Today is Tuesday, March 5, the 65th day of 2024. There are 301 days left in the year.
Today in history
On March 5, 1953, Soviet dictator Josef Stalin died after three decades in power.
Also on this date
In 1770, the Boston Massacre took place as British soldiers who’d been taunted by a crowd of colonists opened fire, killing five people.
In 1849, Zachary Taylor was inaugurated as the 12th president of the United States. (The swearing-in was delayed by a day because March 4 fell on a Sunday.)
In 1868, the impeachment trial of President Andrew Johnson began in the U.S. Senate, with Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase presiding. Johnson, the first U.S. president to be impeached, was accused of “high crimes and misdemeanors” stemming from his attempt to fire Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton; the trial ended on May 26 with Johnson’s acquittal.
In 1933, in German parliamentary elections, the Nazi Party won 44 percent of the vote; the Nazis joined with a conservative nationalist party to gain a slender majority in the Reichstag.
In 1946, Winston Churchill delivered his “Iron Curtain” speech at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, in which he said: “From Stettin in the Baltic, to Trieste in the Adriatic, an ‘iron curtain’ has descended across the continent, allowing police governments to rule Eastern Europe.”
Local history
On this day in 1894, the Lewiston City Council approved of “setting trees in the cemetery and caring for them.” Today we know the location as Normal Hill Cemetery, which had its first burial in November 1888.
Fun fact
The iconic “new car smell” is actually a mix of volatile organic compounds off-gassing from plastics, adhesives and other materials in the vehicle’s interior, which, despite its popularity, can potentially pose health risks due to chemical exposure.
That’s punny
What do you say to a Llama that loves picnicking? Alpaca lunch.
Today’s birthdays
Actor Paul Sand is 92. Actor James B. Sikking is 90. Actor Fred Williamson is 86. Actor Samantha Eggar is 85. Actor Michael Warren is 78. Singer Eddy Grant is 76. Actor-comedian Marsha Warfield is 70. Magician Penn Jillette is 69. Actor Adriana Barraza is 68. Actor Talia Balsam is 65. Actor Paul Blackthorne is 55. Rock musician John Frusciante is 54. Singer Rome is 54. Actor Kevin Connolly is 50. Actor Eva Mendes is 50. Actor Jill Ritchie is 50. Model Niki Taylor is 49. Actor Kimberly McCullough is 46. Actor Karolina Wydra is 43. Singer-songwriter Amanda Shires is 42. Actor Dominique McElligott is 38. Actor Sterling Knight is 35. Actor Micah Fowler is 26.
The Edge is compiled by Katie Clohessy. She can be contacted at kclohessy@lmtribune.com.
