On this day, March 5

1770 The Boston Massacre took place as British soldiers who had been taunted by a crowd of colonists opened fire, killing five people.

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.

1946 Winston Churchill delivered his “Iron Curtain” speech at Westminster College in Fulton, Mo., 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.”

1953 Soviet dictator Josef Stalin died after three decades in power.

1996 Bill Foster, a pitcher for the Homestead Grays and the Pittsburgh Crawfords who led the Negro League in strikeouts four times, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veteran’s Committee.

2006 AT&T announced it was buying BellSouth Corp., a big step toward resurrecting the old Ma Bell telephone system. Some items are from Stefan Lorant’s “Pittsburgh: The Story of an American City” (digital.library.pitt.edu/chronology). — Compiled by Alyssa Brown Today’s birthdays: Actor Paul Sand, 89. Actor James B. Sikking, 87. Actor Dean Stockwell, 85. Actor Fred Williamson, 83. Actor Samantha Eggar, 82. Actor Michael Warren, 75. Actor Eddie Hodges, 74. Singer Eddy Grant, 73. Rock musician Alan Clark (Dire Straits), 69. Actor-comedian Marsha Warfield, 67. Magician Penn Jillette, 66. Actor Adriana Barraza, 65. Actor Talia Balsam, 62. Rock singers Charlie and Craig Reid (The Proclaimers), 59. Pro Football Hall of Famer Michael Irvin, 55. Actor Paul Blackthorne, 52. Rock musician John Frusciante, 51. Singer Rome, 51. Actor Kevin Connolly, 47. Actor Eva Mendes, 47. Actor Jill Ritchie, 47. Actor Jolene Blalock, 46. Model Niki Taylor, 46. Thought for today: “Freedom is not worth fighting for if it means no more than license for everyone to get as much as he can for himself.”