Notable people who died on March 5 include: Pope Lucius I, Suppo I, Hermann Balk, Matthew of Kraków, Manuel III Megas Komnenos.

Notable Deaths on March 5

Q: What is Antanas Merkys known for?

Antanas Merkys, Lithuanian lawyer and politician, 14th Prime Minister of Lithuania (born 1888)

92 people 254 – 2017

March 5 has seen 92 notable figures pass away throughout recorded history — from 254 – 2017. Below are the most significant names who died on this date.

By thisDay.info Editorial Team · March 5 — Wikipedia

1955 — Antanas Merkys

Lithuanian lawyer and politician, 14th Prime Minister of Lithuania (born 1888)

Did you know

Antanas Merkys was the last Prime Minister of independent Lithuania, serving from November 1939 to June 1940

Did you know

When Merkys attempted to flee the country, he was captured and deported to the interior of Russia, where he died in 1955.

Did you know

When the Soviet Union presented an ultimatum to Lithuania demanding that it accept a Soviet garrison, President Antanas Smetona fled the country, leaving Merkys as acting president

Did you know

Merkys ostensibly cooperated with the Soviets, and illegally took over the presidency in his own right

Did you know

After three days, Merkys handed power to Justas Paleckis, who formed the People's Government of Lithuania

Pope Lucius I

Pope Lucius I was the bishop of Rome from 25 June 253 to his death on 5 March 254. He was banished soon after his consecration, but gained permission to return. He was mistakenly classified as a martyr in the…

254

Suppo I

Frankish nobleman

Suppo I was a Frankish nobleman who held lands in the Kingdom of Italy in the early ninth century.

824

Hermann Balk

German knight

Hermann Balk, also known as Hermann von Balk or Hermann Balke, was a Knight-Brother of the Teutonic Order and its first Landmeister, or Provincial Master, in both Prussia and Livonia. From 1219 to 1227, he served as the…

1239

Matthew of Kraków

Polish reformer (born 1335)

Matthew of Kraków was a German-Polish scholar and priest of the fourteenth century.

1410

Manuel III Megas Komnenos

Emperor of Trebizond (born 1364)

Manuel III Megas Komnenos was Emperor of Trebizond from 20 March, 1390 to his death in 1417.

1417

Antonio da Correggio

Italian painter and educator (born 1489)

Antonio Allegri da Correggio, usually known as just Correggio, was an Italian Renaissance painter who was the foremost painter of the Parma school of the High Renaissance, who was responsible for some of the most…

1534

Nuno da Cunha

Portuguese admiral and politician, Governor of Portuguese India (born 1487)

Nuno da Cunha was a Portuguese admiral who was governor of Portuguese possessions in India from 1529 to 1538. He was the governor of Portuguese Asia that ruled for more time in the sixteenth century in a total of nine…

1539

Kaspar Ursinus Velius

German humanist scholar, poet and historian (1493).

Kaspar Ursinus Velius was a German humanist scholar, poet and historian.

1539

Guido Panciroli

Italian historian and jurist (born 1523)

Guido Panciroli or Pancirolli was a sixteenth-century Italian antiquarian, historian, jurist and law professor at Ferrara, Padua and Turin. In his time he was renowned as a legal scholar, teaching students who came from…

1599

Shimazu Yoshihisa

Japanese daimyō (born 1533)

Shimazu Yoshihisa was a powerful daimyō and the 16th Chief of Shimazu clan of Satsuma Province, the eldest son of Shimazu Takahisa. He was renowned as a great general, who managed to subjugate Kyushu through the deft…

1611

Ranuccio I Farnese

Duke of Parma (born 1569)

Ranuccio I Farnese reigned as Duke of Parma, Piacenza and Castro from 1592. A firm believer in absolute monarchy, Ranuccio, in 1594, centralised the administration of Parma and Piacenza, thus rescinding the nobles'…

1622

Henry Wharton

English writer and librarian (born 1664)

Henry Wharton was an English writer and librarian.

1695

Evelyn Pierrepont

1st Duke of Kingston-upon-Hull, English politician, Lord President of the Council (born 1655)

Evelyn Pierrepont, 1st Duke of Kingston-upon-Hull, was an English aristocrat.

1726

Crispus Attucks

American slave, sailor, and stevedore, generally regarded as the first victim of the Boston Massacre (born 1723)

Crispus Attucks was an American whaler, sailor, and stevedore of African American and Native American descent who is traditionally regarded as the first person killed in the Boston massacre, and as a result the first…

1770

Thomas Arne

English composer and educator (born 1710)

Thomas Augustine Arne was an English composer of the late Baroque and early Classical periods. He is known for his patriotic song "Rule, Britannia!" and the song "A-Hunting We Will Go", the latter composed for a 1777…

1778

Franz Mesmer

German physician and astrologist (born 1734)

Franz Anton Mesmer was a German physician with an interest in astronomy. He theorized the existence of a process of natural energy transference occurring between all animate and inanimate objects; this he called "animal…

1815

Pierre-Simon Laplace

French mathematician and astronomer (born 1749)

Pierre-Simon, Marquis de Laplace was a French polymath, a scholar whose work has been instrumental in the fields of physics, astronomy, mathematics, engineering, statistics, and philosophy. He summarized and extended…

1827

Alessandro Volta

Italian physicist and academic (born 1745)

Alessandro Giuseppe Antonio Anastasio Volta was an Italian chemist and physicist who was a pioneer of electricity and power, and is credited as the inventor of the electric battery and the discoverer of methane. He…

1827

John Adams

English sailor and mutineer (born 1766)

John Adams, known as Jack Adams, was the last survivor of the Bounty mutineers who settled on Pitcairn Island in January 1790, the year after the mutiny. His real name was John Adams, but he used the name Alexander…

1829

David Scott

Scottish historical painter (born 1806)

David Scott was a Scottish historical painter.

1849

Marie d'Agoult

German-French historian and author (born 1805)

Marie Catherine Sophie, Comtesse d'Agoult, was a French romantic author and historian, known also by her pen name, Daniel Stern.

1876

Mary Louise Booth

American writer, editor and translator (born 1831)

Mary Louise Booth was an American editor, translator, and writer. She was the first editor-in-chief of the women's fashion magazine Harper's Bazaar.

1889

Hippolyte Taine

French historian and critic (born 1828)

Hippolyte Adolphe Taine was a French historian, critic and philosopher. He was the chief theoretical influence on French naturalism, a major proponent of sociological positivism and one of the first practitioners of…

1893

Nikolai Leskov

Russian author, playwright, and journalist (born 1831)

Nikolai Semyonovich Leskov was a Russian novelist, short-story writer, playwright, and journalist, who also wrote under the pseudonym M. Stebnitsky. Praised for his unique writing style and innovative experiments in…

1895

Sir Henry Rawlinson

1st Baronet, English general and scholar (born 1810)

Sir Henry Creswicke Rawlinson, 1st Baronet was a British East India Company army officer, politician, and Orientalist, sometimes described as the Father of Assyriology. His son, also Henry, was to become a senior…

1895

Friedrich Blass

German philologist, scholar, and academic (born 1843)

Friedrich Blass was a German classical scholar.

1907

Johan Jensen

Danish mathematician and engineer (born 1859)

Johan Ludwig William Valdemar Jensen, mostly known as Johan Jensen, was a Danish mathematician and engineer. He was the president of the Danish Mathematical Society from 1892 to 1903.

1925

Franz Mertens

Polish-Austrian mathematician and academic (born 1840)

Franz Mertens was a German-Polish mathematician. He was born in Schroda in the Grand Duchy of Posen, Kingdom of Prussia and died in Vienna, Austria.

1927

David Dunbar Buick

Scottish-American businessman, founded Buick (born 1854)

David Dunbar Buick was a Scottish-born American inventor, widely known for founding the Buick Motor Company. He headed this company and its predecessor from 1899–1906, thereby helping to create one of the most…

1929

Reşit Galip

Turkish academic and politician, 6th Turkish Minister of National Education (born 1893)

Mustafa Reşit Galip was a Turkish politician in the early years of the Turkish Republic. By profession, he was a medical doctor.

1934

Roque Ruaño

Spanish priest and engineer (born 1877)

Roque Ruaño Garrido, O.P. was a Spanish priest and civil engineer. He was known after he drew up plans for University of Santo Tomas (UST) Main Building, the first earthquake-shock resistant building in Asia, which was…

1935

Cai Yuanpei

Chinese philosopher and academic (born 1868)

Cai Yuanpei, spelt Ts'ai Yuan-p'ei during his lifetime, was a Chinese philosopher and politician who was an influential figure in the history of Chinese modern education. He made contributions to education reform with…

1940

George Plant

executed Irish Republican (born 1904)

George Plant was a member of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) who was executed by the Irish Government in 1942.

1942

Max Jacob

French poet and author (born 1876)

Max Jacob was a French poet, painter, writer, and critic.

1944

Lena Baker

African American held captive post slavery-era (born 1900)

Lena Baker was an African American maid in Cuthbert, Georgia, United States, who was convicted of capital murder of a white man, Ernest Knight. She was executed by the state of Georgia in 1945. Baker was the only woman…

1945

Alfredo Casella

Italian pianist, composer, and conductor (born 1883)

Alfredo Casella was an Italian composer, pianist and conductor.

1947

Edgar Lee Masters

American poet, author, and playwright (born 1868)

Edgar Lee Masters was an American attorney, poet, biographer, and dramatist. He is the author of Spoon River Anthology (1915), The New Star Chamber and Other Essays, Songs and Satires, The Great Valley, The Serpent in…

1950

Roman Shukhevych

Ukrainian general and politician (born 1907)

Roman-Taras Osypovych Shukhevych was a Ukrainian nationalist and a military leader of the nationalist Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), which during the Second World War fought against the Soviet Union and to a lesser…

1950

Herman J. Mankiewicz

American screenwriter and producer (born 1897)

Herman Jacob Mankiewicz was an American screenwriter who, with Orson Welles, wrote the screenplay for Citizen Kane (1941). Both Mankiewicz and Welles went on to receive the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for…

1953

Sergei Prokofiev

Russian pianist, composer, and conductor (born 1891)

Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor who later worked in the Soviet Union. As the creator of acknowledged masterpieces across numerous music genres, he is regarded as one of the…

1953

Joseph Stalin

Soviet dictator and politician of Georgian descent, 2nd leader of the Soviet Union (born 1878)

Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was a Soviet revolutionary and politician who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held office as general secretary of the Communist Party from 1922 to 1952 and as…

1953

Patsy Cline

American singer-songwriter (born 1932)

Patsy Cline was an American singer. One of the most influential vocalists of the 20th century, she was known as one of the first country music artists to successfully cross over into pop music. Cline had several major…

1963

Cowboy Copas

American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1913)

Lloyd Estel Copas, known by his stage name Cowboy Copas, was an American country music singer. He was popular from the 1940s until his death in the 1963 plane crash that also killed country stars Patsy Cline and…

1963

Hawkshaw Hawkins

American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1921)

Harold Franklin "Hawkshaw" Hawkins was an American country music singer popular from the 1950s into the early 1960s. He was known for his rich, smooth vocals and music drawn from blues, boogie and honky tonk. At 6 feet…

1963

Chen Cheng

Chinese general and politician, 27th Premier of the Republic of China (born 1897)

Chen Cheng, courtesy name Tsi-siou, was a Mainland Chinese and Taiwanese politician, military leader, revolutionary, and well as the leader of Tsotanhui Clique. He is widely regarded as the chief architect of Taiwan's…

1965

Pepper Martin

American baseball player and manager (born 1904)

Johnny Leonard Roosevelt "Pepper" Martin was an American professional baseball outfielder, third baseman, and minor league manager. He played 13 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals from…

1965

Anna Akhmatova

Ukrainian-Russian poet, author, and translator (born 1889)

Anna Andreyevna Gorenko, known by her pen name Anna Akhmatova, was a Russian and Soviet poet. She was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1965 and 1966.

1966

Mischa Auer

Russian-American actor (born 1905)

Mischa Auer was a Russian-American actor who moved to Hollywood in the late 1920s. He first appeared in film in 1928. Auer had a long career playing in many of the era's best known films. He was nominated for the…

1967

Mohammad Mosaddegh

Iranian political scientist and politician, 60th Prime Minister of Iran (born 1882)

Mohammad Mosaddegh was an Iranian politician, author and lawyer who served as the prime minister of Iran from 1951 to 1953, elected by the 16th Majlis. He was elected to the Iranian parliament in 1923 and served through…

1967

Georges Vanier

Canadian general and politician, 19th Governor General of Canada (born 1888)

Georges-Philias Vanier was a Canadian military officer, diplomat, and statesman who served as the 19th governor general of Canada from 1959 to 1967, the first Quebecker and second Canadian-born person to hold the…

1967

Allan Nevins

American journalist and author (born 1890)

Joseph Allan Nevins was an American historian and journalist, known for his extensive work on the history of the Civil War and his biographies of such figures as Grover Cleveland, Hamilton Fish, Henry Ford, and John D.…

1971

Robert C. O'Brien

American journalist and author (born 1918)

Robert Leslie Carroll Conly, better known by his pen name Robert C. O'Brien, was an American novelist and a journalist for National Geographic magazine. He is best known for his children's novel Mrs. Frisby and the Rats…

1973

John Samuel Bourque

Canadian colonel and politician (born 1894)

John Samuel Bourque was a Quebec politician, Cabinet Minister, military member and businessman. He was the Member of Legislative Assembly of Quebec for the riding of Sherbrooke for 25 years.

1974

Billy De Wolfe

American actor (born 1907)

William Andrew Jones, better known as Billy De Wolfe, was an American character actor. He was active in films from the mid-1940s until his death in 1974.

1974

Sol Hurok

Ukrainian-American businessman (born 1888)

Sol Hurok was a 20th-century American impresario.

1974

Otto Tief

Estonian lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of Estonia (born 1889)

Otto Tief was an Estonian politician, military commander, and a lawyer.

1976

Tom Pryce

Welsh race car driver (born 1949)

Thomas Maldwyn Pryce was a British racing driver from Wales, who competed in Formula One from 1974 to 1977.

1977

Jay Silverheels

Canadian-American actor (born 1912)

Jay Silverheels was a First Nations and Mohawk actor and athlete, descended from three Iroquois nations. He was well known for his role as Tonto, the Native American companion of the Lone Ranger in the American Western…

1980

Yip Harburg

American songwriter and composer (born 1896)

Edgar Yipsel "Yip" Harburg was an American popular song lyricist and librettist who worked with many well-known composers. He wrote the lyrics to the standards "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?", "April in Paris", and…

1981

John Belushi

American actor (born 1949)

John Adam Belushi was an American actor, comedian, and musician. He was one of seven Saturday Night Live cast members of the first season. Belushi had a partnership with Dan Aykroyd; they had first met while at…

1982

Tito Gobbi

Italian operatic baritone (born 1913)

Tito Gobbi was an Italian operatic baritone with an international reputation.

1984

William Powell

American actor (born 1892)

William Horatio Powell was an American actor, known primarily for his film career. Under contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, he was paired with Myrna Loy in 14 films, including the Thin Man series based on the Nick and…

1984

Alberto Olmedo

Argentine comedian and actor (born 1933)

Alberto Olmedo was an Argentine comedian and actor.

1988

Gary Merrill

American actor and director (born 1915)

Gary Fred Merrill was an American film and television actor whose credits included more than 50 feature films, a half-dozen mostly short-lived TV series, and dozens of television guest appearances. He starred in All…

1990

Vivian Stanshall

English singer-songwriter and musician (born 1943)

Vivian Stanshall was an English singer-songwriter, musician, author, poet and wit, best known for his work with the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, for his exploration of the British upper classes in Sir Henry at Rawlinson End,…

1995

Whit Bissell

American character actor (born 1909)

Whitner Nutting Bissell was an American character actor.

1996

Samm Sinclair Baker

American writer (born 1909)

Samm Sinclair Baker was the author/co-author of many how-to and self-help books, most notably The Complete Scarsdale Medical Diet which he co-authored with Dr. Herman Tarnower.

1997

Jean Dréville

French director and screenwriter (born 1906)

Jean Dréville was a French film director. He directed more than 40 films between 1928 and 1969.

1997

Richard Kiley

American actor and singer (born 1922)

Richard Paul Kiley was an American stage, film, and television actor and singer. He is best known for his distinguished theatrical career in which he twice won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical. Kiley…

1999

Lolo Ferrari

French dancer, actress and singer (born 1963)

Lolo Ferrari was a French dancer, actress, and singer.

2000

David Sheppard

English cricketer and bishop (born 1929)

David Stuart Sheppard, Baron Sheppard of Liverpool was a Church of England bishop who played cricket for Sussex and England in his youth, before serving as Bishop of Liverpool from 1975 to 1997. Sheppard remains the…

2005

Joseph Weizenbaum

German computer scientist and author (born 1923)

Joseph Weizenbaum was a German-American computer scientist and a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is the namesake of the Weizenbaum Award and the Weizenbaum Institute.

2008

Charles B. Pierce

American director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1938)

Charles Bryant Pierce was an American film director, screenwriter, producer, set decorator, cinematographer, and actor. Pierce directed thirteen films over the span of 26 years, but is best known for his cult hits The…

2010

Richard Stapley

British actor and writer (born 1923)

Richard Stapley, also known by the stage name Rick Wyler, was a British actor and writer.

2010

Manolis Rasoulis

Greek singer-songwriter (born 1945)

Manolis Rasoulis, best known as the lyricist of famous songs, was a Greek music composer, singer, writer, and journalist. He is often regarded as one of the Greek lyricists of exceptional talent.

2011

Paul Haines

New Zealand-Australian author (born 1970)

Paul Haines was a New Zealand-born horror and speculative fiction writer. He lived in Melbourne with his wife and daughter.

2012

Philip Madoc

Welsh-English actor (born 1934)

Philip Madoc was a Welsh actor. He performed many stage, television, radio and film roles, and was recognised for having a "rich, sonorous voice" and often playing villains and officers.

2012

William O. Wooldridge

American sergeant (born 1922)

William O. Wooldridge was a United States Army soldier and the first Sergeant Major of the Army.

2012

Paul Bearer

American wrestler and manager (born 1954)

William Alvin Moody was an American professional wrestling manager. He performed in the World Wrestling Federation under the ring name and gimmick of Paul Bearer, manager of The Undertaker and his storyline…

2013

Hugo Chávez

Venezuelan colonel and politician, President of Venezuela (born 1954)

Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías was a Venezuelan politician, revolutionary, and military officer who was the president of Venezuela from 1999 until his death in 2013. Chávez was also leader of the Fifth Republic Movement…

2013

Duane Gish

American biochemist and academic (born 1921)

Duane Tolbert Gish was an American biochemist and a prominent member of the creationist movement. A young Earth creationist, Gish was a former vice-president of the Institute for Creation Research (ICR) and the author…

2013

Geoff Edwards

American actor and game show host (born 1931)

Geoffrey Bruce Owen Edwards was an American television actor, game show host, and radio personality. Starting in the early 2000s, he was also a writer and broadcaster on the subject of travel.

2014

Ailsa McKay

Scottish economist and academic (born 1963)

Ailsa McKay was a Scottish economist, government policy adviser, a leading feminist economist and Professor of Economics at Glasgow Caledonian University.

2014

Leopoldo María Panero

Spanish poet and translator (born 1948)

Leopoldo María Panero was a Spanish poet and member of the Novísimos group. His work is included in many works of literary history, anthologies, and academic programs across Spain. Much of his work is considered…

2014

Ola L. Mize

American colonel, Medal of Honor recipient (born 1931)

Ola Lee Mize was a United States Army officer and a recipient of the Medal of Honor for his actions in the Korean War.

2014

Vlada Divljan

Serbian singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1958)

Vladimir "Vlada" Divljan, was a Serbian singer and songwriter. He was known as the frontman of the Serbian and Yugoslav rock band Idoli, one of the bands which initiated the Yugoslav new wave on the music and cultural…

2015

Edward Egan

American cardinal and former Archbishop of New York (born 1932)

Edward Michael Egan was an American Catholic prelate who served as bishop of Bridgeport in Connecticut from 1988 to 2000 and as archbishop of New York from 2000 to 2009. He was elevated to the cardinalate in 2001.

2015

Hassan Al-Turabi

Sudanese activist and politician (born 1932)

Hassan al-Turabi was a Sudanese politician and scholar. He was the alleged architect of the 1989 Sudanese military coup that overthrew Sadiq al-Mahdi and installed Omar al-Bashir as president. He has been called "one of…

2016

Ray Tomlinson

American computer programmer and engineer (born 1941)

Raymond Samuel Tomlinson was an American computer programmer who invented the first email program on the ARPANET system, the precursor to the Internet, in 1971; it was the first system able to send mail between users on…

2016

Al Wistert

American football player and coach (born 1920)

Albert Alexander "Ox" Wistert was an American professional football player who was a tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for the Philadelphia Eagles. He played his entire nine-year NFL career for the Eagles and…

2016

Kurt Moll

German opera singer (born 1938)

Kurt Moll was a German operatic bass singer who enjoyed a widely renowned international career.

2017

March 5 in the Blog

The Boston Massacre - March 5, 1770

1770 Boston Massacre in Boston: British soldiers clash with colonists, sparking revolution

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Notable deaths

Who died on March 5?

Antanas Merkys — Lithuanian politician and lawyer

FeaturedAntanas Merkys

Death year1955

Known forWhen the Soviet Union presented an ultimatum to Lithuania demanding that it accept a Soviet garrison, President Antanas Smetona fled the country, leaving Merkys as acting president

Deaths on this date92 (254 – 2017)

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2023

The 2023 Estonian parliamentary election is held, with two centre-right liberal parties gaining an absolute majority for the first time. Wikipedia →

2023

A group of four prisoners escape from the Nouakchott Civil Prison, before being caught the next day. Wikipedia →

2021

Pope Francis begins a historic visit to Iraq amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Wikipedia →

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1955 — Antanas Merkys

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