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Explore the historical events that shaped our world on March 5th. From major milestones to cultural achievements, see what happened on this day in history. Dates for earlier events may be approximate.
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Roman Emperor Julian ("the Apostate") ordered the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. The ambitious project, led by Alypius of Antioch, was halted shortly after it began due to mysterious, destructive fires at the site. The project was abandoned after Julian's death on June 26, 363 in a battle in Persia.
Solomon's Temple (the First Temple) in Jerusalem is completed according to the Hebrew Bible around 957 BCE, after seven years of construction. Built by King Solomon on Mount Moriah, it served as the center of ancient Israelite worship and housed the Ark of the Covenant until it was destroyed by Babylonian Empire King, Nebuchadnezzar II, c. 587/586 BCE, with the Second temple built later on the same site.
British troops kill five colonists on March 5, 1770 in Boston, Massachusetts. The event often referred to as the "Boston Massacre" took place in the midst of over colonial taxation and military occupation is often considered the first bloodshed of the American Revolution and was heavily publicized to stir anti-British sentiment by Paul Revere.
The incident took place when a crowd of colonists surrounded a British sentry, throwing snowballs, ice, and sticks. Amidst the confusion, soldiers fired into the crowd without orders killing Crispus Attucks, Samuel Gray, James Caldwell, Samuel Maverick, and Patrick Carr. Attucks, an African/Native American, was believed to be the the first casualty.John Adams defended the British soldiers to ensure a fair trial, resulting in the acquittal of Captain Preston and six others, while two were convicted of manslaughter. The event was used as propaganda by Patriots to highlight British oppression, accelerating colonial unity and the Revolutionary War.
Napoleon's French revolutionary troops invaded Switzerland and occupied Bern, dissolving the Old Swiss Confederacy of Thirteen Cantons. This action replaced the aristocratic, decentralized structure with the centralized Helvetic Republic. The intervention created instability, leading to the the Act of Mediation in 1803, bringing back a modified cantonal system.
The New York Stock Exchange was formally organized on March 8, 1817 as the New York Stock & Exchange Board; adopting its modern name in 1863.
It followed and built on the Buttonwood Agreement signed by 24 brokers on May 17, 1792, on Wall Street in New York City to establish a safer, more structured market for securities, aiming to curb excessive commission rates and establish trust among brokers. While early, informal trading occurred under a buttonwood tree at 68 Wall Street, the formally organized Stock exchange moved into rented rooms, eventually establishing a permanent home.
James Monroe is inaugurated for his second term as President of the United States on Monday, March 5, 1821, in the House chamber of the U.S. Capitol. The ceremony was delayed by one day due to March 4 falling on a Sunday.
Rutherford B. Hayes is inaugurated as the 19th President of the United States, serving from 1877 to 1881. Hayes's administration was influenced by his belief in government providing equal treatment without regard to wealth, social standing, or race.
One of the defining events of his presidency was the Great Railroad Strike of 1877, which he resolved by calling in the U.S. Army against the railroad workers. It remains the deadliest conflict between workers and strikebreakers in American history. Hayes appointed John Marshall Harlan to the U.S. Supreme Court.
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Ernest Shackleton's Nimrod expedition team begins their ascent of Mt. Erebus, the world's southernmost active volcano on March 5, 1908, reaching Mt. Erebus's summit on March 10. The journey, which came to an end in 1909) was one of the most successful Antarctic expeditions of the time, locating the South Magnetic Pole and reaching 88° 23′ S (just 112 miles from the Geographic South Pole).
The British Antarctic expedition had sailed from England on the 200-ton Nimrod, determined to map previously uncharted territories. The expedition was based at Cape Royds after sea ice prevented them from reaching the planned site at Hut Point. The Shackleton’s Hut, built by Sir Ernest Shackleton for his 1907–1909 Nimrod expedition at Cape Royds still stands today, as a preserved, iconic, and historic, timber-prefabricated, Antarctic base camp, containing original supplies, crates, and artifacts, is maintained by the Antarctic Heritage Trust and accessible to visitors. There is also a nearby Adélie penguin colony. maintained by the Antarctic Heritage Trust and accessible to visitors.
Voyager 1 flew by Jupiter's moon Io with its closest approach taking place on March 5, 1979. During this flyby encounter, the probe discovered active volcanoes on Io, the first time active volcanoes were seen on another body in the Solar System.
The closest approach to Io, which is about 5% larger than earth's moon, was at an altitude of 20,570 km (12,780 miles) and the images revealed that Io's surface was heavily dotted with active volcanoes, plumes, and lava lakes, appearing as a "pizza-like" surface. It helped scientists determine that Io's volcanic activity supplies the material that populates the Jovian magnetosphere with sulfur, oxygen, and sodium. Voyager 1 continued to study Jupiter and its moons until April 1979 before heading to Saturn.
