Did you know
In 2023, The 2023 Estonian parliamentary election is held, with two centre-right liberal parties gaining an absolute majority for the first time. This featured entry focuses on the immediate decision and its direct historical impact.
March 5 in History
2023 — The 2023 Estonian parliamentary election is held, with two centre-right liberal parties gaining an absolute majority for the first time
March 5 spans 54 recorded events across recorded history, from 363 to 2023. Below is a curated digest of the most significant moments tied to this date.
By thisDay.info Editorial Team · — Wikipedia
Historical Events
54 events
363 – 2023
Today in history
More major events on March 5
The featured story and these ranked highlights form a quick summary. Every recorded event remains available in the chronology below.
- 1981 The ZX81, a pioneering British home computer, is launched by Sinclair Research and would go on to sell over 11⁄2 million units around the world. Source
- 1616 Nicolaus Copernicus's book On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres is added to the Index of Forbidden Books 73 years after it was first published. Source
- 1960 Indonesian President Sukarno dismisses the Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat (DPR), 1955 democratically elected parliament, and replaces it with DPR-GR, the parliament of his own selected members. Source
Did you know
Parliamentary elections were held in Estonia on 5 March 2023 to elect all 101 members of the Riigikogu. This helps explain why the event mattered beyond the initial announcement.
Did you know
The officially published election data indicate the victory of the Reform Party, which won 37 seats in total, while the Conservative People's Party of Estonia (EKRE) placed second with 17 seats. This clarifies the institutional and public response around the event.
Did you know
The Centre Party won 16 seats, a loss of 10, while Estonia 200 won 14 seats, gaining representation in the Riigikogu. This shows how the event shaped policy and public communication in the same period.
Did you know
In 2023, The 2023 Estonian parliamentary election is held, with two centre-right liberal parties gaining an absolute majority for the first time had consequences that extended beyond the first headline. The key context is the institutions involved, the policy shift, and how the public response evolved afterward.
363
Roman emperor Julian leaves Antioch with an army of 90,000 to attack the Sasanian Empire, in a campaign which would bring about his own death.
Ruler of the Roman Empire
The Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman Empire, starting with the granting of the title augustus to Octavian in 27 BC.
1046
Nasir Khusraw begins the seven-year Middle Eastern journey which he will later describe in his book Safarnama.
11th-century Persian Isma'ili poet, scholar, philosopher, and missionary
Nasir Khusraw was an Iranian Isma'ili poet, philosopher, traveler, and missionary for the Isma'ili Fatimid Caliphate.
1279
The Livonian Order is defeated in the Battle of Aizkraukle by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
Branch of the Teutonic Order, 1237–1561
The Livonian Order was an autonomous branch of the Teutonic Order, formed in 1237. From 1435 to 1561, it was a member of the "Livonian Confederation".
1496
King Henry VII of England issues letters patent to John Cabot and his sons, authorising them to explore unknown lands.
King of England from 1485 to 1509
Henry VII, also known as Henry Tudor, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizure of the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death in 1509. He was the first monarch of the House of Tudor.
1616
Nicolaus Copernicus's book On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres is added to the Index of Forbidden Books 73 years after it was first published.
Mathematician and astronomer (1473–1543)
Nicolaus Copernicus was a Renaissance polymath who formulated a model of the universe that placed the Sun rather than Earth at its center.
1766
Antonio de Ulloa, the first Spanish governor of Louisiana, arrives in New Orleans.
Spanish Navy officer, scientist, and colonial administrator (1716–1795)
Antonio de Ulloa y de la Torre-Guiral was a Spanish Navy officer.
1770
Boston Massacre: Five Americans, including Crispus Attucks, are fatally shot by British troops in an event that would contribute to the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War (also known as the American War of Independence) five years later.
1770 shooting deaths of five colonists by British soldiers
The Boston Massacre, known in Great Britain as the Incident on King Street, was a confrontation on March 5, 1770 in the prelude to the American Revolution in Boston, in what was then the colony of the Province of…
1811
Peninsular War: A French force under the command of Marshal Victor is routed while trying to prevent an Anglo-Spanish-Portuguese army from lifting the Siege of Cádiz in the Battle of Barrosa.
1807–1814 war against Napoleon in Iberia
The Peninsular War (1808–1814) was fought in the Iberian Peninsula by the Iberian nations Spain and Portugal, along with the United Kingdom, against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during…
1824
First Anglo-Burmese War: The British officially declare war on Burma.
1824–1826 war in Southeast Asia
The First Anglo-Burmese War, also known as the First Burma War in English language accounts and First English Invasion War in Burmese language accounts, was the first of three wars fought between the British and Burmese…
1825
Roberto Cofresí, one of the last successful Caribbean pirates, is defeated in combat and captured by authorities.
Puerto Rican pirate (1791–1825)
Roberto Cofresí y Ramírez de Arellano, also known as El Pirata Cofresí, was a Puerto Rican pirate.
1836
Samuel Colt establishes his first factory to produce the recently patented production-model revolver, the .34-caliber "Paterson".
American industrialist and inventor (1814–1862)
Samuel Colt was an American inventor, industrialist, and businessman who established Colt's Patent Fire-Arms Manufacturing Company and made the mass production of revolvers commercially viable.
1850
The Britannia Bridge across the Menai Strait between the island of Anglesey and the mainland of Wales is opened.
Road-rail bridge over the Menai Strait
Britannia Bridge is a bridge in Wales that crosses the Menai Strait between the Isle of Anglesey and the city of Bangor.
1860
Parma, Tuscany, Modena and Romagna vote in referendums to join the Kingdom of Sardinia.
City in Emilia-Romagna, Italy
Parma is a city in the region of Emilia-Romagna in Northern Italy, known for its architecture, music, art, prosciutto (ham), cheese and surrounding countryside.
1868
Mefistofele, an opera by Arrigo Boito, receives its premiere performance at La Scala.
Opera by Arrigo Boito
Mefistofele is an Italian opera in a prologue and five acts, later reduced to four acts and an epilogue, the only completed opera with music by the Italian composer-librettist Arrigo Boito.
1872
George Westinghouse patents the air brake.
American engineer, inventor, and businessman (1846–1914)
George Westinghouse Jr. was a prolific American inventor, engineer, and entrepreneurial industrialist based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
1906
Moro Rebellion: United States Army troops bring overwhelming force against the native Moros in the First Battle of Bud Dajo, leaving only six survivors.
1902–1913 uprising during the Philippine-American War
The Moro Rebellion (1902–1913) was an armed conflict between the Moro people and the United States military during the Philippine–American War.
1912
Italo-Turkish War: Italian forces are the first to use airships for military purposes, employing them for reconnaissance behind Turkish lines.
1911–1912 war in Libya and the Aegean Sea
The Italo-Turkish War, also known as the Turco-Italian War, was fought between the Kingdom of Italy and the Ottoman Empire from 29 September 1911 to 18 October 1912.
1931
The British Raj: Gandhi–Irwin Pact is signed.
1858–1947 Crown rule in India
The British Raj was the period of rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent, lasting from 1858 to 1947. It is also called Crown rule in India, or direct rule in India.
1933
Adolf 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.
Dictator of Germany from 1933 to 1945
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Germany in the Nazi era from 1933 until his suicide in 1945.
1939
Spanish 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.
1936–1939 civil war in Spain
The Spanish Civil War was fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republicans and the Nationalist rebels.
1940
Six 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.
Supreme political authority in Soviet Union
The Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, abbreviated as Politburo, was the de facto highest executive authority in the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU).
1942
World 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.
Global conflict (1939–1945)
World War II, or the Second World War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers.
1943
World War II: General strike and protest march in Athens against rumours of forced mobilization of Greek workers for work in Germany, resulting in clashes with the Axis occupation forces and collaborationist police.
The decree is withdrawn on the next day.
In February–March 1943, a series of large-scale protests took place in Athens against the intended forcible mobilization of occupied Greece's labour force for work in Nazi Germany.
1944
World War II: The Red Army begins the Uman–Botoșani offensive in the western Ukrainian SSR.
Soviet army and air force from 1918 to 1946
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often referred by its shortened name as the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union.
1946
Cold War: Winston Churchill delivers his famous "Iron Curtain" speech at Westminster College, Missouri.
1947–1991 geopolitical rivalry between US and USSR
The Cold War was a period of international geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc.
1953
Joseph Stalin, the longest serving leader of the Soviet Union, dies at his Volynskoe dacha in Moscow after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage four days earlier.
Leader of the Soviet Union from 1924 to 1953
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was a Soviet revolutionary and politician who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953.
1957
Sutton Wick air crash: A Blackburn Beverley of 53 Squadron, Royal Air Forces, crashes into the village of Sutton Wick, Berkshire (now Oxfordshire), killing most of the crew and passengers and two local residents.
1957 military transport crash in Berkshire, England
The Sutton Wick air crash occurred on 5 March 1957 when a Blackburn Beverley C Mk 1 heavy transport aircraft, serial number XH117, of No.
1960
Indonesian President Sukarno dismisses the Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat (DPR), 1955 democratically elected parliament, and replaces it with DPR-GR, the parliament of his own selected members.
Head of state and government
The president of the Republic of Indonesia is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Indonesia.
1963
American country music stars Patsy Cline, Hawkshaw Hawkins, Cowboy Copas and their pilot Randy Hughes are killed in a plane crash in Camden, Tennessee.
American country singer (1932–1963)
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.
1963
Aeroflot Flight 191 crashes while landing at Aşgabat International Airport, killing 12.
1963 aviation accident
Aeroflot Flight 191 was a Soviet domestic passenger flight from Vnukovo International Airport to Ashkhabad International Airport, with a stopover in Krasnovodsk Airport.
1965
March Intifada: A Leftist uprising erupts in Bahrain against the British colonial presence.
1965 left-wing uprising against British presence in Bahrain
The March Intifada was an uprising that broke out in Bahrain in March 1965.
1966
BOAC Flight 911, a Boeing 707 aircraft, breaks apart in mid-air due to clear-air turbulence and crashes into Mount Fuji, Japan, killing all 124 people on board.
1966 aviation accident in Japan
BOAC Flight 911 was a round-the-world flight operated by the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) that crashed near Mount Fuji in Japan on 5 March 1966, with the loss of all 113 passengers and 11 crew members.
1967
Lake Central Airlines Flight 527 crashes near Marseilles, Ohio, killing 38.
1967 aviation accident
Lake Central Airlines Flight 527 was a regularly scheduled Convair 580 flight on March 5, 1967, from Chicago, Illinois to Detroit, Michigan with stops at Lafayette, Indiana, Cincinnati, Ohio, Columbus, Ohio and Toledo,…
1968
Air France Flight 212 crashes into La Grande Soufrière, killing all 63 aboard.
Fatal aviation accident in Guadeloupe
Air France Flight 212 was a scheduled passenger flight from Santiago, Chile to Paris with scheduled stops at Lima, Quito, Bogotá, Caracas, Pointe-à-Pitre, Vila do Porto, and Lisbon.
1970
The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons goes into effect after ratification by 43 nations.
International treaty
The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, commonly known as the Non-Proliferation Treaty or NPT, is an international treaty, the objective of which is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons…
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.
National airline of Spain
Iberia, legally incorporated as Iberia Líneas Aéreas de España, S.A. Operadora, Sociedad Unipersonal, is the flag carrier of Spain.
1974
Yom Kippur War: Israeli forces withdraw from the west bank of the Suez Canal.
1973 war between Israel and Arab states
The Yom Kippur War, also known as the 1973 Arab–Israeli War, the fourth Arab–Israeli War, the October War, or the Ramadan War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria.
1978
The Landsat 3 is launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
American earth observation satellite (1978–1983)
Landsat 3 is the third satellite of the Landsat program. It was launched on March 5, 1978, with the primary goal of providing a global archive of satellite imagery.
1979
Soviet probes Venera 11, Venera 12 and the German-American solar satellite Helios II all are hit by "off the scale" gamma rays leading to the discovery of soft gamma repeaters.
1978 Soviet uncrewed spacecraft which successfully landed on Venus
The Venera 11 was a Soviet uncrewed space mission which was part of the Venera program to explore the planet Venus. Venera 11 was launched on 9 September 1978 at 03:25:39 UTC.
1981
The ZX81, a pioneering British home computer, is launched by Sinclair Research and would go on to sell over 11⁄2 million units around the world.
1981 home computer
The ZX81 is a home computer developed by Sinclair Research and manufactured in Dundee, Scotland, by Timex Corporation.
1982
Soviet probe Venera 14 lands on Venus.
1982 Soviet space probe which successfully landed on Venus
Venera 14 was a probe in the Soviet Venera program for the exploration of Venus.
1991
Aeropostal Alas de Venezuela Flight 109 crashes in Venezuela, killing 45.
1991 aviation accident in Venezuela
Aeropostal Alas de Venezuela Flight 109 was a short-haul flight from La Chinita International Airport in Maracaibo, Venezuela to Santa Barbara Ed-L Delicias Airport that crashed on March 5, 1991.
1993
Palair Macedonian Airlines Flight 301 crashes at Skopje International Airport in Petrovec, North Macedonia, killing 83.
1993 aviation accident
Palair Macedonian Airlines Flight 301 was a scheduled international passenger flight from Skopje to Zurich, operated by Palair Macedonian, the then-flag carrier of Macedonia.
2001
In Mina, Saudi Arabia, 35 pilgrims are killed in a stampede on the Jamaraat Bridge during the Hajj.
Neighbourhood in Mecca, Saudi Arabia
Mina, nicknamed the "City of the Tents", is a valley located 8 kilometres southeast of the city of Mecca, in the district of Masha'er, Province of Makkah in the Hejazi region of Saudi Arabia.
2002
An earthquake in Mindanao, Philippines, kills 15 people and injures more than 100.
Magnitude 7.5 earthquake in the southern Philippines
The 2002 Mindanao earthquake struck the Philippines at 05:16:09 Philippine Standard Time on March 6.
2003
In Haifa, 17 Israeli civilians are killed in the Haifa bus 37 suicide bombing.
City in Northern Israel
Haifa is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of 297,082 in 2024.
2011
An Antonov An-148 crashes in Russia's Alexeyevsky District, Belgorod Oblast during a test flight, killing all seven aboard.
Ukrainian regional jet aircraft
The Antonov An-148 is a regional jet designed and primarily built by the Ukrainian aerospace manufacturer Antonov of Ukraine.
2012
Tropical Storm Irina kills over 75 as it passes through Madagascar.
2012 tropical cyclone which devastated South Africa, Mozambique, and Madagascar
Severe Tropical Storm Irina was a large tropical cyclone that brought gusty winds and torrential rain across Madagascar, Mozambique, and South Africa.
2012
Two people are killed and six more are injured in a shooting at a hair salon in Bucharest, Romania.
Mass shooting in Bucharest
On 5 March 2012, a man opened fire at a hair salon in Bucharest, Romania, killing two people and wounding six more.
2018
Syrian civil war: The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) pause the Deir ez-Zor campaign due to the Turkish-led invasion of Afrin.
2011–2024 armed conflict in Syria
The Syrian civil war was an armed conflict that began with the Syrian revolution in March 2011, when popular discontent with the Ba'athist regime ruled by Bashar al-Assad triggered large-scale protests and pro-democracy…
2021
Pope Francis begins a historic visit to Iraq amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
Head of the Catholic Church from 2013 to 2025
Pope Francis was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City from 13 March 2013 until his death in 2025.
2021
Twenty people are killed and 30 injured in a suicide car bombing in Mogadishu, Somalia.
Suicide attack on restaurant in Somalia
On 5 March 2021, a suicide car bombing occurred outside Luul Yemeni restaurant in Mogadishu, Somalia. The attack killed at least 20 people and injured another 30.
2023
A group of four prisoners escape from the Nouakchott Civil Prison, before being caught the next day.
Violent prison break of four AQMI prisoners in Nouakchott, Mauritania
The 2023 Nouakchott prison break was the result of a prison riot in the Nouakchott Civil Prison, the central prison of Mauritania.