February 27
A group of masked and costumed students dance through the streets of New Orleans, La. to mark the beginning of the city’s famous Mardi Gras celebrations. – 1827.
The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which provides for female suffrage, is unanimously declared constitutional by the eight members of the U.S. Supreme Court. The 19th Amendment, which states “the right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State on account of sex.” -1922.
February 28
Cambridge University scientists James D. Watson and Frances H.C. Crick announce that they have determined the double-helix structure of DNA, the molecule containing human genes. – 1953.
Pope Benedict XVI officially resigns is position as Pope by citing advanced age as the reason for giving up his post as the leader of the 1.2 Billion-member Roman Catholic Church. Benedict was the first pontiff to relinquish power in 600 years. – 2013.
February 29
Hattie McDaniel wins Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Mammy, in Gone with the Wind at the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awards. McDaniel was the first African American to be honored with an Oscar. – 1940.
March 1
In Salem Village in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Sarah Goode, Sarah Osborne, and Tituba, an Indian slave from Barbados, are charged with the illegal practice of witchcraft. Later that day, Tituba, possibly under coercion, confessed to the crime, which encouraged the authorities to seek more Salem witches. – 1692.
U.S. president Ulysses S. Grant signs the bill to create the Nation’s first national park at Yellowstone, which will straddle the future states of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. – 1872.
In a crime that captured the attention of the entire Nation, Charles Lindbergh III, the 20-month-old son of aviation hero Charles Lindbergh, is kidnapped from the family’s new mansion in Hopewell, N.J.. Lindbergh, who became an international celebrity when he flew the first solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean in 1927, and his wife, Anne, discovered a ransom note demanding $50,000 in their son’s empty room. The kidnapper used a ladder to climb up to the open second-floor window and left muddy footprints in the room. – 1932.
After five years of labor by 21,000 workers, 112 of whom were killed on the job, the Hoover Dam (Boulder Dam) is completed and turned over to the government. – 1936.
The federal minimum wage increases to $1. per hour. – 1956.
March 2
The Jones Act, the last gasp of the Prohibition, is passed by Congress. Since 1920 when the Eighteenth Amendment went into effect, the United States had banned the production, importation, and sale of alcoholic beverages. But the laws were ineffective at actually stopping the consumption of alcohol. The Jones Act strengthened the federal penalties for bootlegging. Of course, within five years the country ended up rejecting Prohibition and repealing the Eighteenth Amendment. – 1929.
March 3
Anne Sullivan begins teaching six-year-old Helen Keller, who lost her sight and hearing after a severe illness at the age of 19 months. Under Sullivan’s tutelage, including her pioneering “touch teaching” techniques, the previously uncontrollable Keller flourished, and eventually was graduated from college to become an international lecturer and activist. Sullivan, later dubbed “the miracle worker,” remained Keller’s interpreter and constant companion until the older woman’s death in 1936. – 1887.
Congress approves the Seamen’s Act, which provides the merchant marines with rights similar to those gained by factory workers. Action on the law was prompted by the sinking of the Titanic three years earlier. Among other gains: Working hours were limited to 56 per week and guaranteed minimum standards of cleanliness and safety. – 1915.
U.S. president Herbert Hoover signs a congressional act making “The Star-Spangled Banner” the official national anthem of the United States. – 1931.
March 4
U.S. president William Howard Taft signs legislation to create the Department of Labor. – 1913.
UAW workers win sit-down strike in Flint, Mich., to force General Motors to recognize the union. In the 40-day action, the strikers were protected by 5,000 armed workers circling the Fisher Body plant. – 1937.