On This Day

On March 15, 44 B.C., Julius Caesar was assassinated by a group of senators hoping to restore the Roman republic.

On March 14, 1991, six men wrongfully accused of carrying out IRA bombing attacks on two Birmingham pubs were released after the evidence against them was discredited.

On March 13, 1964, Kitty Genovese was murdered in Queens, N.Y. An article describing that 38 people ignored her screams during the attack generated a national scandal and prompted psychological studies on the behavior of bystanders.

On March 12, 1964, Teamsters leader Jimmy Hoffa was sentenced to eight years in prison for jury tampering. He lost control of the union during his incarceration and disappeared in 1975 as he was trying to regain power.

On March 12, 1912, Juliette Gordon Low founded the Girl Guides, which would become the Girl Scouts of America, the world’s largest voluntary organization for young women.

On March 11, 1977, Hamaas Abdul Khaalis, leader of the Nation of Islam splinter group Hanafi Movement, ended a three-day siege of three buildings in Washington, D.C. Twelve Hanafi gunmen had taken 149 people hostage, two of whom were killed.

On March 10, 1949, a jury found U.S.-born Nazi propagandist Mildred E. Gillars, the radio broadcaster known as “Axis Sally,” guilty of treason.

On March 9, 1997, Biggie Smalls was killed in a Los Angeles drive-by shooting that may have been linked to rap industry rivalries. His murder remains unsolved.

On March 8, 1917, the female factory workers of Petrograd began striking and rioting in response to food shortages and government oppression. Other Petrograd residents soon joined in the demonstrations, which forced Czar Nicholas II to abdicate a week later.

On March 7, 1850, U.S. nationalist and statesman Daniel Webster delivered a three-hour speech on the issue of states’ rights to permit slavery. Five months later, Congress approved the Compromise of 1850 in order to preserve the Union.

On March 7, 1876, Alexander Graham Bell received a patent for the telephone; three days later, he and associate Thomas Watson successfully tested their invention. Elisha Gray, Antonio Meucci and Thomas Edison all claimed to have invented the telephone first, and the issue is still a source of controversy.

On March 6, 1857, the Supreme Court ruled against Dred Scott, a slave who sued for freedom after spending time in free territory. The decision, which declared that slaves were not citizens and that the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional, outraged Northerners and contributed to the start of the Civil War.

On March 6, 1957, British colony the Gold Coast united with neighboring territories to form Ghana, the first sub-Saharan country to escape colonialism.

On March 5, 1770, British soldiers stationed in Boston fired on a crowd of hecklers, killing five and wounding others.

On March 5, 1946, Winston Churchill coined the phrase the “Iron Curtain” at a speech in Missouri. The term came to define the divisions of the Cold War.

On March 4, 1461, Edward, Duke of York, was crowned king of England, ending 62 years of Lancastrian rule. The Yorkists would rule England for most of the next 24 years.

On March 3, 1991, a group of white Los Angeles police officers were videotaped severely beating black suspect Rodney King. The officers were later acquitted of excessive force, sparking riots in the city.

On March 2, 1962, Philadelphia Warriors center Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points against the New York Knicks, setting the NBA single-game scoring record.

On March 2, 1970, Prime Minister Ian Smith severed Rhodesia’s remaining ties with Britain in an attempt to protect white minority rule. It would be another nine years before Smith would assent to open elections, which would usher in black rule and the renaming of the country to Zimbabwe.

On March 1, 1932, Charles Lindbergh Jr., son of the famed aviator, was stolen from his crib. After a national search, the child was found dead.

On March 1, 1954, Puerto Rican nationalists opened fire on the House of Representatives, injuring five congressmen.

On Feb. 28, 1993, federal agents tried to arrest David Koresh at his Waco, Texas, compound. A gunfight ensued, killing 10 and beginning a 51-day standoff.

On Feb. 27, 1933, the Reichstag building in Berlin was burned down by a Dutch communist, possibly with the assistance of Nazi officials. The arson created a climate of fear that helped Adolf Hitler consolidate power.

On Feb. 26, 1993, Islamic terrorists detonated a car bomb in the World Trade Center’s basement garage, killing six and injuring more than 1,000.

On Feb. 25, 1964, 22-year-old Cassius Clay became the world heavyweight boxing champion, defeating Sonny Liston in an upset.

On Feb. 24, 1868, Andrew Johnson became the first U.S. president to be impeached; the Senate subsequently acquitted him by a single vote.

On Feb. 23, 1836, Mexican Gen. Santa Anna began a siege against nearly 200 Texan rebels stationed inside the Alamo. He launched an assault 12 days later, killing all the rebels but sustaining costly losses.

On Feb. 22, 1980, the underdog U.S. hockey team beat the powerful Soviet team in a thrilling upset at the Lake Placid Olympics.

On Feb. 21, 1965, Malcolm X, a former Nation of Islam leader, was assassinated by Black Muslims in New York.

On Feb. 20, 1839, Congress passed legislation barring the practice of dueling in the District of Columbia.