March 5 is:
National Cheese Doodle Day
On this day in 1496, King Henry VII of England issued letters to John Cabot and his sons, authorizing them to explore unknown lands.
1616 – Nicolaus Copernicus‘s book, De revolutionibus orbium coelestium was banned by the Catholic Church. He dared to think that the Sun , not the Earth, was the center of the known universe. One of his quotes: “To know that we know what we know, and to know that we do not know what we do not know, that is true knowledge.”
Boston Massacre, anniversary of the March 5, 1770 death of Crispus Attucks, American Revolutionary leader who led the group whose anti-British defiance precipitated the Boston Massacre. Honored as the first American black man to die for freedom. At the subsequent trial, the soldiers are defended by future U.S. president John Adams. Celebrated as Crispus Attucks Day.
Publication of Federalist Paper #64: The Powers of the Senate written by John Jay in 1788. John Jay wrote several early Papers (#2-5) and came back to write #64. This paper discusses the process of making treaties with foreign countries. Some felt that this power should be given to the House of Representatives. Jay argues that a two year term of office is not sufficient to understand all the issues involved in a treaty. He argues that the power properly belongs to the President with consent of the Congress. From teaparty911.com:
This very important power which relates to war, peace, and commerce has been given by the convention to the president chosen by a select body of electors and the senate appointed by state legislatures. This ensures that men of quality and character and ages thirty years or greater will be making treaties in a manner conducive to the public good and will afford the highest security. Further these men are those that best understand our national interests whether in relation to the several states or foreign nations.
In 1821 James Monroe became the first President to be inaugurated on March 5th; March 4th was on a Sunday.
Birthday of James Merritt Ives (March 5, 1824), American lithographer; partner in the firm of Currier & Ives
1946 – Winston Churchill coined the phrase “Iron Curtain” in his speech at Westminster College, Missouri.
On March 5, 1953, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin died. Josef Stalin became the leader of Soviet Union after Lenin died in 1924, and launched government programs that would make the country more progressive. His attempt to move to the new economy, however, led to the starvation of nearly 10 million people. With many intellectuals and activists not in favor of his leadership, Stalin also launched the “Great Purge”, killing every person who opposed him and his ideals. It is estimated that Stalin was responsible for 23 million deaths, second in murderous dictatorship only to Mao Zedong.
1973 Yankee pitchers Fritz Peterson and Mike Kekich announced they had swapped wives, known as the most scandalous trade in baseball history.