On March 18, 1959, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Hawaii Admission Act into law, paving the way for Hawaii to become the 50th state of the United States later that year. This landmark legislation was the culmination of decades of political struggle, economic…
Read MoreOn March 17, 1992, a huge majority of White South African voters backed a referendum to dismantle apartheid, the South Africa’s severe system of racial segregation. The results of the vote gave President F.W. de Klerk a mandate to end apartheid and share power…
Read MoreGolda Meir’s appointment as Israel’s Prime Minister on March 17, 1969, was a groundbreaking moment in both Israeli and global politics. She became the first woman to hold the office in Israel and only the third woman in history to lead a national government,…
Read MoreOn March 16, 597 B.C., the city of Jerusalem opened its gates to the armies of Nebuchadnezzar II. The Babylonian king had surrounded the hilltop capital of Judah after months of political rebellion and imperial retaliation. When the siege ended, the city was not…
Read MoreOn March 16, 1935, Adolf Hitler, the Chancellor of Germany, initiated a significant step in his aggressive military agenda by rearming Germany, violating the Treaty of Versailles and other post-World War I agreements. This decision had profound consequences for Europe and ultimately played a…
Read MoreIn 1916, tensions between the United States and Mexican revolutionary forces escalated dramatically, culminating in an unprecedented American military incursion into Mexico to pursue Francisco “Pancho” Villa. This operation, known as the Mexican Expedition or the Punitive Expedition, was led by General John J.…
Read MoreOn March 15, 1783, in a small meeting hall in Newburgh, New York, General George Washington delivered one of the most consequential speeches in American history. With the Revolutionary War effectively won but the new nation still fragile, Washington confronted a crisis that threatened…
Read MoreOn March 15, 1917 it was all over in Russia as Tsar Nicholas II of Russia abdicated the throne, marking the end of the 304-year reign of the Romanov dynasty. His resignation was the culmination of years of mounting political instability, social unrest, and…
Read MoreOn March 14, 1900, President William McKinley signed the Gold Standard Act, ending one of the fiercest monetary fights in American history and formally placing the nation’s currency on the gold standard. The law did not invent America’s attachment to gold out of thin…
Read MoreOn March 14, 1794, Eli Whitney, a young inventor from Massachusetts, impacted the landscape of American agriculture, industry, and the proliferation of slavery in the United States with his patent for the cotton gin. Born in 1765, Whitney had exhibited a knack for engineering…
Read More