March 5
March 5 is the 65th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 301 days remain until the year's end. It falls in winter (northern hemisphere) and under the astrological sign of Pisces.
External references
Curated jump-off points to the major almanacs, encyclopaedias and primary sources for this date.
Astronomy
On March 5 the Sun's declination is approximately -6.4°. At this latitude the Sun is south of the celestial equator, giving the Northern Hemisphere shorter days than nights.
For specific rise/set times at your location, see the U.S. Naval Observatory, or the NASA APOD archive for any imagery published on a March 5.
Position in the year
Holidays & observances
No widely-observed holidays catalogued for this day in our base set. See the external almanacs above for region-specific observances.
Events
A selection of widely-documented historical events that took place on this date. Years marked BCE follow standard astronomical convention.
1770 — The Boston Massacre: British soldiers fired on a crowd in Boston, killing five. ↗(256 years ago)more
The Boston Massacre, known in Great Britain as the Incident on King Street, was a confrontation on March 5, 1770 during the American Revolution in Boston, in what was then the colony of the Province of Massachusetts Bay.
1872 — George Westinghouse patented the railway air brake. ↗(154 years ago)more
A railway air brake is a railway brake power braking system with compressed air as the operating medium. Modern trains rely upon a fail-safe air brake system that is based upon a design patented by George Westinghouse on April 13, 1869. The Westinghouse Air Brake Company was subsequently organized to manufacture and sell Westinghouse's invention.
1933 — German voters elected Adolf Hitler's Nazi Party to a plurality in the Reichstag. ↗(93 years ago)more
Federal elections were held in Germany on 5 March 1933, after the Nazi seizure of power on 30 January and just six days after the Reichstag fire. The election saw Nazi stormtroopers unleash a widespread campaign of violence against the Communist Party (KPD), left-wingers, trade unionists, the Social Democratic Party and the Centre Party.
1946 — Winston Churchill delivered his "Iron Curtain" speech at Fulton, Missouri. ↗(80 years ago)more
The Iron Curtain was the political and physical boundary that divided Europe from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1990/1991. East of the Iron Curtain were many small states controlled by the Soviet Union, in 1955 formally allied by the Warsaw Pact. Many nations to the west of this geopolitical divide were NATO members.
1953 — Joseph Stalin died at his Kuntsevo dacha after a stroke. ↗(73 years ago)more
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was a Soviet revolutionary and politician who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held office as general secretary of the Communist Party from 1922 to 1952 and as premier from 1941 until his death.
Notable births
1512 — Gerardus Mercator, Flemish cartographer (Mercator projection). ↗(514 years ago)more
Gerardus Mercator was a Flemish geographer, cosmographer and cartographer. He is most renowned for creating the 1569 world map based on a new projection which represented sailing courses of constant bearing as straight lines—an innovation that is still employed in nautical charts.
1908 — Rex Harrison, English actor. ↗(118 years ago)more
Sir Reginald Carey Harrison was an English actor. Harrison began his career on the stage at the Liverpool Playhouse in 1924. He made his West End debut in 1936 appearing in the Terence Rattigan play French Without Tears, in what was his breakthrough role.
Notable deaths
1827 — Alessandro Volta, Italian physicist. ↗(199 years ago)more
Alessandro Giuseppe Antonio Anastasio Volta was an Italian chemist and physicist who was a pioneer of electricity and power, and is credited as the inventor of the electric battery and the discoverer of methane.
- 1953 — Joseph Stalin. ↗(73 years ago)
more
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was a Soviet revolutionary and politician who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held office as general secretary of the Communist Party from 1922 to 1952 and as premier from 1941 until his death.
Numerical & calendrical curiosities
| Day-of-year (65) | 5 × 13 · composite (no) |
|---|---|
| Days remaining (301) | 7 × 43 |
| Date code DDMMYYYY | 05032026 · no palindrome in next 200 years |
| Sun declination | -6.37° (Cooper approximation) |
| Distance from solstice | 76 days |