirmed the discovery of gold in California, igniting the Gold Rush of 1849. The announcement drew thousands of prospectors westward, transforming the region's economy and accelerating U.S. expansion into the territory recently acquired through the Mexican-American War.

Exactly 85 years later, in 1933, the era of Prohibition ended when Utah became the 36th state to ratify the 21st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, repealing the 18th Amendment that had banned the production and sale of alcohol since 1920. The ratification marked the close of a 13-year experiment that had fueled organized crime and widespread defiance, paving the way for regulated alcohol sales and a shift in federal enforcement priorities.

In 1952, the Great Smog enveloped London, creating a deadly haze of pollution from coal-burning industries and vehicle exhaust that persisted for five days. The toxic fog, one of the worst environmental disasters in modern history, is estimated to have caused between 4,000 and 12,000 deaths from respiratory illnesses and...