March 5: Facts & Historical Events On This Day

Pope Francis made history when he became the first pope to visit Iraq.

The four-day visit was made possible by invitation from the Iraqi government and the largest Catholic church in Iraq, the Chaldean Catholic Church. Before this, a papal visit to Iraq was attempted in 2000, when Pope John Paul II wished to visit the city of Ur, but the Iraqi government denied him.

Willcom announced the world’s smallest and lightest phone.

The "WX06A" phone is exactly 32 grams and measures just 32 x 70 x 10.7 mm, making it still today's smallest and lightest.

A tropical storm named Irina on the island of Madagascar killed 65 people.

The Osbournes reality TV show aired for the first time on MTV.

The American show featured Ozzy, Sharon, Kelly, and Jack Osbourne. Ozzy and Sharon have another child (Aimee) who refused to participate.

After a four-month journey, the Venera 14 spacecraft landed on Venus.

The Russian craft landing was a success and was able to capture pictures among other data for 56 minutes before succumbing to 869°F temperatures and high pressure.

Led Zeppelin started their first tour at Ulster Hall, Belfast, UK.

Country music stars Patsy Cline, Cowboy Copas, and Hawkshaw Hawkins all perished in an airplane crash.

Crash investigators determined that the crash was due to pilot error. The three American country stars had just performed at a benefit for the family of a well-known disc jockey, who had died in a car crash the previous month.

Soviet leader Joseph Stalin died in his home after suffering from a stroke.

The battle of the Ruhr campaign began during WWII with an air raid in Essen, Germany.

The battle was a British bombing campaign that lasted for five months and attacked the Nazi area of Ruhr.

Cheeseburgers were trademarked in Colorado.

Louis E Ballast registered the cheeseburger as a trademark after creating the cheeseburger at his restaurant, the Humpty Dumpty Barrel Drive-In. Several others also claimed to invent the cheeseburger, including Lionel Sternberger in California in 1924, over a decade earlier.

Nikola Tesla tried to explain how the phenomenon of ball lightning works.

The world’s favorite paper joiner, the stapler was patented by C. H. Gould in England.

Beethoven’s 4th Symphony in B was performed for the first time.

The Boston Massacre occurred.

British soldiers shot and killed several people while being harassed by a mob in Boston. The Boston Massacre is considered one of the most significant events that led to the American Revolutionary War.