On March 22, 1312, Pope Clement V issued the papal bull Vox in excelso, officially dissolving the Order of the Knights Templar, a once-powerful religious-military institution that had long held significant sway across medieval Christendom. This decree marked the end of a calculated campaign…
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On March 22, 1765, the British Parliament passed a law that helped launch the American Revolution. Known as “Stamp Act,” The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History writes that it was enacted “to help pay for British troops stationed in the colonies during the Seven Years’…
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In 1804, legal history took a transformative turn with the adoption of the Napoleonic Code on March 21. Officially known as the Code civil des Français, this legal framework had a profound impact not only on France but also on the development of modern…
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The first recorded bank heist in U.S. history took place in 1831 when burglars infiltrated the City Bank of New York (now Citibank) on Wall Street, escaping with an astounding $245,000—an enormous sum in early 19th-century America. This audacious crime, carried out in the…
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On March 19, 1965, an underwater archaeologist by the name of E. Lee Spence found the wreckage of the CSS Georgiana, a Confederate blockade runner that was sunk by the Union on the same date 102 years before. Ofren called the “mystery ship of the…
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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…
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Golda 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,…
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On 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…
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In 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.…
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On 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…
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