Today
Saturday December 5 2026
- Day of the year
- 339/ 365
- Week
- 492,026
- Days left
- 2693%
- Moon
- 10%Waning crescent
Today is Saturday, December 5, 2026. It is day 339 of 2026, a year of 365 days: 26 remain, and 93% of the year has gone. Under ISO 8601 this date falls in week 49.
What's celebrated on this date
International Volunteer Day
WorldwideUnited Nations — International Days
Saints and name days
Saints whose feast falls on this date, most widely known first.
- Nicolas StenoPioneer in anatomy and geology, bishop (1638–1686)
- Saint Savvas the SanctifiedByzantine monk
- Anno II, Archbishop of CologneArchbishop of Cologne from 1056 to 1075
- Philipp RinaldiItalian catholic priest (1856-1931)
- CrispinaRoman martyr and saint
Sources : Wikidata (P841) · CC0 1.0
Astronomy
New York
- Sunrise
- 07:05
- Sunset
- 16:29
- Length of day
- 9h 24m−1 min vs yesterday
- Solar noon
- 11:47
Times shown for America/New_York
Season
Autumn
began on September 22, 2026
Next season
Winter — 16 days, December 21, 2026 (December solstice)
Public holidays — United States
Not a public holiday in the United States.
Next public holiday : Christmas Day — December 25, 2026
National holidays only. Regions, provinces and Länder add their own.
Moon
Waning crescent
Illumination : 10%
Moon age : 26.4 days
- Next full moon
- December 24, 2026
- Next new moon
- December 9, 2026
Astrology
Today's zodiac sign
Sagittarius
until December 22, 2026 — Capricorn
Zodiac dates are an astrological convention, not the Sun's actual position among the constellations. The astronomy above is measured; this is not.
On this day in history
1484
Pope Innocent VIII issues the Summis desiderantes affectibus, a papal bull that deputizes Heinrich Kramer and Jacob Sprenger as inquisitors to root out alleged witchcraft in Germany. Wikipedia
1560
Ten-year-old Charles IX becomes king of France, with Queen Mother Catherine de' Medici as regent. Wikipedia
1848
California Gold Rush: In a message to the United States Congress, U.S. President James K. Polk confirms that large amounts of gold had been discovered in California. Wikipedia
1936
The Soviet Union adopts a new constitution and the Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic is established as a full Union Republic of the USSR. Wikipedia
1941
World War II: In the Battle of Moscow, Georgy Zhukov launches a massive Soviet counter-attack against the German army. Wikipedia
1941
World War II: Great Britain declares war on Finland, Hungary and Romania. Wikipedia
Show more (4)
1945
Flight 19, a group of TBF Avengers, disappears in the Bermuda Triangle. Wikipedia
1952
Beginning of the Great Smog in London. A cold fog combines with air pollution and brings the city to a standstill for four days. Later, a Ministry of Health report estimates 4,000 fatalities as a result of it. Wikipedia
1994
The Budapest Memorandum is signed at the OSCE conference in Budapest, Hungary. Wikipedia
2017
The International Olympic Committee bans Russia from competing at the 2018 Winter Olympics for doping at the 2014 Winter Olympics. Wikipedia
Sources : Wikipedia (en) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Data imported on 2026-08-26
Births and deaths
Born on this day December 5
- 1443Pope Julius II (died 1513)
- 1782Martin Van Buren, American lawyer and politician, 8th President of the United States (died 1862)
- 1830Christina Rossetti, English poet and author (died 1894)
- 1867Józef Piłsudski, Polish field marshal and politician, 15th Prime Minister of Poland (died 1935)
- 1901Walt Disney, American animator, director, producer, and screenwriter, co-founded The Walt Disney Company (died 1966)
- 1901Werner Heisenberg, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1976)
- 1903C. F. Powell, English-Italian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1969)
- 1925Anastasio Somoza Debayle, Nicaraguan politician, 73rd President of Nicaragua (died 1980)
Died on this day December 5
- 1560Francis II of France (born 1544)aged 16 years
- 1624Gaspard Bauhin, Swiss botanist and physician (born 1560)aged 64 years
- 1791Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Austrian composer and musician (born 1756)aged 35 years
- 1870Alexandre Dumas, French novelist and playwright (born 1802)aged 68 years
- 1926Claude Monet, French painter (born 1840)aged 86 years
- 1940Jan Kubelík, Czech violinist and composer (born 1880)aged 60 years
- 2012Oscar Niemeyer, Brazilian architect, designed the United Nations Headquarters and Cathedral of Brasília (born 1907)aged 105 years
- 2013Nelson Mandela, South African lawyer and politician, 1st President of South Africa, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1918)aged 95 years
Sources : Wikipedia (en) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Data imported on 2026-08-26
The day in words
In New York the sun rises at 07:05 and sets at 16:29, giving 9h 24m of daylight — 1 minute less than yesterday. It has been autumn since September 22, 2026; winter opens in 16 days, on December 21, 2026 (December solstice).
The moon is a waning crescent, 10% illuminated. The next full moon falls on December 24, 2026 and the next new moon on December 9, 2026.
The saints' calendar attaches December 5 to Nicolas Steno, Saint Savvas the Sanctified and Anno II, Archbishop of Cologne.
December 5 is International Volunteer Day, designated by the United Nations or one of its agencies.
It is not a public holiday in the United States.
On this day in history: Pope Innocent VIII issues the Summis desiderantes affectibus, a papal bull that deputizes Heinrich Kramer and Jacob Sprenger as inquisitors to root out alleged witchcraft in Germany (1484); Ten-year-old Charles IX becomes king of France, with Queen Mother Catherine de' Medici as regent (1560). English Wikipedia records 10 events for this date.
Pope Julius II was born on December 5, 1443; Francis II of France died on December 5, 1560.
20 days remain until Christmas and 27 until New Year's Day.
In astrology — kept separate from the measured astronomy above, deliberately — December 5 falls under the sign of Sagittarius.
Calendar
By the numbers
- 93%
- of the year elapsed
- 20
- until Christmas
- 27
- until New Year
- 451
- until the next 29 February
2026 — Common year (365 days)
Work with dates
Sources
Every block on this page names where its data comes from. Nothing here is generated when the source is silent.
- United Nations — International Days— What's celebrated today
- Wikidata (P841)— Saints and name days · CC0 1.0
- Wikipedia (en)— On this day in history · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Data imported on 2026-08-26