This Week in History

HISTORY, 7 Mar 2016

Satoshi Ashikaga – TRANSCEND Media Service

TWH logo history

Mar 7-13

QUOTE OF THE WEEK:

“Our thoughts create our reality – where we put our focus is the direction we tend to go.” – Peter McWilliams

 

 MARCH 07

2014  The opening ceremony for the 2014 Winter Paralympics take place in Sochi, Russia.

2009  The Kepler space observatory, designed to discover Earth-like planets orbiting other stars, is launched.

2009  The Real Irish Republican Army kills two British soldiers and two civilians at Massereene Barracks, the first British military deaths in Northern Ireland since the end of The Troubles.

Real Irish Republican Army (RIRA):

2007  The British House of Commons votes to make the upper chamber, the House of Lords, 100% elected.

2006  The terrorist organization Lashkar-e-Taiba coordinates a series of bombings in Varanasi, India.

A Series of Bombings in Varanasi:

Lashkar-e-Taiba:

1989  Iran and the United Kingdom break diplomatic relations after a row over Salman Rushdie and his controversial novel, The Satanic Verses.

Break-Up of the Diplomatic Relations between Iran and UK:

The Satanic Verses:

Salman Rushdie:

Khomeini’s Order to Kill Rushdie:

1987  Lieyu Massacre: Taiwanese military massacre of 19 unarmed Vietnamese refugees at Donggang, Lieyu, Kinmen.

Lieyu Massacre of 1987:

Vietnamese Refugees:

1986  Challenger Disaster: Divers from the USS Preserver locate the crew cabin of Challenger on the ocean floor.

1985  The song “We Are the World” receives its international release.

We Are the World:

1975  US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site.

Nuclear Weapons and the United States:

1971  Sheikh Mujibur Rahman delivers his historic speech at Suhrawardy Udyan.

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s Speech of March 7, 1971:

1969  USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR.

1968  Vietnam War: The United States and South Vietnamese military begin Operation Truong Cong Dinh to root out Viet Cong forces from the area surrounding Mỹ Tho.

Vietnam War in 1968:

Operation Trung Cong Dinh:

Viet Cong:

1966  US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site.

For some more pertinent information, see “1975 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site”, mentioned above.

1965  Bloody Sunday: a group of 600 civil rights marchers is brutally attacked by state and local police in Selma, Alabama.

Bloody Sunday of March 7, 1965:

History of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States – Overview:

Civil Rights Movements of Various Ethnic Minorities in the United States:

1951  Korean War: Operation Ripper – United Nations troops led by General Matthew Ridgway begin an assault against Chinese forces.

Operation Ripper:

Korean War:

Korean War Timelines:

1950  Cold War: The Soviet Union issues a statement denying that Klaus Fuchs served as a Soviet spy.

1945  World War II: American troops seize the Ludendorff Bridge over the Rhine river at Remagen.

1936  Prelude to World War II: In violation of the Locarno Pact and the Treaty of Versailles, Germany reoccupies the Rhineland.

Reoccupation of the Rhineland by Germany in 1936:

Locarno Pact:

Treaty of Versailles:

Some Evolution of the “Crimes of Aggression” a.k.a. the “Crimes against Peace” (1): Articles 227 and 231 of the Treaty of Versailles:

Some Evolution of the “Crimes of Aggression” a.k.a. the “Crimes against Peace” (2): Kellogg and Briand Pact of 1928:

Some Evolution of the “Crimes of Aggression” a.k.a. the “Crimes against Peace” (3): Charters of the Nuremberg and Tokyo Military Tribunals:

Some Evolution of the “Crimes of Aggression” a.k.a. the “Crimes against Peace” (4): UN Charter and the UNGA Resolution 3314 (XXIX)

Some Evolution of the “Crimes of Aggression” a.k.a. the “Crimes against Peace” (5): Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court:

1914  Prince William of Wied arrives in Albania to begin his reign as King.

History of Albania:

1912  Roald Amundsen announces that his expedition had reached the South Pole on December 14, 1911.

1902  Second Boer War: In the Battle of Tweebosch, a Boer commando led by Koos de la Rey inflicts the biggest defeat upon the British since the beginning of the war.

Battle of Tweebosch:

Second Boer War:

1900  The German liner SS Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse becomes the first ship to send wireless signals to shore.

1876  Alexander Graham Bell is granted a patent for an invention he calls the “telephone“.

1862  American Civil War: Union forces defeat Confederate troops at the Pea Ridge in northwestern Arkansas.

1850  Senator Daniel Webster gives his “Seventh of March” speech endorsing the Compromise of 1850 in order to prevent a possible civil war.

1827  Shrigley abduction: Ellen Turner is abducted by Edward Gibbon Wakefield, a future politician in colonial New Zealand.

1827  Brazilian marines unsuccessfully attack the temporary naval base of Carmen de Patagones, Argentina.

1814  Emperor Napoleon I of France wins the Battle of Craonne.

1799  Napoleon Bonaparte captures Jaffa in Palestine and his troops proceed to kill more than 2,000 Albanian captives.

1573  A peace treaty is signed between the Ottoman Empire and the Republic of Venice, ending the Ottoman–Venetian War (1570–73) and leaving Cyprus in Ottoman hands.

 

 

MARCH 08

Today is the International Women’s Day (IWD):

See “1917 International Women’s Day protests in St. Petersburg mark the beginning of the February Revolution (so named because it was February on the Julian calendar)”, mentioned below.

2014  Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappears en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. The aircraft is believed to have crashed into the Indian Ocean off the coast of Australia with the loss of all 239 people aboard.

Malaysia Airlines Flight 370:

2004  A new constitution is signed by Iraq‘s Governing Council.

Iraq Constitution of 2004:

1991  US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site.

Nuclear Weapons and the United States:

1985  A supposed failed assassination attempt on Islamic cleric Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah in Beirut, Lebanon, kills at least 45 and injures 175 others. A supposed failed assassination attempt on Islamic cleric Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah in Beirut, Lebanon, kills at least 45 and injures 175 others.

1983  While addressing a convention of Evangelicals, US President Ronald Reagan labels the Soviet Union an “evil empire“.

President Reagan’s Evil Empire Speech:

1980  US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site.

For some more pertinent information, see “1991 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site”, mentioned above.

1979  Philips demonstrates the compact disc publicly for the first time.

History of the Compact Disc:

1974  Charles de Gaulle Airport opens in Paris, France.

Charles de Gaulle Airport:

1973  US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site.

For some more pertinent information, see “1991 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site”, mentioned above.

1971  The Fight of the Century between Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali commences. Frazier wins in 15 rounds via unanimous decision.

Joe Frazier vs. Muhammad Ali:

1966  A bomb planted by Irish Republican Army militants destroys Nelson’s Pillar in Dublin.

Destruction of Nelson’s Pillar:

Nelson’s Pillar in Dublin:

Irish Republican Army (IRA)/Provisional Republican Army (PIRA):

IRA’s Terrorism:

History of the IRA:

Sinn Féin:

History of Sinn Féin:

Sinn Féin, IRA and the Catholic Church:

1965  3,500 United States Marines are the first land combat forces committed during the Vietnam War.

Vietnam War in 1965:

1963  The Ba’ath Party comes to power in Syria in a coup d’état by a clique of quasi-leftist Syrian Army officers calling themselves the National Council of the Revolutionary Command.

Ba’ath Party in Syria:

Ba’ath Party:

1962  US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site.

For some more pertinent information, see “1991 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site”, mentioned above.

1957  Ghana joins the United Nations.

Ghana and the United Nations:

Ghana:

Foreign Relations of Ghana:

History of Ghana:

Economy of Ghana:

1957  USSR performs atmospheric nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk, USSR.

1957  Egypt re-opens the Suez Canal after the Suez Crisis.

Suez Canal Reopens:

Suez Crisis (1956-1957):

1949  President of France Vincent Auriol and ex-emperor Bảo Đại sign the Élysée Accords, giving Vietnam greater independence from France and creating the State of Vietnam to oppose Viet Minh-led Democratic Republic of Vietnam.

History of Vietnam:

Vietnam-France Relations:

Independence of Vietnam (September 2, 1954):

1949  Mildred Gillars (“Axis Sally”) is condemned to prison for treason.

1947  Thirteen thousand troops of the Republic of China Army arrive in Taiwan after the February 28 Incident and launch crackdowns which kill thousands of people, including many elites. This turns into a major root of the Taiwan independence movement.

February 28 Incident in Taiwan:

Taiwan Independence Movement:

1942  World War II: Dutch forces surrender to Japanese forces on Java.

Dutch Forces’ Surrender in Java:

Some of the War Crimes by the Japanese Army in the Occupied Indonesia:

Some of the War Crimes by the Japanese Army during WWII (1): Overview:

Some of the War Crimes by the Japanese Army during WWII (2): Medical Experiments on POWs:

Some of the War Crimes by the Japanese Army during WWII (3): Genocides:

Some of the War Crimes by the Japanese Army during WWII (4): Sex Slaves:

1937  Spanish Civil War: The Battle of Guadalajara begins.

Battle of Guadalajara:

Spanish Civil War:

1936  Daytona Beach and Road Course holds its first oval stock car race.

1924  A mine disaster kills 172 coal miners near Castle Gate, Utah.

1921  Spanish Prime Minister Eduardo Dato Iradier is assassinated while exiting the parliament building in Madrid.

1920  The Arab Kingdom of Syria, the first modern Arab state to come into existence, is established.

Arab Kingdom of Syria:

1917  The United States Senate votes to limit filibusters by adopting the cloture rule.

1917  International Women’s Day protests in St. Petersburg mark the beginning of the February Revolution (so named because it was February on the Julian calendar).

History of International Women’s Day (IWD):

1916  World War I: A British force unsuccessfully attempts to relieve the siege of Kut (present-day Iraq) in the Battle of Dujaila.

Battle of Dujaila:

Siege of Kut:

1914  First flights (for the Royal Thai Air Force) at Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok.

1910  French aviatrix Raymonde de Laroche becomes the first woman to receive a pilot’s license.

1844  King Oscar I ascends to the thrones of Sweden and Norway.

1817  The New York Stock Exchange is founded.

1801  War of the Second Coalition: At the Battle of Abukir, a British force under Sir Ralph Abercromby lands in Egypt with the aim of ending the French campaign in Egypt and Syria.

War of the Second Coalition:

Battle of Abukir:

French Campaign in Egypt and Syria:

War of the First Coalition:

1782  Gnadenhutten massacre: Ninety-six Native Americans in Gnadenhutten, Ohio, who had converted to Christianity are killed by Pennsylvania militiamen in retaliation for raids carried out by other Indian tribes.

Gnadenhütten Massacre:

Genocides Committed against Native Americans:

Genocide Committed against Native Caucasians:

Indigenous Peoples and Their Rights:

1777  Regiments from Ansbach and Bayreuth, sent to support Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War, mutiny in the town of Ochsenfurt.

1775  An anonymous writer, thought by some to be Thomas Paine, publishes “African Slavery in America”, the first article in the American colonies calling for the emancipation of slaves and the abolition of slavery.

1736  Nader Shah, founder of the Afsharid dynasty, is crowned Shah of Iran.

Nader Shah and the Afsharid Dynasty:

Zand Dynasy:

1722  The Safavid Empire of Iran is defeated by an army from Afghanistan at the Battle of Gulnabad, pushing Iran into anarchy.

1702 Anne Stuart, sister of Mary II, becomes Queen regnant of England, Scotland, and Ireland.

1658  Treaty of Roskilde: After a devastating defeat in the Northern Wars (1655–1661), Frederick III, the King of Denmark–Norway is forced to give up nearly half his territory to Sweden to save the rest.

1655  John Casor becomes the first legally-recognized slave in England’s North American colonies where a crime was not committed.

1618  Johannes Kepler discovers the third law of planetary motion.

 

 

MARCH 09

2015  Two helicopters collided near Villa Castelli, Argentina killing 10 people.

2012  First winter ascent of Gasherbrum I by Adam Bielecki and Janusz Gołąb.

2011  Space Shuttle Discovery makes its final landing after 39 flights.

1997  Comet Hale–Bopp: Observers in China, Mongolia and eastern Siberia are treated to a rare double feature as an eclipse permits Hale-Bopp to be seen during the day.

1991  Massive demonstrations are held against Slobodan Milošević in Belgrade.

1989  Financially troubled Eastern Air Lines files for bankruptcy.

1989  US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site.

Nuclear Weapons and the United States:

1979  France performs nuclear test at Muruora Island.

Muruora:

France’s Nuclear Tests:

1977  The Hanafi Siege: In a thirty-nine-hour standoff, armed Hanafi Muslims seize three Washington, D.C., buildings, killing two and taking 149 hostage.

1976  Forty-two people die in the 1976 Cavalese cable car disaster, the worst cable-car accident to date.

1967  Trans World Airlines Flight 553, a Douglas DC-9-15, crashes in a field in Concord Township, Ohio following a mid-air collision with a Beechcraft Baron, killing 26.

1961  Sputnik 9 successfully launches, carrying a human dummy nicknamed Ivan Ivanovich, and demonstrating that Soviet Union was ready to begin human spaceflight.

1960  Dr Belding Hibbard Scribner implants for the first time a shunt he invented into a patient, which allows the patient to receive hemodialysis on a regular basis.

1959  The Barbie doll makes its debut at the American International Toy Fair in New York.

1957  A magnitude 8.3 earthquake in the Andreanof Islands, Alaska triggers a Pacific-wide tsunami causing extensive damage to Hawaii and Oahu.

1956  Soviet forces suppress mass demonstrations in the Georgian SSR, reacting to Nikita Khrushchev‘s de-Stalinization policy.

1954  McCarthyism: CBS television broadcasts the See It Now episode, “A Report on Senator Joseph McCarthy“, produced by Fred Friendly.

1946  Bolton Wanderers stadium disaster at Burnden Park, Bolton, England, kills 33 and injures hundreds more.

1945  World War II: A coup d’état by Japanese forces in French Indochina removes the French from power.

1945  The Bombing of Tokyo by the United States Army Air Forces begin, one of the most destructive bombing raids in history. (334 U.S. B-29 Superfortresses attack Tokyo with 120,000 fire bomb.)

Firebombing of Tokyo: March 9-10, 1945:

1944  World War II: Soviet Army planes attack Tallinn, Estonia.

1944  World War II: Japanese troops counter-attack American forces on Hill 700 in Bougainville in a battle that would last five days.

1933  Great Depression: President Franklin D. Roosevelt submits the Emergency Banking Act to Congress, the first of his New Deal policies.

Emergency Banking Act of 1933:

Bank Holiday:

Great Depression (1929-1939):

Timeline of the Great Depression:

1925  Pink’s War: The first Royal Air Force operation conducted independently of the British Army or Royal Navy begins.

1916  Mexican Revolution: Pancho Villa leads nearly 500 Mexican raiders in an attack against the border town of Columbus, New Mexico.

1910  The Westmoreland County coal strike, involving 15,000 coal miners represented by the United Mine Workers, begins.

1896  Prime Minister Francesco Crispi resigns following the Italian defeat at the Battle of Adwa.

1847  Mexican–American War: The first large-scale amphibious assault in U.S. history is launched in the Siege of Veracruz.

1842  The first documented discovery of gold in California occurs at Rancho San Francisco, six years before the California Gold Rush.

1842  Giuseppe Verdi‘s third opera, Nabucco, receives its première performance in Milan; its success establishes Verdi as one of Italy’s foremost opera writers.

1811  Paraguayan forces defeat Manuel Belgrano at the Battle of Tacuarí.

1796  Napoléon Bonaparte marries his first wife, Joséphine de Beauharnais.

 

 

MARCH 10

2006  The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter arrives at Mars.

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter:

2005  Tung Chee-hwa resigns from his post as the first Chief Executive of Hong Kong after widespread public dissatisfaction of his tenure.

2000  The Nasdaq Composite stock market index peaks at 5132.52, signaling the beginning of the end of the dot-com boom.

1990  In Haiti, Prosper Avril is ousted 18 months after seizing power in a coup.

1990  US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site.

Nuclear Weapons and the United States:

1980  Formation of the Irish Army Ranger Wing.

Irish Army Ranger Wing:

1980  Madeira School headmistress Jean Harris shoots and kills Scarsdale diet doctor Herman Tarnower

1977  Rings of Uranus: Astronomers discover rings around Uranus.

Rings of Uranus:

1975  Vietnam War: Ho Chi Minh Campaign: North Vietnamese troops attack Ban Mê Thuột in the South on their way to capturing Saigon in the final push for victory over South Vietnam.

Vietnam War in 1975:

1972  USSR performs atmospheric nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk, USSR.

1970  Vietnam War: Captain Ernest Medina is charged by the U.S. military with My Lai war crimes.

Vietnam War in 1970:

My Lai Massacre War Crimes:

My Lai Massacre:

1969  In Memphis, Tennessee, James Earl Ray pleads guilty to assassinating Martin Luther King, Jr. He later unsuccessfully attempts to retract his plea.

1968  Vietnam War: Battle of Lima Site 85, concluding the 11th with largest single ground combat loss of United States Air Force members (12) during that war.

Vietnam War in 1968:

Battle of Lima Site 85:

1966  Military Prime Minister of South Vietnam Nguyễn Cao Kỳ sacked rival General Nguyễn Chánh Thi, precipitating large-scale civil and military dissension in parts of the nation.

1960  USSR agrees to stop nuclear testing.

1959  Tibetan uprising: Fearing an abduction attempt by China, 300,000 Tibetans surround the Dalai Lama‘s palace to prevent his removal.

Tibetan Uprising of 1959:

Tibetan Issues:

13th Dalai Lama:

History of Tibet:

Economy of Tibet:

1952  Fulgencio Batista leads a successful coup in Cuba and appoints himself as the “provisional president”.

Coup of 1952 in Cuba and Fulgencio Batista:

Cuba or the “Republic of Cuba” (Repúlica de Cuba):

Foreign Relations of Cuba:

Cuba and USSR/Russia:

History and Culture of Cuba:

Economy of Cuba:

1945  The US Army Air Force firebombs Tokyo, and the resulting conflagration kills more than 100,000 people, mostly civilians.

Firebombing of Tokyo: March 9-10, 1945:

1944  Greek Civil War: The Political Committee of National Liberation is established in Greece by the National Liberation Front.

Political Committee of National Liberation and the National Liberation Front:

Greek Civil War:

Modern History of Greece:

1922  Mahatma Gandhi is arrested in India, tried for sedition, and sentenced to six years in prison, only to be released after nearly two years for an appendicitis operation.

1917  Some provinces and cities in the Philippines are incorporated due to the ratification of Act No. 2711 or the Administrative Code of the Philippines.

1915  The Battle of Neuve Chapelle begins. This is the first large-scale operation by the British Army.

1909  By signing the Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909, Thailand relinquishes its sovereignty over the Malay states of Kedah, Kelantan, Perlis and Terengganu, which become British protectorates.

Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909:

History of Thailand:

1906 The Courrières mine disaster, Europe’s worst ever, kills 1099 miners in Northern France.

1891  Almon Strowger, an undertaker in Topeka, Kansas, patents the Strowger switch, a device which led to the automation of telephone circuit switching.

1876  Alexander Graham Bell makes the first successful telephone call by saying “Mr. Watson, come here, I want to see you.”

1861  El Hadj Umar Tall seizes the city of Ségou, destroying the Bamana Empire of Mali.

1848  The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is ratified by the United States Senate, ending the Mexican–American War.

1831  The French Foreign Legion is established by King Louis Philippe to support his war in Algeria.

1830  The Royal Netherlands East Indies Army is created.

1816  Crossing of the Andes: A group of royalist scouts is captured during the Action of Juncalito.

1814  Napoleon I of France is defeated at the Battle of Laon in France.

1762  French Huguenot Jean Calas, who had been wrongly convicted of killing his son, dies after being tortured by authorities; the event inspired Voltaire to begin a campaign for religious tolerance and legal reform.

1735  An agreement between Nader Shah and Russia is signed near Ganja, Azerbaijan and Russian troops are withdrawn from Baku.

 

 

MARCH 11

Today is the World Day of Muslim Culture, Peace, Dialogue and Film:

2014  Russia annexed Autonomous Republic of Crimea. Getting 2014 Crimean crisis and 2014–15 Russian military intervention in Ukraine.

2012  A US soldier kills 16 civilians in the Panjwayi District of Afghanistan near Kandahar.

2011  An earthquake measuring 9.0 in magnitude strikes 130 km (81 mi) east of Sendai, Japan, triggering a tsunami killing thousands of people. This event also triggered the second largest nuclear accident in history, and one of only two events to be classified as a Level 7 on the International Nuclear Event Scale.

Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011:

Nuclear Accident at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant:

2010  Economist and businessman Sebastián Piñera is sworn in as President of Chile, while three earthquakes, the strongest measuring magnitude 6.9 and all centered next to Pichilemu, capital of Cardenal Caro province, hit central Chile during the ceremony.

2009  Winnenden school shooting: Sixteen are killed and 11 are injured before recent-graduate Tim Kretschmer shoots and kills himself, leading to tightened weapons restrictions in Germany.

2007  Georgia claims Russian helicopters attacked the Kodori Valley in Abkhazia, an accusation that Russia categorically denies later.

2006  Michelle Bachelet is inaugurated as first female president of Chile.

2004  Madrid train bombings: Simultaneous explosions on rush hour trains in Madrid, Spain, kill 191 people.

1999  Infosys becomes the first Indian company listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange.

1993  Janet Reno is confirmed by the United States Senate and sworn in the next day, becoming the first female Attorney General of the United States.

1990  Patricio Aylwin is sworn in as the first democratically elected President of Chile since 1970.

1990  Lithuania declares itself independent from the Soviet Union.

1983  Pakistan successfully conducts a cold test of a nuclear weapon.

1978  Coastal Road massacre: At least 37 are killed and more than 70 are wounded when Fatah hijack an Israeli bus, prompting Israel’s Operation Litani.

1977  The 1977 Hanafi Siege: More than 130 hostages held in Washington, D.C., by Hanafi Muslims are set free after ambassadors from three Islamic nations join negotiations.

1975  Vietnam War: North Vietnamese and Viet Cong guerrilla forces establish control over Ban Me Thuot commune from the South Vietnamese army.

1975  USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR.

1946  Rudolf Höss, the first commandant of Auschwitz concentration camp, is captured by British troops.

Rudolf Höss:

Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp:

1945  World War II: The Empire of Vietnam, a short-lived Japanese puppet state, is established with Bảo Đại as its ruler.

1945  World War II: The Imperial Japanese Navy attempts a large-scale kamikaze attack on the U.S. Pacific Fleet anchored at Ulithi atoll in Operation Tan No. 2.

1942  World War II: General Douglas MacArthur flees Corregidor.

1941  World War II: United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the Lend-Lease Act into law, allowing American-built war supplies to be shipped to the Allies on loan.

1933  Ground breaking musical film 42nd Street is released.

1932  Booming Ben, the last heath hen was seen for the final time.

1931  Ready for Labour and Defence of the USSR, abbreviated as GTO, is introduced in the Soviet Union.

1918  The first case of Spanish flu occurs, the start of a devastating worldwide pandemic.

1917  World War I: Mesopotamian campaign: Baghdad falls to Anglo-Indian forces commanded by General Stanley Maude.

1916  USS Nevada (BB-36) is commissioned as the first US Navy “super-dreadnought“.

1888  The Great Blizzard of 1888 begins along the eastern seaboard of the United States, shutting down commerce and killing more than 400.

1879  Shō Tai formally abdicated his position of King of Ryūkyū, under orders from Tokyo, ending the Ryukyu Kingdom

1867  The first performance of Don Carlos by Giuseppe Verdi takes place in Paris.

 

 

MARCH 12

2014  An explosion in the New York City neighborhood of East Harlem kills 8 and injures 70 others.

2011  A reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant melts and explodes and releases radioactivity into the atmosphere a day after Japan’s earthquake.

2009  Financier Bernard Madoff pleads guilty in New York to scamming $18 billion, the largest in Wall Street history.

2005  Karolos Papoulias becomes President of Greece.

2004  The President of South Korea, Roh Moo-hyun, is impeached by its National Assembly: The first such impeachment in the nation’s history.

2003  Zoran Đinđić, Prime Minister of Serbia, is assassinated in Belgrade.

1999  Former Warsaw Pact members the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland join NATO.

1994  The Church of England ordains its first female priests.

1993  Janet Reno is sworn in as the United States’ first female attorney general.

1993  The Blizzard of 1993: Snow begins to fall across the eastern portion of the US with tornadoes, thunder snow storms, high winds and record low temperatures. The storm lasts for 30 hours.

1993  North Korea nuclear weapons program: North Korea says that it plans to withdraw from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and refuses to allow inspectors access to its nuclear sites.

1993  Several bombs explode in Bombay (Mumbai), India, killing about 300 and injuring hundreds more.

1992  Mauritius becomes a republic while remaining a member of the Commonwealth of Nations.

1987  USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR.

1971  The March 12 Memorandum is sent to the Demirel government of Turkey and the government resigns.

1968  Mauritius achieves independence from the United Kingdom.

1968  US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site.

Nuclear Weapons and the United States:

1967  Suharto takes over from Sukarno to become Acting President of Indonesia.

1966  US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site.

For some more pertinent information, see “1968 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site”, mentioned above.

1961  First winter ascent of the North Face of the Eiger.

1950  The Llandow air disaster occurs near Sigingstone, Wales, in which 80 people die when their aircraft crashed, making it the world’s deadliest air disaster at the time.

1947  The Truman Doctrine is proclaimed to help stem the spread of Communism.

Truman Doctrine:

1942  Pacific War: The Battle of Java ends with an Allied surrender to the Japanese Empire.

Dutch Forces’ Surrender in Java:

Some of the War Crimes by the Japanese Army in the Occupied Indonesia:

Some of the War Crimes by the Japanese Army during WWII (1): Overview:

Some of the War Crimes by the Japanese Army during WWII (2): Medical Experiments on POWs:

Some of the War Crimes by the Japanese Army during WWII (3): Genocides:

Some of the War Crimes by the Japanese Army during WWII (4): Sex Slaves:

1940  Winter War: Finland signs the Moscow Peace Treaty with the Soviet Union, ceding almost all of Finnish Karelia. Finnish troops and the remaining population are immediately evacuated.

Moscow Peace Treaty and the (Finish) Winter War:

Winter War:

Timelines of the Winter War:

1938  Anschluss: German troops occupy and absorb Austria.

Anschluss:

1934  Konstantin Päts and General Johan Laidoner stage a coup in Estonia, and ban all political parties.

Estonia in 1934:

History of Estonia:

Estonia:

Estonia and the European Union:

Foreign Relations of Estonia:

Historical Background of the Baltic States and the Soviet Union:

Russia Reviews the 1991 Decision to Recognize the Independence of the Baltic States:

1933  Great Depression: Franklin D. Roosevelt addresses the nation for the first time as President of the United States. This is also the first of his “fireside chats“.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt, first Fireside Chat (March 12th, 1933):

Great Depression (1929-1939):

Timeline of the Great Depression:

1930  Mahatma Gandhi leads a 200-mile march, known as the Salt March, to the sea in defiance of British opposition, to protest the British monopoly on salt.

Salt March of 1930:

1928  In California, the St. Francis Dam fails; the resulting floods kill over 600 people.

1922  Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan form The Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic

Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic:

Armenia:

History of Armenia:

Foreign Relations of Armenia:

Economy of Armenia:

Georgia:

History of Georgia:

Foreign Relations of Georgia:

Economy of Georgia:

Azerbaijan:

History of Azerbaijan:

Foreign Relations of Azerbaijan:

Economy of Azerbaijan:

1921  İstiklâl Marşı is adopted in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey.

1920 The Kapp Putsch begins when the Marinebrigade Ehrhardt is ordered to march on Berlin.

1918  Moscow becomes the capital of Russia again after Saint Petersburg held this status for 215 years.

1913  Canberra Day: The future capital of Australia is officially named Canberra. (Melbourne remains temporary capital until 1927 while the new capital is still under construction.)

1912  The Girl Guides (later renamed the Girl Scouts of the USA) are founded in the United States.

1910  Greek cruiser Georgios Averof is launched at Livorno.

1894  Coca-Cola is bottled and sold for the first time in Vicksburg, Mississippi, by local soda fountain operator Joseph Biedenharn.

History of Coca Cola:

1885  Tonkin Campaign: France captures the citadel of Bắc Ninh.

1881  Andrew Watson makes his Scotland debut as the world’s first black international football player and captain.

1868  Basutoland, today called Lesotho, is annexed by the United Kingdom.

1811  Peninsular War: A day after a successful rearguard action, French Marshal Michel Ney once again successfully delayed the pursuing Anglo-Portuguese force at the Battle of Redinha.

Battle of Redinha:

Peninsular War:

1689  The Williamite War in Ireland begins.

1622  Ignatius of Loyola and Francis Xavier, founders of the Jesuits, are canonized as saints by the Catholic Church.

 

 

MARCH 13

2013  Pope Francis is elected, in the papal conclave, as the 266th Pope of the Catholic Church.

2012  At least 28 people are killed in a bus crash in a motorway tunnel near the town of Sierre in the Swiss canton of Valais.

2008  Gold prices on the New York Mercantile Exchange hit $1,000 per ounce for the first time.

2003  Human evolution: The journal Nature reports that 350,000-year-old footprints of an upright-walking human had been found in Italy.

1997  The Phoenix Lights are seen over Phoenix, Arizona by hundreds of people, and by millions on television.

1997  India’s Missionaries of Charity chooses Sister Nirmala to succeed Mother Teresa as its leader.

1996  Dunblane school massacre: in Dunblane, Scotland, 16 primary school children and one teacher are shot dead by spree killer Thomas Watt Hamilton who then commits suicide.

1992  Erzincan earthquake of Mw 6.7 strikes eastern Turkey with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe). At least 498 were killed in this strike-slip event on the North Anatolian Fault.

1991  The United States Department of Justice announces that Exxon has agreed to pay $1 billion for the clean-up of the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska.

1988  The Seikan Tunnel, the longest undersea tunnel in the world, opens between Aomori and Hakodate, Japan.

1979  The New Jewel Movement, headed by Maurice Bishop, ousts Prime Minister Eric Gairy in a nearly bloodless coup d’état in Grenada.

1069  Apollo program: Apollo 9 returns safely to Earth after testing the Lunar Module.

1964  American Kitty Genovese is murdered, the media erroneously report that many of the victim’s neighbours witnessed the crime yet failed to help, prompting research into the bystander effect.

1963 Police in Phoenix, Arizona arrest Ernesto Miranda and charge him with kidnap and rape. His conviction is ultimately set aside by the United States Supreme Court in Miranda v. Arizona

1962  Lyman Lemnitzer, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, delivers a proposal, called Operation Northwoods, regarding performing terrorist attacks upon Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, to Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara. The proposal is scrapped and President John F. Kennedy removes Lemnitzer from his position.

1957  Cuban student revolutionaries storm the presidential palace in Havana in a failed attempt on the life of President Fulgencio Batista.

1954  First Indochina War: Viet Minh forces under Võ Nguyên Giáp unleashed a massive artillery barrage on the French to begin the Battle of Điện Biên Phủ, the climactic battle in the First Indochina War.

Battle of Điện Biên Phủ:

First Indochina War:

1943  The Holocaust: German forces liquidate the Jewish ghetto in Kraków.

Jewish ghetto in Kraków:

Liquidation of the Krakow Ghetto:

1940  The Russo-Finnish Winter War ends.

The End of the (Finish) Winter War:

Winter War:

Timelines of the Winter War:

1938  World News Roundup is broadcast for the first time on CBS Radio in the United States.

1933  Great Depression: Banks in the U.S. begin to re-open after President Franklin D. Roosevelt mandates a “bank holiday“.

Bank Holiday:

Great Depression (1929-1939):

1930  The news of the discovery of Pluto is telegraphed to the Harvard College Observatory.

1921  Mongolia is proclaimed an independent monarchy, ruled by Russian military officer Roman von Ungern-Sternberg as a dictator.

History of Mongolia:

Mongolia:

Foreign Relations of Mongolia:

Mongolia and the United Nations:

Economy of Mongolia:

1920  The Kapp Putsch briefly ousts the Weimar Republic government from Berlin.

1900  Second Boer War: British forces occupy Bloemfontein, Orange Free State.

Bloemfontein:

Second Boer War:

First Boer War:

Orange Free State (1854-1902):

Britain’s Invasion of the Orange Free State of 1900:

1884  The Siege of Khartoum, Sudan begins, ending on January 26, 1885.

Siege of Khartoum:

1881  Alexander II of Russia is killed near his palace when a bomb is thrown at him. (Gregorian date: it was March 1 in the Julian calendar then in use in Russia.)

________________________________

Satoshi Ashikaga, having worked as researcher, development program/project officer, legal protection/humanitarian assistance officer, human rights monitor-negotiator, managing-editor, and more, prefers a peaceful and prudent life, especially that in communion with nature.  His previous work experiences, including those in war zones and war-torn zones, remind him of the invaluableness of peace.  His interest and/or expertise includes international affairs, international law, jurisprudence, economic and business affairs, project/operations or organizational management, geography, history, the environmental/ecological issues, science and technology, visual/audio documentation of nature and culture, and more. Being a member of the TRANSCEND Network for Peace, Development and Environment, he is currently compiling This Week in History on TMS.

(Sources and references: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/march_7   to_march_13; http://www.historyorb.com/events/march/7   to march/13; http://www.brainyhistory.com/days/march_7.html   to march_13.html; and other pertinent web sites and/or documents, mentioned above.)

  1. The views expressed in the cited or quoted websites and/or documents in this article do not necessarily reflect those of the author of this article. These websites and/or documents are cited or quoted for academic or educational purposes. Neither the author of this article nor the Transcend Media Service (TMS) is responsible for the contents, information, or whatsoever contained in these websites and/or documents.
  2. One of the primary purposes of this article is to provide the readers with opportunities to think about “peace”, including positive peace and negative peace as well as external/outer peace and internal/inner peace, and more, directly or indirectly, from various angles and/or in the broadest sense, through historical events. It is because this article is prepared specifically for the TMS whose main objective is to address “peace”.

This article originally appeared on Transcend Media Service (TMS) on 7 Mar 2016.

Anticopyright: Editorials and articles originated on TMS may be freely reprinted, disseminated, translated and used as background material, provided an acknowledgement and link to the source, TMS: This Week in History, is included. Thank you.

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