The Almanac

Today is Friday, March 5, the 65th day of 2004 with 301 to follow.

The moon is waxing. The morning stars are Neptune, Uranus and Pluto. The evening stars are Venus, Mercury, Jupiter, Mars and Saturn.

Those born on this date are under the sign of Pisces. They include Flemish mapmaker Gerhardus Mercator in 1512; William Blackstone, the first settler in what is now Boston, in 1595; Antoine Cadillac, founder of Detroit, in 1658; poet Lucy Larcom in 1824; lithographer James Ives, partner of Nathaniel Currier, in 1824; author Frank Norris in 1870; water treatment pioneer Emmett J. Culligan in 1893; actors Rex Harrison in 1908, Jack Cassidy in 1927, Dean Stockwell in 1936 (age 68), Samantha Eggar in 1939 (age 65), Paul Sand in 1944 (age 60), Michael Warren ("Hill Street Blues") in 1946 (age 58) and Marsha Warfield ("Night Court") in 1954 (age 60); and magician Penn Jillette of Penn and Teller in 1955 (age 49).

On this date in history:

In 1770, British troops killed five colonials in the so-called "Boston Massacre," one of the events that led to the American Revolution.

In 1933, in German elections, Adolf Hitler's Nazi Party won nearly half the seats in the Reichstag, the German parliament.

In 1946, Winston Churchill, speaking in Fulton, Mo., established the Cold War boundary during his famed "Iron Curtain" speech.

In 1953, the Soviet Union announced that dictator Josef Stalin had died at age 73.

In 1984, the Standard Oil Co. of California, also known as Chevron, bought Gulf Corp. for more than $13 billion in the largest business merger in U.S. history at the time.

In 1991, rebellions against Saddam Hussein were reported in southeastern Iraq. U.S. military officials predicted the unrest probably would lead to his downfall.

In 1993, Canada's Ben Johnson, once called the world's fastest human, again tested positive for drugs and was banned for life from track competition.

In 1997, Switzerland announced plans to establish a $4.7 billion government-financed fund, using interest from its gold reserves, to compensate survivors of the Nazi Holocaust and their descendants.

In 1998, NASA announced that ice had been found at the moon's north and south poles.

In 2001, a 15-year-old boy opened fire at a Santee, Calif., high school, killing two students and wounding 13 other people.

Also in 2001, Vice President Dick Cheney was hospitalized with chest pains caused by a partially blocked artery.

In 2002, President George W. Bush imposed tariffs of up to 30 percent on steel imported from Europe, Asia and South America.

Also in 2002, Rep. Gary Condit, D-Calif., who admitted a "very close" relationship with missing government intern Chandra Levy, lost his bid for renomination to another term.

In 2003, Several Democratic party leaders, including former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and ex-Defense Secretary William Perry urged the Bush Administration to negotiate directly with North Korea, which it appeared reluctant to do.

Also in 2003, thousands of students around the natioin walked out of class to protest a possible war with Iraq.

A thought for the day: Winston Churchill said, "It is no use saying, 'We are doing our best.' You have got to succeed in doing what is necessary."