- 1885 5 Feb King Leopold II of Belgium establishes the African state of Congo as a personal colonial possession.
- 1953 5 Feb A decade of wartime sweet rationing ends in Britain, sparking a scramble for toffee apples and nougat.
- 1996 5 Feb The first 'genetically modified' foods go on sale in the UK - a tomato puree with no 'rotting' gene.

