March 5

Boston Massacre

British soldiers opened fire on a crowd of colonists who had been taunting and throwing objects at them, killing five men including Crispus Attucks. Paul Revere's engraving of the scene became one of the most effective pieces of anti-British propaganda.

The Boston Massacre galvanized colonial opposition to British rule and was used by Patriots as evidence of British tyranny, helping set the stage for the Revolution five years later.