March 5

1512: Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator, developer of the map projection that bears his name, was born. 1616: The Copernican sun-centric model is declared "false and erroneous" by the Catholic Church in Rome. 1827: Alessandro Giuseppe Antonio Anastasio Volta (no kidding), who invented the pile battery and after whom the unit of Volts is named, died. 1836: Samuel Colt manufactured the first pistol (.34-caliber). 1872: George Westinghouse patented the railroad air brake. 1893: Emmett Culligan, founder of the "Hey Culligan Man" company, was born. 1904: Pioneer watchmaker Edward Howard died. 1912: The Italians became the first to use dirigibles for military purposes. 1936: The beautiful, elliptical winged British Spitfire made its first flight from Eastleigh aerodrome. 1946: Winston Churchill delivered his famous "Iron Curtain" speech, credited as the beginning of the Cold War, at Westminster College in Fulton, MO. 1979: Voyager 1 (Veeger, for Star Trek fans) flew past Jupiter.  1998: NASA announced that the Clementine orbiting craft had found enough water on the moon to support a human colony and rocket fueling station.