On This Day: 5 March

5 March in Indian history

• 1931The British Raj: Gandhi–Irwin Pact is signed.India

5 March in world history

• 2018Syrian civil war: The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) pause the Deir ez-Zor campaign due to the Turkish-led invasion of Afrin.
• 1981The ZX81, a pioneering British home computer, was launched by Sinclair Research, and went on to sell more than 1.5 million units around the world.
• 1973An Iberia McDonnell Douglas DC-9 collides in mid-air with a Spantax Convair 990 Coronado over Nantes, France, killing all 68 people aboard the DC-9, including music manager Michael Jeffery.
• 1966BOAC Flight 911 disintegrated and crashed near Mount Fuji shortly after departure from Tokyo International Airport, killing all 113 passengers and 11 crew members on board.
• 1963American country-music performers Patsy Cline, Cowboy Copas, and Hawkshaw Hawkins were killed when their PA-24 crashed shortly after takeoff in Camden, Tennessee.
• 1953Joseph Stalin, the longest serving leader of the Soviet Union, dies at his Volynskoe dacha in Moscow after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage four days earlier.
• 1946Cold War: Winston Churchill delivers his famous "Iron Curtain" speech at Westminster College, Missouri.
• 1944World War II: The Red Army begins the Uman–Botoșani offensive in the western Ukrainian SSR.
• 1943World War II: The Gloster Meteor, the Allies' only operational jet aircraft, made its maiden flight.
• 1942World War II: Japanese forces capture Batavia, capital of Dutch East Indies, which is left undefended after the withdrawal of the KNIL garrison and Australian Blackforce battalion to Buitenzorg and Bandung.
• 1940Six high-ranking members of the Soviet politburo, including Joseph Stalin, sign an order for the execution of 25,700 Polish intelligentsia, including 14,700 Polish POWs, in what will become known as the Katyn massacre.
• 1939Spanish Civil War: The National Defence Council seizes control of the republican government in a coup d'etat, with the intention of negotiating an end to the war.
• 1933Adolf Hitler's Nazi Party receives 43.9% at the Reichstag elections, which allows the Nazis to later pass the Enabling Act and establish a dictatorship.
• 1825Roberto Cofresí, one of the last Caribbean pirates, was apprehended after his flagship sloop Anne was captured by authorities.
• 1811Peninsular War: At the Battle of Barrosa, Anglo-Iberian forces trying to lift the Siege of Cádiz defeated a French attack but could not break the siege itself.
• 1770American Revolution: British soldiers fired into a crowd in Boston, killing five people.
• 363Roman–Persian Wars: Roman emperor Julian and his army set out from Antioch to attack the Sasanian Empire.

Born on 5 March

• 1971Yuri Lowenthal, American voice actor, producer, and screenwriter
• 1966Aasif Mandvi, Indian-American actor, producer, and screenwriterIndia
• 1959Vazgen Sargsyan, Armenian colonel and politician, 8th Prime Minister of Armenia (died 1999)
• 1957Ray Suarez, American journalist and author
• 1945Wilf Tranter, English footballer
• 1911Subroto Mukerjee, Indian Air Marshall, Father of the Indian Air Force (died 1960)India

Died on 5 March

• 2013Hugo Chávez, Venezuelan colonel and politician, President of Venezuela (born 1954)
• 1999Richard Kiley, American actor and singer (born 1922)
• 1953Joseph Stalin, Soviet dictator and politician of Georgian descent, 2nd leader of the Soviet Union (born 1878)
• 1539Nuno da Cunha, Portuguese admiral and politician, Governor of Portuguese India (born 1487)India

Frequently asked questions

What happened on 5 March in history?

2018: Syrian civil war: The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) pause the Deir ez-Zor campaign due to the Turkish-led invasion of Afrin. 1981: The ZX81, a pioneering British home computer, was launched by Sinclair Research, and went on to sell more than 1.5 million units around the world. 1973: An Iberia McDonnell Douglas DC-9 collides in mid-air with a Spantax Convair 990 Coronado over Nantes, France, killing all 68 people aboard the DC-9, including music manager Michael Jeffery. 1966: BOAC Flight 911 disintegrated and crashed near Mount Fuji shortly after departure from Tokyo International Airport, killing all 113 passengers and 11 crew members on board.

What happened on 5 March in Indian history?

1931: The British Raj: Gandhi–Irwin Pact is signed.

Which famous people were born on 5 March?

Yuri Lowenthal, American voice actor, producer, and screenwriter (1971); Aasif Mandvi, Indian-American actor, producer, and screenwriter (1966); Vazgen Sargsyan, Armenian colonel and politician, 8th Prime Minister of Armenia (died 1999) (1959); Ray Suarez, American journalist and author (1957).

Which day is observed on 5 March?

Learn from Lei Feng Day (China); St Piran's Day (Cornwall).