March 2024 – Historic Moments Today

March 31st: Gustave Eiffel Opened His Work To The World

31Mar

By Dr. Sylvia K. Crawford, MA in JournalismNo Comments

March 31st: Gustave Eiffel Opened His Work To The World

What Happened On March 31st? On March 31st, 1889, Parisians prepared for a grand opening of a structure unlike anything ever seen before – the Eiffel Tower. This colossal iron latticework behemoth, designed by engineer Gustave Eiffel, was a marvel of engineering and a bold statement about French ingenuity. Towering over the city at a staggering 324 meters (1,063 feet), it was not only the tallest structure in the world at the time, but also a controversial addition to the Parisian skyline. It was not until 2010 that the Burj Khalifa was opened to the public, exceeding the French tower's height by over 500 meters! Who Was The Genius? Gustave Eiffel, the mastermind behind the Eiffel Tower, was already a renown engineer by 1889. He had made his name designing innovative bridges and ...

March 30th: Hinckley Jr. Shoots President Reagan At The Hilton

30Mar

By Dr. Sylvia K. Crawford, MA in JournalismNo Comments

U.S. History

March 30th: Hinckley Jr. Shoots President Reagan At The Hilton

What Happened On March 30th? Just a few months after John Lennon was shot, a similar attempt was made on March 30th, 1981. What began as a seemingly ordinary day in Washington D.C. soon took a turn with a single act of violence. President Ronald Reagan, a beloved figure with a booming voice and sunny disposition, was shot outside the Washington Hilton Hotel. The nation watched in stunned disbelief as their leader narrowly escaped a potential tragedy. Who Was The Gunman? The man behind the shooting was John Hinckley Jr., a 25-year-old with a troubled past. Obsessed with actress Jodie Foster, Hinckley had moved to California to stalk her. After failing to impress her, he fixated on President Reagan, believing that an assassination attempt would win him Foster's admiration. Hinckley...

March 29th: Farmers In Lintong County Brought The Terracotta Army To Life

29Mar

By Professor Mei X. Chen, M.A., Literature ScholarNo Comments

Arts & Culture

March 29th: Farmers In Lintong County Brought The Terracotta Army To Life

What Happened On March 29th? March 29th, 1974, forever changed the landscape of archaeology. On that day, a group of farmers in Lintong County, near the city of Xi'an, China, stumbled upon an unbelievable discovery – the Terracotta Army. Buried beneath the earth for over 2,000 years, this vast collection of life-sized terracotta warriors, horses, and chariots emerged from their slumber, offering a breathtaking glimpse into the power and ambition of China's first emperor, Qin Shi Huang. How Was The Army Born? The Terracotta Army was not a random creation... it was all very meticulously planned for a specific purpose. Almost one thousand years before the rule of Charlemagne, Qin Shi Huang, a ruthless yet visionary ruler, obsessed with immortality, started a colossal project to buil...

March 28th: Why Jesse Owens Received The Congressional Gold Medal 54 Years Later

28Mar

By Dr. Charles E. Whitman, Jr., Historian at LargeNo Comments

Sports History

March 28th: Why Jesse Owens Received The Congressional Gold Medal 54 Years Later

What Happened On March 28th? March 28th, 1990, was a special occasion not only for Jesse Owens but also for the fight for racial equality in the United States. On that day, Owens, an American athlete who had achieved phenomenal victories at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, finally received the prestigious Congressional Gold Medal. This award, the highest civilian honor bestowed by the United States Congress, served as a long-overdue recognition of Owens' achievements and a powerful symbol of progress in a nation still grappling with racial prejudice. How He Defied All Odds Owens' Olympic performance in 1936 remains etched in sporting history. Held in Nazi Germany, the Berlin Olympics were intended by Adolf Hitler to showcase Aryan supremacy. However, Owens, a young African-American ...

March 27th: FDA Approved Pfizer’s New Pill, Viagra

27Mar

By Professor Gregory J. Hayes, Ph.D. in Art HistoryNo Comments

Science & Industry

March 27th: FDA Approved Pfizer’s New Pill, Viagra

What Happened On March 27th? On March 27th, 1998, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a little blue pill named Viagra. This invention changed how we talk about sexual health. First off, Viagra wasn't always meant for erectile dysfunction (ED). Really, Pfizer scientists were actually looking for a treatment for angina (chest pain) when they discovered sildenafil, Viagra's key ingredient. During testing, men noticed an unexpected benefit – improved erections. This "happy" accident ended up being a game-changer for men's health. While news reports made it look like Viagra was an instant hit, early sales were actually very slow. It took a clever marketing campaign and celebrity endorsements, like Bob Dole, to turn Viagra into the household name it is today. Interesting...

March 26th: 39 Members Of “Heaven’s Gate” Found Dead In San Diego

26Mar

By Professor Gregory J. Hayes, Ph.D. in Art HistoryNo Comments

Arts & Culture

March 26th: 39 Members Of “Heaven’s Gate” Found Dead In San Diego

What Happened On March 26th? March 26th of 1997 was a bizarre morning in Southern California, and nobody was expecting to find what they did. Police arrived at a secluded mansion in Rancho Santa Fe in the city of San Diego to discover a scene ripped from a sci-fi nightmare saga. Inside, 39 bodies lay peacefully under purple shrouds, all dressed identically in dark clothes and wearing the same exact pair of Nike sneakers. Why were they wearing those shoes? They were a favorite of the group's leader, Marshall Applewhite, who was a bit of a sneakerhead. He even used "Doe" (a play on his nickname) in place of "Do" in their adaptation of Nike's famous slogan, "Just Do It." The uniform clothing was part of a very specific ritual where members were supposed to "leave their earthly bod...

March 25th: New York City Fire Killed 146 People

25Mar

By Dr. Sylvia K. Crawford, MA in JournalismNo Comments

U.S. History

March 25th: New York City Fire Killed 146 People

What Happened On March 25th? Around 4:40 P.M. on Saturday of March 25th, 1911, it seemed like an ordinary workday for over 500 garment workers. At the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City, workers (mostly young immigrant women) were working here in this ten-story skyscraper. The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire wasn't just a tragic accident; it was a preventable disaster fueled by greed and neglect. The Asch Building, where the Triangle factory operated, had numerous safety violations. Stairwells were crammed with boxes, exits were locked to prevent theft, and fire escapes were flimsy and inadequate for the numbers amount of workers crammed into the upper floors. Large quantities of fabric scraps, highly flammable celluloid used for shirtwaist collars, and locked wood...

March 24th: Ranger 9 Crashed Into The Moon

24Mar

By Dr. Charles E. Whitman, Jr., Historian at LargeNo Comments

Science & Industry

March 24th: Ranger 9 Crashed Into The Moon

What Happened On March 24th? Just three short years after the Earth was orbited for the first time, a grainy black and white image flickered across television screens around the world on March 24th, 1965. The image wasn't a majestic view of the lunar surface, but a close-up photo of rugged lunar terrain, moments before a crash landing. This was the finale of NASA's Ranger 9 mission, a controlled crash designed to gather high-resolution images of the Moon's surface through a feat of television, so that spectators around the world could follow virtually! The Ranger program, often overshadowed by the success of Apollo, allowed for our modern human lunar exploration. Ranger 9, the last mission of Block 3 in the series, wasn't just about the grand finale. Prior to Ranger, our best gl...

March 23rd: Patrick Henry Delivered The “Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death!” Speech

23Mar

By Dr. Sylvia K. Crawford, MA in JournalismNo Comments

U.S. History

March 23rd: Patrick Henry Delivered The “Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death!” Speech

What Happened On March 23rd? An unforgettable revolution took place within the walls of the House of Burgesses on March 23rd, 1775. Today, Patrick Henry set the hearts of colonists ablaze with a yearning for independence. Just a month before the start of the American Revolution, tensions were almost at its peak between the colonists in America and the British. Henry's address was a highly crafted response to a cunning move by Royal Governor Dunmore. Dunmore, smelling rebellion in the air, proposed disbanding the colonial militia – essentially stripping the colonists of their means of self-defense. This disbandment reminded Henry of those lost in the Boston Massacre 5 years prior, and he was not going to let this stand. Henry saw this as a blatant attempt to neuter Virginia's resista...

March 22nd: The Beatles Dropped Their First Album “Please Please Me”

22Mar

By HistoricNewsNo Comments

Arts & Culture

March 22nd: The Beatles Dropped Their First Album “Please Please Me”

What Happened On March 22nd? On March 22nd of 1963, a little band from Liverpool, England, dropped their debut album, "Please Please Me." Recorded on a stereo, it would not be for another twenty years before the CD disc came out. Little did they know, this phenomenon would sweep the globe with Beatlemania! Believe it or not, most of "Please Please Me" was recorded in a single, marathon 10-hour session! The band's tight musicianship and George Martin's innovative production techniques made this rapid recording feat possible. Breaking tradition, both sides of the vinyl album contained original material. This decision showcased the band's songwriting prowess and commitment to artistic expression."Please Please Me" spent 30 weeks at the top of the UK charts, showing the band's insta...