March 1: The Articles of Confederation, the original structure for the organization of the U.S. government, was ratified in 1781.
March 5: Five colonists were killed in a riot by British soldiers in the 1770 Boston Massacre. The enormous outcry that resulted throughout the colonies made it a significant step on the path to the American Revolution.
March 12: In a 1947 speech to Congress, President Harry Truman pronounced his Truman Doctrine, which provided assistance to nations after World War 2 with the goal of stopping the spread of Communism.
March 15: On the Ides of March, 44 BC Julius Caesar was assassinated by a number of Roman senators led by Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius Longinus. Caesar reportedly received 23 stab wounds, and years of civil war ensued in wake of his death.
March 17: Apartheid in South Africa ended in 1992, bringing to a close decades of institutional segregation and oppression towards people of color. This ultimately paved the way for Nelson Mandela to become the first black President of South Africa.
March 21: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. led over three thousand protesters in a civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in 1965. They were met by law enforcement with beatings and tear gas prompting outrage across the country.
March 27: The University of Oregon defeated Ohio State University in 1939 to become the first ever “March Madness” winners. The now 65-team tournament is today one of the most popular sporting events in the nation.
March 31: The Eiffel Tower, located in Paris, France, opened in 1889 to honor the one hundredth anniversary of the French Revolution. Today, the 984 foot tall tower attracts millions of tourists from around the globe.
