On This Day In History
Did You Know?
1st Mardi Gras celebration in New Orleans
Today in History in 1827
Would You Believe?
Chaos erupts after the Swedish Public Employment Service mistakenly invites 61,000 people to a job interview in Stockholm
Today in History in 2014
February 28th
202 BC Coronation ceremony of Liu Bang as Emperor Gaozu of Han takes place, initiating four centuries of the Han Dynasty’s rule over China
1710 In the Battle of Helsingborg, 14,000 Danish invaders under Jørgen Rantzau are decisively defeated by an equally sized Swedish force under Magnus Stenbock
1854 Republican Party formally organized in Ripon, Wisconsin
1915 WWI: After the French try to drive the Germans forces back into the Champagne region, they gain a few hundred yards – at the cost of 50,000 casualties
1947 February 28 Massacre: Anti-government uprising in Taiwan is violently put down by Chiang Kai-shek and his Kuomintang-led Republic of China government with the loss of 18,000-28,000 lives. Marks the beginning of the White Terror.
1953 Francis Crick and James Watson discover the chemical structure of DNA-molecule (double-helix polymer) using studies of x-ray diffraction developed by Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins
1991 Gulf War ends after Iraq accepts a ceasefire following their retreat from Kuwait
Did You Know?
The erroneous word “Dord” is discovered in the Webster’s New International Dictionary, Second Edition, prompting an investigation.
Today in History in 1939
Would You Believe?
The brains of two rats successfully connected so that they share information
Today in History in 2013
March 1st
1642 Georgeana (York) in Maine becomes the 1st incorporated American city
1780 Pennsylvania becomes 1st US state to abolish slavery (for newborns only)
1847 Michigan becomes 1st English-speaking jurisdiction to abolish the death penalty (except for treason against the state)
1869 US Postage stamps showing scenes issued for 1st time. These pictorials showed a post horse and rider, a locomotive, a shield, an eagle and a ship, the Adriatic.
1872 Yellowstone becomes the world’s 1st national park
1954 US explodes Castle Bravo, a 15 megaton hydrogen bomb at Bikini Atoll, which accidentally became the most powerful nuclear device ever detonated by the US
Did You Know?
Captain America created by cartoonists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby is first published by Timely Comics (premiere issue released on December 20, 1940)
Today in History in 1941
Would You Believe?
SS City of Glasgow leaves Liverpool harbour with approximately 480 passengers and crew; she was never seen again
Today in History in 1854
March 2nd
1791 Long-distance communication speeds up with the unveiling of a semaphore machine in Paris
1796 Napoléon Bonaparte is appointed Commander-in-Chief of the French Army in Italy
1807 US Congress bans the slave trade within the US, effective January 1, 1808
1888 The Convention of Constantinople signed, guaranteeing free maritime passage through the Suez Canal during war and peace
1946 Ho Chi Minh elected President of North Vietnam
1956 Morocco tears up the Treaty of Fez, declaring independence from France
1970 White government of Rhodesia declares itself a republic
2002 U.S. invasion of Afghanistan: US conventional forces first deployed as part of Operation Anaconda
Did You Know?
Queen Victoria narrowly escapes assassination when Roderick Maclean shoots at her while boarding a train in Windsor
Today in History in 1882
Would You Believe?
Longest non-stop scheduled commercial flight by distance, Emirates A380 flies 14,200km (8,824 miles) Dubai to Auckland in 17 hours, 15 minutes
Today in History in 2016
March 3rd
1575 Indian Mughal Emperor Akbar defeats Bengali army at the Battle of Tukaroi
1857 Second Opium War: France and the United Kingdom declare war on China
1861 Alexander II of Russia signs the Emancipation Manifesto, freeing serfs and granting them the full rights of free citizens [O.S. Feb 19]
1887 Anne Sullivan begins teaching 6 year old blind-deaf Helen Keller
1917 1st major strike of the Russian “February Revolution” starts at the giant Putilov factory in Petrograd [OS=Feb 18]
1921 Toronto’s Dr Banting & Dr Best announce discovery of insulin
1939 Mahatma Gandhi begins a fast in Mumbai (Bombay) to protest against autocratic rule in India
1943 Battle of the Bismarck Sea: Australian and American air forces devastate Japanese navy convoy
1991 Los Angeles police officers severely beat motorist Rodney King, the beating is famously captured on amateur video and later leads to riots when the police officers are acquitted
Did You Know?
US Congress enacts the Comstock Law, making it illegal to send any “obscene, lewd, or lascivious” books through the mail
Today in History in 1873
Would You Believe?
A 2 year old US girl becomes the first child born with HIV to be cured
Today in History in 2013
March 4th
1238 Battle of the Sit River: Mongol forces of Batu Khan overcome Russians under Yuri II of Vladimir-Suzdal near Yaroslavl in Russia, ending Russian resistance
1801 Thomas Jefferson is the first US President to be inaugurated in Washington, D.C.
1861 Abraham Lincoln is inaugurated as the 16th US President
1902 American Automobile Association (AAA) founded in Chicago
1933 Franklin D. Roosevelt inaugurated as 32nd US President, pledges to pull US out of the Depression, “We have nothing to fear but fear itself”
1936 1st flight of the airship Hindenburg at Friedrichshafen, Germany
2009 International Criminal Court issues an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur becoming the first sitting head of state to be indicted
Did You Know?
“Happy Birthday To You” published by Claydon Sunny
Today in History in 1924
Would You Believe?
US President Zachary Taylor delays his swearing-in and inauguration ceremony for one day due to religious reasons, rising to the false belief by some that Senator David Atchison (President pro tempore) technically assumed the office of President for one day
Today in History in 1849
March 5th
363 Roman Emperor Julian moves from Antioch with an army of 90,000 to attack the Sassanid Empire, in a campaign that brings about his own death
1046 Persian scholar Naser Khosrow begins the 7 year Middle Eastern journey which he will later describe in his book Safarnama
1496 English King Henry VII grants John Cabot (Giovanni Caboto) a commission to explore for new lands
1770 Boston Massacre (Incident on King Street): British soldiers kill 5 men in a crowd throwing snowballs, stones and sticks at them. African American Crispus Attucks 1st to die; later held up as early black martyr. Massacre galvanizes anti-British feelings.
1946 Winston Churchill‘s “Iron Curtain” speech in Fulton, Missouri, popularizes the term and draws attention to the division of Europe
Did You Know?
Smoking tobacco introduced into Europe by Spanish physician Francisco Fernandes
Today in History in 1558
Would You Believe?
Explorer Ernest Shackleton‘s ship Endurance that sank in 1915, rediscovered in the Weddell Sea, Antarctica in excellent condition
Today in History in 2022