March 5

Events

• 1766 - Antonio de Ulloa, the first Spanish governor of Louisiana, arrives in New Orleans.
• 1770 - Boston Massacre: 5 Americans killed by British troops in an event that would help start the American Revolutionary War 5 years later.
• 1793 - French troops are defeated by Austrian forces and Liege is recaptured.
• 1821 - James Monroe is inaugurated for a second term as President of the United States.
• 1836 - Samuel Colt makes the first pistol (.34-caliber).
• 1842 - Over 500 Mexican troops led by Rafael Vasquez invade Texas briefly occupy San Antonio and then head back to the Rio Grande. This is the first such invasion since the Texas revolution.
• 1849 - Zachary Taylor is inaugurated as the 12th President of the United States.
• 1868 - A court of impeachment is organized in the United States Senate to hear charges against President Andrew Johnson.
• 1872 - George Westinghouse patents the air brake.
• 1877 - Rutherford B. Hayes is publicly inaugurated as the 19th President of the United States (he was privately inaugurated on March 3).
• 1905 - Russian troops begin to retreat from Mukden, Manchuria after losing 100,000 troops in three days.
• 1907 - The second Duma is opened in St. Petersburg, Russia and 40,000 demonstrators had to be dispersed by Russian troops.
• 1912 - Italian forces are the first to use dirigibles for a military purpose by using them for reconnaissance west of Tripoli behind Turkish lines.
• 1917 - Woodrow Wilson is inaugurated for a second term as President of the United States.
• 1918 - The Soviet Union moves the national capital from Petrograd to Moscow
• 1933 - Great Depression: President Franklin D. Roosevelt declares a "bank holiday", closing all United States banks and freezing all financial transactions.
• 1933 - In Germany, the Nazis win 44 percent of the vote in parliamentary elections.
• 1936 - First flight of fighter airplane Spitfire Type 300.
• 1946 - Winston Churchill mentions the Iron Curtain in his speech at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri. This event is often regarded at the beginning of the Cold War.
• 1953 - After 29 years of ruling the Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin dies.
• 1960 - Elvis Presley is discharged from the United States Army.
• 1966 - A BOAC Boeing 707 jet crashes on Mount Fuji, Japan killing 124
• 1970 - A nuclear non-proliferation treaty goes into effect after ratification by 43 nations.
• 1993 - Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson is banned from international competition for life after testing positive for banned substances for the second time.
• 1998 - NASA announced that that the Clementine probe orbiting the Moon had found enough water in polar craters to support a human colony and rocket fueling station.
• 1998 - NASA announces the choice of United States Air Force Lt. Col. Eileen Collins as commander of a future Space Shuttle Columbia mission to launch an X-ray telescope making Collins the first woman commander of a space shuttle mission.
• 2001 - 35 Muslim pilgrims crushed to death during the annual Hajj pilgrimage
• 2002 - MTV begins airing The Osbournes.

Births

• 1133 - King Henry II of England, (d. 1189)
• 1324 - King David II of Scotland, (d. 1371)
• 1658 - Antoine de la Mothe, Le Sieur de Cadillac, explorer
• 1696 - Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, painter, (d. 1770)
• 1869 - Michael von Faulhaber, cardinal and archbishop, (d. 1952)
• 1870 - Frank Norris, writer, (d. 1902)
• 1871 - Rosa Luxemburg, politician, (d. 1919)
• 1887 - Heitor Villa-Lobos, Brazilian composer, (d. 1959)
• 1897 - Madame Chiang Kai-Shek, Chinese political figure, (d. 2003)
• 1905 - Günther Lüders, actor and film director, (d. 1975)
• 1908 - Rex Harrison, actor, (d. 1990)
• 1918 - James Tobin, economist, (d. 2002)
• 1922 - Pier Paolo Pasolini, writer, film director, (d. 1975)
• 1936 - Dean Stockwell, actor
• 1942 - Felipe González Márquez, Prime Minister of Spain
• 1955 - Penn Jillette, magician, comedian
• 1958 - Andy Gibb, singer, (d. 1988)
• 1971 - John Frusciante, musician ("The Red Hot Chili Peppers")
• 1974 - Jens Jeremies, football player, National Team of Germany
• 1975 - Niki Taylor, fashion model
• ???? - Christopher E. Wonnacott, Canadian aviator.

Deaths

• 1815 - Franz Mesmer, developer of hypnotism, (b. 1734)
• 1953 - Sergei Prokofiev, Soviet composer, (b. 1891)
• 1953 - Joseph Stalin, leader of the Soviet Union, (b. 1879)
• 1953 - Herman J. Mankiewicz, writer, producer, (b. 1897)
• 1963 - Patsy Cline (b. 1932) and Cowboy Copas, country music singers
• 1974 - Sol Hurok, impresario
• 1980 - Jay Silverheels, actor, (b. 1912)
• 1982 - John Belushi, actor, (b. 1949)
• 1984 - William Powell, actor, (b. 1892)
• 1999 - Richard Kiley, actor
• 2003 - Hellmuth Buddenberg, entrepreneur

Holidays and observances

• St Piran's Day - Cornwall's national day

March 4 - March 6 - February 5 - April 5 -- listing of all days

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Referenced By