The Event Registry

1766

1766

The British Parliament repealed the Stamp Act on March 18, 1766, after months of colonial protest and economic boycotts

The Stamp Act of 1765 had imposed the first direct tax on the American colonies (on printed papers, legal documents, etc.), provoking vehement opposition from colonists who cried “no taxation without representation.” Its repeal was a major victory for colonial resistance

March 18 General 15

1766

1766

The British Parliament repealed the Stamp Act on March 18, 1766, after months of colonial protest and economic boycotts

The Stamp Act of 1765 had imposed the first direct tax on the American colonies (on printed papers, legal documents, etc.), provoking vehement opposition from colonists who cried “no taxation without representation.” Its repeal was a major victory for colonial resistance

March 18 General 13

2003

2003

The United States and coalition forces launched the Iraq War with air strikes and a ground invasion beginning before dawn on March 19, 2003 (March 20 local time in Iraq)

U.S. President George W. Bush announced the military action in a televised address, stating the goal was to disarm Iraq of weapons of mass destruction and end Saddam Hussein’s regime

March 19 General 9

2003

2003

The United States and coalition forces launched the Iraq War with air strikes and a ground invasion beginning before dawn on March 19, 2003 (March 20 local time in Iraq)

U.S. President George W. Bush announced the military action in a televised address, stating the goal was to disarm Iraq of weapons of mass destruction and end Saddam Hussein’s regime

March 19 General 8

1945

1945

Adolf Hitler issued his infamous “Nero Decree” on March 19, 1945, ordering a scorched-earth destruction of German infrastructure as Allied armies penetrated the Reich

The decree (named after the Roman emperor who supposedly burned Rome) instructed the German military and Gauleiters to demolish factories, railways, and other facilities to prevent their use by the enemy

March 19 General 14

1945

1945

Adolf Hitler issued his infamous “Nero Decree” on March 19, 1945, ordering a scorched-earth destruction of German infrastructure as Allied armies penetrated the Reich

The decree (named after the Roman emperor who supposedly burned Rome) instructed the German military and Gauleiters to demolish factories, railways, and other facilities to prevent their use by the enemy

March 19 General 13

1918

1918

The U.S

Congress passed the Standard Time Act, establishing federal oversight of time zones and authorizing Daylight Saving Time for the first time, on March 19, 1918

March 19 General 8

1918

1918

The U.S

Congress passed the Standard Time Act, establishing federal oversight of time zones and authorizing Daylight Saving Time for the first time, on March 19, 1918

March 19 General 7

1848

1848

Wyatt Earp, famed lawman of the American West, was born in Monmouth, Illinois on March 19, 1848

Earp became legendary for his role in the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1881) in Tombstone, Arizona, and for his frontier career as a sheriff and saloon-keeper. Though not widely famous in his own time, Wyatt Earp’s exploits – especially as portrayed in dime novels and Hollywood films – made him an iconic figure embodying the Wild West’s law-and-order mythology.

March 19 General 10

1848

1848

Wyatt Earp, famed lawman of the American West, was born in Monmouth, Illinois on March 19, 1848

Earp became legendary for his role in the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1881) in Tombstone, Arizona, and for his frontier career as a sheriff and saloon-keeper. Though not widely famous in his own time, Wyatt Earp’s exploits – especially as portrayed in dime novels and Hollywood films – made him an iconic figure embodying the Wild West’s law-and-order mythology.

March 19 General 12

1995

1995

The Tokyo subway sarin attack occurred on March 20, 1995, when members of the Aum Shinrikyo cult released poisonous sarin gas on five crowded subway trains during rush hour

The coordinated nerve gas attack killed 13 people and injured thousands, some with serious nerve damage

March 20 General 10

1995

1995

The Tokyo subway sarin attack occurred on March 20, 1995, when members of the Aum Shinrikyo cult released poisonous sarin gas on five crowded subway trains during rush hour

The coordinated nerve gas attack killed 13 people and injured thousands, some with serious nerve damage

March 20 General 7

1934

1934

Renowned comic strip character “Flash Gordon” made his debut in the first Flash Gordon serial, released by Universal Pictures on March 20, 1936 (the serial’s production began in 1934, and the comic strip itself debuted on January 7, 1934)

The Flash Gordon sci-fi serials, starring Buster Crabbe as the space hero battling Ming the Merciless on the planet Mongo, thrilled audiences and set the template for science fiction adventure in cinema. Flash Gordon’s influence can be seen in later works from Star Wars to modern superhero films, marking March 1936 as a key moment in pop culture’s space-age imagination.

March 20 General 2

1934

1934

Renowned comic strip character “Flash Gordon” made his debut in the first Flash Gordon serial, released by Universal Pictures on March 20, 1936 (the serial’s production began in 1934, and the comic strip itself debuted on January 7, 1934)

The Flash Gordon sci-fi serials, starring Buster Crabbe as the space hero battling Ming the Merciless on the planet Mongo, thrilled audiences and set the template for science fiction adventure in cinema. Flash Gordon’s influence can be seen in later works from Star Wars to modern superhero films, marking March 1936 as a key moment in pop culture’s space-age imagination.

March 20 General 4

1916

1916

The Verdun battlefield in France saw one of its most dramatic moments of World War I on March 20, 1916, when French Lieutenant Colonel Émile Driant’s troops, in a desperate defense, were overrun at Côte 378 by a massive German offensive

The Battle of Verdun, which had begun on February 21, raged for 300 days, becoming the longest and one of the bloodiest engagements of the war. Though exact events on any single day are hard to isolate, mid-March saw ferocious fighting as the Germans pushed closer to Verdun’s inner forts. Ultimately, French forces held Verdun at terrible cost – “Ils ne passeront pas” (“They shall not pass”) became a French rallying cry – and Verdun came to symbolize French determination and the horrific attrition of WWI.

March 20 General 7

1916

1916

The Verdun battlefield in France saw one of its most dramatic moments of World War I on March 20, 1916, when French Lieutenant Colonel Émile Driant’s troops, in a desperate defense, were overrun at Côte 378 by a massive German offensive

The Battle of Verdun, which had begun on February 21, raged for 300 days, becoming the longest and one of the bloodiest engagements of the war. Though exact events on any single day are hard to isolate, mid-March saw ferocious fighting as the Germans pushed closer to Verdun’s inner forts. Ultimately, French forces held Verdun at terrible cost – “Ils ne passeront pas” (“They shall not pass”) became a French rallying cry – and Verdun came to symbolize French determination and the horrific attrition of WWI.

March 20 General 4

1852

1852

Harriet Beecher Stowe’s antislavery novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin was published on March 20, 1852

Harriet Beecher Stowe’s antislavery novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin was published on March 20, 1852

March 20 General 3

1852

1852

Harriet Beecher Stowe’s antislavery novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin was published on March 20, 1852

Harriet Beecher Stowe’s antislavery novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin was published on March 20, 1852

March 20 General 3

2006

2006

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey sent the world’s first tweet on March 21, 2006

The message read, “just setting up my twttr,” and marked the quiet launch of the Twitter platform

March 21 General 5

2006

2006

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey sent the world’s first tweet on March 21, 2006

The message read, “just setting up my twttr,” and marked the quiet launch of the Twitter platform

March 21 General 5

1980

1980

President Jimmy Carter announced that the United States would boycott the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, in protest of the Soviet Union’s 1979 invasion of Afghanistan

Carter had set a deadline for the Soviets to withdraw; on March 21, 1980, with no pullout forthcoming, he confirmed that American athletes would not attend the Moscow Games

March 21 General 12

1980

1980

President Jimmy Carter announced that the United States would boycott the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, in protest of the Soviet Union’s 1979 invasion of Afghanistan

Carter had set a deadline for the Soviets to withdraw; on March 21, 1980, with no pullout forthcoming, he confirmed that American athletes would not attend the Moscow Games

March 21 General 11

1965

1965

Dr

Martin Luther King Jr. led over 3,000 civil rights marchers out of Selma, Alabama on March 21, 1965, beginning a successful four-day march to Montgomery in demand of voting rights

March 21 General 12

1965

1965

Dr

Martin Luther King Jr. led over 3,000 civil rights marchers out of Selma, Alabama on March 21, 1965, beginning a successful four-day march to Montgomery in demand of voting rights

March 21 General 11