March 12
In a dramatic speech to a joint session of Congress, U.S. president Harry S Truman asks for U.S. assistance for Greece and Turkey to forestall communist domination of the two nations. Some historians often have cited Truman’s address, which came to be known as the Truman Doctrine, as the official declaration of the Cold War. – 1947.
March 13
The German-born English astronomer William Hershel discovers Uranus, the seventh planet from the sun. Herschel’s discovery of a new planet was the first in modern times, and the first by use of a telescope, which allowed Herschel to distinguish Uranus as a planet, not a star, as previous astronomers believed. – 1781.
For the first time in U.S. history, the impeachment trial of an American president gets under way in the U.S. Senate. President Andrew Johnson, reviled by the Republican-dominated Congress for his views on Reconstruction, stood accused of having violated the controversial Tenure of Office Act, passed by Congress over his veto in 1867. -1868.
March 14
The Federal Bureau of Investigation institutes the “Ten Most Wanted Fugitives” list in an effort to publicize particularly dangerous fugitives. The creation of the program arose out of a wire service news story in 1949 about the toughest guys the FBI wanted to capture. The story drew so much public attention that the Ten Most Wanted list was given the okay by J. Edgar Hoover the following year. As of 2011, 465 of the criminals included on the list have been apprehended or found, 153 as a result of tips from the public. – 1950.
March 15
Julius Caesar, the dictator for life he called himself of the Roman Empire, is murdered by his own senators at a meeting in a hall next to Pompey’s Theatre during the Ides of March. The conspiracy against Caesar encompassed as many as 60 noblemen, including Caesar’s own protege, Marcus Brutus. – 44 B.C.E..
U.S. president Lyndon B. Johnson addresses a joint session of Congress to urge the passage of legislation guaranteeing voting rights for all. Using the phrase “we shall overcome,” borrowed from African-American leaders struggling for equal rights, Johnson declared that “every American citizen must have an equal right to vote.” Johnson reminded the Nation that the Fifteenth Amendment, which was passed after the Civil War, gave all citizens the right to vote regardless of race or color. – 1965.
March 16
The United States Military Academy, the first military school in the United States, is founded by Congress for the purpose of educating and training young men in the theory and practice of military science. The site at West Point, N.Y., the U.S. Military Academy, often is simply known as West Point. – 1802.
The west Pacific volcanic island of Iwo Jima is declared secured by the U.S. military after months of fiercely fighting its Japanese defenders. – 1945.
March 17
In New York City, the first parade honoring the Catholic feast day of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, is held by Irish soldiers serving in the British army. – 1762.
The leadership of the American Federation of Labor selects the carpenters union to lead the eight-hour movement. Carpenters throughout the country strike in April; by May 1, some 46,000 carpenters in 137 cities have achieved shorter hours. – 1890.
March 18
In New York City, Henry Wells and William G. Fargo join with several other investors to launch their namesake business. The discovery of gold in California in 1849 prompted a huge spike in the demand for cross-country shipping. Wells and Fargo decided to take advantage of these great opportunities. In July 1852, their company shipped its first loads of freight from the East Coast to mining camps scattered around northern California. – 1852.
At 3:05 p.m. approximately 300 students are killed by a natural gas explosion at the Consolidated School of New London, Texas. School officials were persuaded to save money by tapping into wet-gas lines, a less stable waste gas, rather than the standard natural gas. – 1937
The U.S. Post Office’s first mass work stoppage in 195 years begins in Brooklyn and Manhattan and spreads to 210,000 of the Nation’s 750,000 postal employees. Mail service is virtually paralyzed in several cities, and president Richard Nixon declares a state of emergency. A settlement came after two weeks. – 1970.