Events that occurred on 5 January.
On Earth
- 1925 - Voice actor Wolfe Morris is born.
- 1956 - J.R.R. Tolkien writes letter 179c.
- 1961 - J.R.R. Tolkien writes Letter 227.
- 1961 - J.R.R. Tolkien writes a letter to Mme Ossendrijver.
- 1967 - J.R.R. Tolkien writes a letter to Joy Hill.
- 1982 - Voice actor Hans Conried dies.
- 1989 - The Return of the Shadow is published in the US.
- 1996 - Actor Maxim Baldry is born.
- 1998 - Roverandom is published in the UK.
- 2004 - Graphic novel Heaven's War is published.
- 2008 - The Times ranks J.R.R. Tolkien the sixth-best post-war British writer.
In Arda
- T.A. 3019:
- The Fellowship of the Ring travels south along the Misty Mountains.