This Day In History : March 5

1978 United States

Landsat 3 Launched from Vandenberg AFB

On March 5, 1978, Landsat 3 was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. This Earth-observing satellite continued the mission of capturing detailed imagery of the planet's surface, aiding in environmental monitoring and land use studies.

Also on This Day in History March 5

Discover what happened on March 5 with HISTORY's summaries of major events, anniversaries,
famous births and notable deaths.

Births on This Day, March 5
  • 1898 Zhou Enlai

    Chinese politician, 1st Premier of the People's Republic of China

  • 1910 Momofuku Ando

    Taiwanese-Japanese inventor of instant noodles and cup noodles

  • 1794 Jacques Babinet

    French physicist, mathematician and astronomer who contributed to optics

  • 1938 Lynn Margulis

    American biologist who worked on serial endosymbiotic theory

  • 1934 Daniel Kahneman

    Israeli economist, Nobel laureate 2002

Deaths on This Day, March 5
  • 1827 Alessandro Volta

    Italian physicist and inventor of the 1st battery

  • 1827 Pierre-Simon Laplace

    French mathematician, astronomer and physicist who was known for his investigations into stability of the solar system

  • 2016 Ray Tomlinson

    American computer programmer who invented email and @ sign

  • 1815 Franz Anton Mesmer

    Austrian physician and hypnotist (Mesmerism)

  • 2018 Helmut Maucher

    German businessman and CEO of Nestlé 

1981

ZX81 Home Computer Launched in 1981

On March 5, 1981, the ZX81 home computer was launched by Sinclair Research in the United Kingdom. This affordable and compact device played a key role in making personal computing accessible to a wider audience.
1982

Venera 14 Lands on Venus and Sends Back Data in 1982

On March 5, 1982, the Soviet spacecraft Venera 14 successfully landed on Venus. It transmitted valuable data about the planet's surface and atmospheric conditions back to Earth, significantly advancing our knowledge of Venus.
1904

Nikola Tesla Describes Ball Lightning Formation in 1904

On March 5, 1904, Nikola Tesla published a description of the ball lightning formation process in Electrical World and Engineer. This groundbreaking work contributed to the understanding of electrical phenomena and Tesla's innovative contributions to science.
1970

Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Enters into Force

On March 5, 1970, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) officially entered into force. This landmark international agreement aimed to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and promote peaceful uses of nuclear energy.
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