31 March Moments from History

It's time for another history appreciation post. This time we'll delve into one event that happened for each day of the month of March. Let's get to it!

March 1, 1780 - Pennsylvania abolished slavery for newborns

Pennsylvania became the first US state to abolish slavery, although the law only applied to children born to slaves.

March 2, 2002 - US invasion of Afghanistan

The US first deployed forces as part of Operation Anaconda, involving 1700 airlifted U.S. troops

March 3, 1921 - Discovery of insulin

Canadian Dr. Banting and Dr. Best announced the discovery of insulin, as a result of their research at the University of Toronto.

March 4, 2009 - First indicted head of state

Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir had an arrest warrant issued for him by the International Criminal Court, for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur. He was the first sitting head of state to be indicted.

March 5, 1971 - Stairway to Heaven premiere

The song "Stairway to Heaven" by the English band Led Zeppelin was played live for the first time in Belfast, and has since been ranked among one of the world's greatest songs many times.

March 6, 1899 - The patent of aspirin

The drug aspirin was patented by the German chemist Felix Hoffmann.

March 7, 1876 - Telephone patent

The Scottish inventor Alexander Graham Bell received a patent for the telephone in the US.

March 8, 1917 - The February Revolution

The February Revolution began in Russia, which would grow into the Russian Revolution, which resulted in many changes, including the country becoming a communist state.

March 9, 1959 - Barbie's debut

The toy doll Barbie made her debut at the American Toy Fair in New York City, and has since then had over a billion sold worldwide.

March 10, 1952 - Military coup in Cuba

General Fulgencio Batista led a military coup in Cuba, overthrowing the president and cancelling the coming election. His rule was formalised by the 1954 election, and he ruled the country until January 1 1959.

March 11, 2020 - COVID-19 declared a pandemic

The head of the World Health Organisation, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, declared COVID-19 a pandemic, with 121 564 cases worldwide at the time.

March 12, 1994 - First female priests in England

The Church of England ordained its first ever 32 female priests at Bristol Cathedral.

March 13, 2003 - 350 000-year-old-footprints

The journal "Nature" reported that footprints of an upright-walking human had been found in Italy. The footprints were 350 000 years old.

March 14, 2021 - Beyoncé Grammy record

At the 63rd Grammy Awards, Beyoncé broke the record for most Grammys won by a singer, with a total of 28.

March 15, 44 BC - Assassination of Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar was stabbed to death by a group of Roman senators during a senate meeting. He was stabbed 23 times, and a total of 60 people had taken part in the assassination.

March 16, 1867 - Antiseptic surgery

Joseph Lister's article "The Lancet" was first published, outlining the discovery of antiseptic surgery.

March 17, 1905 - Einstein's Quantum Theory of Light

The German theoretical physicist Albert Einstein finished his scientific paper on his Quantum Theory of Light, which became one of the foundations of modern physics.

March 18, 1965 - First walk in space

Soviet and Russian cosmonaut Alexey Leonov became the first person to walk in space. He left his spacecraft, Voskhod 2, for 12 minutes.

March 19, 1644 - Mass suicide in Peking

200 members of the Peking imperial family and court committed suicide in loyalty to their emperor, a common practice at the time.

March 20, 1852 - "Uncle Tom's Cabin"

Harriet Beecher Stowe's anti-slavery novel "Uncle Tom's Cabin" was published in Boston.

March 21, 1349 - Black Death riots in Germany

Between 100 and 3000 Jews were killed in Black Death riots in Erfurt, Germany.

March 22, 1965 - US chemical warfare

The US confirmed that its troops used chemical warfare against the Việt cộng during the Vietnam War.

March 23, 2019 - End of the IS "caliphate"

It was announced by Syrian Democratic Forces that the last Islamic State territory had been retaken. Flags were raised in Baghuz, Syria, marking the end of the five-year Islamic State "caliphate".

March 24, 1837 - Black voting rights in Canada

Black citizens were given the right to vote in Canada.

March 25, 1807 - Britain abolished slave trade

The British parliament abolished slave trade throughout the British Empire, introducing a penalty of £120 per slave for ship captains.

March 26, 1953 - Polio vaccine

The American virologist and medical researcher Dr. Jonas Salk announced that he had successfully tested a vaccine to prevent Polio. The clinical trials for the vaccine began the year after.

March 27, 1977 - Worst aviation disaster

583 people died in the worst aviation disaster in history, when two Boeing 747s collided at Tenerife Airport in Spain.

March 28, 1854 - Crimean War alliance

Britain and France formed an alliance and declared war on Russia during the Crimean War.

March 29, 1974 - The Terracotta Army

The Terracotta Army was discovered by Chinese farmers near Xi'an. 8000 clay warrior statues had been buried to guard Qin Shi Huang's tomb, China's first emperor.

March 30, 1870 - 15th amendment

The US constitution adopted the 15th Amendment, which guarantees everyone the right to vote regardless of race.

March 31, 1889 - Opening of the Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower officially opened in Paris, France. At 300m high it broke the record for the tallest structure made by man, and retained it for 41 years.

Those were 31 historical events that happened during the month of March, with varying levels of significance. Let's continue to appreciate our rich history as humans and learn from the people who came before us.

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