What Happened on March 12 in History?
March 12 has been a pivotal date for global independence movements, Cold War policy, and the founding of major social organizations.
Major Historical Events
Mahatma Gandhi’s Salt March (1930): Mohandas Gandhi began his 24-day, 240-mile "Salt March" to the coastal village of Dandi to protest the British monopoly on salt in India, a defining act of nonviolent civil disobedience.
The Truman Doctrine (1947): President Harry S. Truman announced a policy of providing economic and military aid to Greece and Turkey to prevent the spread of communism, effectively marking the start of the Cold War.
The Anschluss (1938): Nazi Germany's troops crossed into Austria to annex the country, a key step in Hitler's expansionist agenda leading up to World War II.
Girl Scouts Founded (1912): Juliette Gordon Low founded the first American troop of the Girl Guides (later renamed the Girl Scouts of the USA) in Savannah, Georgia.
World Wide Web Proposal (1989): Tim Berners-Lee submitted his initial proposal for an information management system at CERN, which would eventually become the World Wide Web.
Independence of Mauritius (1968): The island nation of Mauritius officially gained its independence from British colonial rule.
NATO Expansion (1999): Three former Warsaw Pact members — the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland — officially joined NATO.
Science, Culture & Crime
Fireside Chats (1933): Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered his first "fireside chat" radio address to the nation during the Great Depression.
Coca-Cola in Bottles (1894): For the first time, Coca-Cola was sold in glass bottles rather than just as a fountain drink.
Bernie Madoff's Guilty Plea (2009): Disgraced financier Bernard Madoff pleaded guilty to 11 felony charges related to his massive $65 billion Ponzi scheme.
Fukushima Explosion (2011): A day after a massive earthquake, a reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan exploded, releasing radioactivity into the atmosphere.
Notable Births and Deaths
Births:
Jack Kerouac (1922): Beat Generation author of On the Road.
Liza Minnelli (1946): Oscar-winning actress and singer.
James Taylor (1948): Grammy-winning singer-songwriter.
Mitt Romney (1947): American politician and former presidential candidate.
Deaths:
Anne Frank (1945): Commemorated on this date as the likely time of her death in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.
Sun Yat-sen (1925): The "Father of Modern China" and first president of the Republic of China.
George Westinghouse (1914): Renowned American engineer and inventor.
