History Today

Happy St. Patrick’s Day, and welcome to This Day in History. Here’s what happened on March 17th. Before its cancellation due to the outbreak of Corona virus, more than 2 million people were expected to attend New York City’s St. Patrick’s Day parade today, more than 250 years after the very first St. Patrick’s Day parade was held there on this day in 1762. March 17th marks the day that St. Patrick, likely the most successful Christian missionary in history, died.

Hello, and welcome to This Day in History. Here’s what happened on March 16th. It’s the oldest of the American service academies, and its graduates include presidents Ulysses S. Grant and Dwight D. Eisenhower as well as Apollo 11 astronauts Frank Borman and Buzz Aldrin: The United States Military Academy--more commonly known as West Point--was founded by Congress on this day in 1802.

Hello, and welcome to This Day in History. Here’s what happened on March 15th. Thanks to Shakespeare, we’ve all heard the saying “Beware the ides of March” - but what are ides and why do they sound so sinister? It turns out “ides” is just a generic old-fashioned term for the middle of a month, but the idea of ides being unlucky comes from the fate of Julius Caesar, who was assassinated by members of the Roman Senate on this day in the year 45 BC.

Hello, and welcome to This Day in History. Here’s what happened on March 14th. You may not know what the general theory of relativity is, exactly, but you probably know he created it: say happy birthday to one of history’s smartest people, Albert Einstein, who was born on this day in 1879.

Hello, and welcome to This Day in History. Here’s what happened on March 13th. It was the first planet to be discovered with the help of a telescope, as well as the first to be discovered in modern times: On this day in 1781, astronomer William Herschel discovered Uranus, the blue-green gas giant that is the seventh planet from the sun. Earlier astronomers had mistaken Uranus for a star.

Hello, and welcome to This Day in History. Here’s what happened on March 12th. Today it’s not unusual to hear from the president several times a day via social media, but less than a century ago, Americans heard from their leader much less frequently, through speeches, newspapers, and the radio. And on this day in 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt broadcast the first of his “fireside chats.

Hello, and welcome to This Day in History. Here’s what happened on March 11th. At 77 years old, former Beatle Paul McCartney will once again head out on tour this spring. He’s still releasing new music more than 23 years after he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth on this day in 1997 for his “services to music.” A former member of the most successful rock band in history, Paul McCartney wrote or co-wrote 32 number-one hits.

Hello, and welcome to This Day in History. Here’s what happened on March 10th. “Mr. Watson, come here. I want you.” Those were the first words ever transmitted over a telephone, and they were spoken on this day in 1876 by inventor Alexander Graham Bell to his assistant, Thomas Watson.

Hello, and welcome to This Day in History. Here’s what happened on March 9th. Her full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts, but you probably know her better as Barbie, the doll that has sold more than 1 billion units since she was introduced by toy company Mattel on this day in 1959. Surprising fact? Researchers have deduced that the Barbie doll’s impressive proportions are physically impossible for a real human.

Hello, and welcome to This Day in History. Here’s what happened on March 8th. Today is International Women’s Day, when people around the world celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. National Woman’s Day was first marked with a parade and protests in New York City in 1909. The idea caught on in Europe, and the first international version of the event was held in 1911, drawing more than 1 million people to rallies worldwide.