Category: Today in History
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March 25, 1979
The first fully functional Space Shuttle orbiter, Columbia, is delivered to the John F. Kennedy Space Center to be prepared for its first launch. ㅤConstruction of the Space Shuttle Columbia began in 1975 at Rockwell International in Palmdale, California. The orbiter’s name draws inspiration from multiple sources: the ship Columbia Rediviva, the Apollo 11 command module, and the female symbol…
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March 19, 1945
Adolf Hitler issues his “Nero Decree” ordering all industries, military installations, shops, transportation facilities, and communications facilities in Germany to be destroyed. ㅤIn March 1945, with Allied forces advancing deep into Germany, Adolf Hitler issued the “Nero Decree,” officially titled “Decree Concerning Demolitions in the Reich Territory.” This order mandated the destruction of all German infrastructure to prevent…
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March 18, 1942
The War Relocation Authority is established in the United States to take Japanese Americans into custody. ㅤFollowing the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, President Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066, which authorized the creation of exclusion zones for individuals deemed a threat to national security. This order, fueled by suspicion of Japanese Americans, led…
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March 17, 180 CE
Commodus becomes sole emperor of the Roman Empire at the age of eighteen, following the death of his father, Marcus Aurelius. ㅤMarcus Aurelius’ death on March 17, 180 marked a pivotal moment in Roman history, leaving his 18-year-old son, Commodus, as the sole emperor. Commodus quickly negotiated a peace treaty with the Danubian tribes, ending…
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March 7, 161 CE
Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus become joint emperors of Rome upon the death of Antoninus Pius. ㅤUpon Antoninus Pius’s death in 161 CE, Marcus Aurelius found himself the de facto ruler of the Roman Empire. While the formal conferral of titles was imminent, with the Senate poised to grant him “Augustus,” “imperator,” and “pontifex maximus,”…
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March 4, 1789
In New York City, the first Congress of the United States meets, putting the United States Constitution into effect. ㅤThe inaugural United States Congress, convening the Senate and House of Representatives, marked the official commencement of the federal government under the 1787 Constitution. Spanning from March 4, 1789, to March 4, 1791, during the nascent…
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March 3, 1776
The first amphibious landing of the United States Marine Corps begins the Battle of Nassau. ㅤThe Raid of Nassau, conducted on March 3-4, 1776, marked a pivotal moment in American military history as the first amphibious landing undertaken by the United States Marine Corps. Driven by a critical shortage of gunpowder during the American Revolutionary…
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February 28, 1993
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) agents raid the Branch Davidian church in Waco, Texas with a warrant to arrest the group’s leader David Koresh, starting a 51-day standoff. ㅤThe Waco siege, a tragic confrontation between the U.S. federal government and the Branch Davidian religious group, began on February 28, 1993, at the Mount…
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February 27, 1933
Germany’s parliament building in Berlin, the Reichstag, is set on fire; Marinus van der Lubbe, a young Dutch Communist claims responsibility. ㅤThe Reichstag fire, an arson attack on the German parliament building in Berlin on February 27, 1933, occurred just weeks after Adolf Hitler became Chancellor. Dutch council communist Marinus van der Lubbe was apprehended…
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February 26, 1616
Galileo Galilei is formally banned by the Roman Catholic Church from teaching or defending the view that the earth orbits the sun. ㅤOn February 19, 1616, the Inquisition’s investigation into Galileo’s advocacy of heliocentrism intensified, as a commission of theologians, the Qualifiers, were asked to evaluate the propositions of the Copernican view. This referral stemmed…
Paul M. Krueger 