Today in History, 3/5

1133: King Henry II of England is born. He's the guy who had Thomas Beckett killed (allegedly) and was depicted in the dysfunctional family drama The Lion in Winter.
1770: The Boston Massacre: Five Americans, including a black man named Crispus Attucks and a young boy are gunned down by British soldiers in Boston.
1836: Samuel Colt creates the first production-model revolver.
1842: 500 Mexican troops led by Rafael Vasquez invade Texas and occupy San Antonio, before retreating back over the Rio Grande.
1868: A court of impeachment is organized against President Andrew Johnson.
1872: George Westinghouse patents the air brake.
1874: Henry Travers is born. He played Clarence in It's A Wonderful Life.1905: During the Russo-Japanese War, Russian troops start retreating from Manchuria after losing 100,000 troops in three days.
1908: Rex Harrison is born. I'll admit it - I always get him mixed up with Robert Preston.1922: James Noble is born. He played Governor Eugene Gatling on the old sitcom Benson.
1953: Josef Stalin dies.1933: During the Great Depression, FDR declares a bank holiday which closes all banks and freezes all financial transactions.
1934: James B. Sikking is born. He played the weasely Captain Styles of the USS Excelsior in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock.1936: First flight of the Supermarine Spitfire.1936: Dean Stockwell is born.1940: Members of the Soviet Politburo sign an order for the execution of 25,700 Poles which became known as the Katyn Massacre. The United States' willingness to ignore this is a national shame.
1943: First flight of the Gloster Meteor jet aircraft.1954: Marsha Warfield is born.
1955: Penn Jillette is born.
1946: Winston Churchill uses the phrase "iron curtain" in a speech at Westminster College, MO.
1970: Lisa Robin Kelly is born. She played the promiscuous sister on That 70's Show. 1976: The British pound falls below $2 US for the first time.
1982: John Belushi dies.

Today in History elements mostly cribbed from The History Channel, Wikipedia, The New York Times, The Jewish World Review, The Writer's Almanac and anything else I can dig up.