MARCH 5 — 1770 Boston Massacre;1804 President Washington retires from office, opens world’s largest whiskey distillery; 2008Gilroy Gardens purchased by its California city
MARCH 5
1770 – The Boston Massacre.
Back in 1765 when the Stamp Act was enforced into the American colonies, Americans began getting upset about the whole taxation without representation thing and began objecting to British rule in America. In 1768 British troops were sent to America to stop that rebellion rubbish, and that didn’t end well for neither the British, nor the Americans.
Patriots of the Sons of Liberty were outside the Customs house on March 5, 1770, and began to goad the British soldiers, led by Captain Thomas Preston, into a fight. When the British walked outside he Customs House with their bayonets affixed, they met a barrage of snowballs and rocks and sticks being thrown at them. One of the guards, possibly Private Hugh Montgomery, shot his gun off, which was followed by more gunshots from the British,, and killed three Americans and fatally wounded others The ones to die first are considered to be the first casualties of the American Revolution. An African American sailor named Crispus Attucks, as well as Patrick Carr, Samuel Gray, Samuel Maverick, and James Caldwell were their names.
Captain Preston and his men would be sent to trial for manslaughter. They were defended by John Adams and Josiah Quincy, which as you can imagine got a few booes from the gallery. John Adams was supposed to be on the side of the American cause, so why is he defending the British? But those who understood Adams knew that Adams needed to show support for the American colonial system. That was only fair., not at the time not many recognized he was actually doing the right thing. The British soldiers were found guilty of manslaughter and had their thumbs branded with an M for Murder. The Boston massacre led directly to the Royal Governorl, who evacuated the army from Boston. This was one of the pivitol events that led to the Revolution.
1977 – Dial-a-President airs.
This idea was formed by CBS and Walter Cronkite, who broadcasted on CBS until 1981. Officially called Ask mr. President, this program invited callers throughout the country to call the CBS studios in New York, with audio links to the Oval Office where President carter was standing by to take questions. Say what you will about the Peanut Farmer but this was a great show and unfortunately only aired once. Carter was happy to answer questions of the American public ranging from events of genocide in Uganda to the GI Bill to the reason his grandson lived at the White House at taxpayer expense. Carter explained about the last question that all his families laundry and food were taken care of out of Carter’s own pocket and that he is not mooching onff the government. Ah, the old days. Although the show only airded once, it was a big success as 9 million calls flooded the CBS studios.
2001, Concerts at Madison Square Garden and the RFK stadium in Washington were expected to raise millions in funds for the victims of the Sept 11th attacks. Stars who appeared included Michael Jackson, Tom Petty, Paul McCartney, David Bowie, Eric Clapton, and The Who