Today in US & World History
March 31
March 31, 1774:
The British Parliament passes the Boston Port Act, closing the port of Boston and demanding that the city’s residents pay for the nearly $1 million worth (in today’s money) of tea dumped into Boston Harbor during the Boston Tea Party of December 16, 1773.
The Boston Port Act was the first and easiest to enforce of four acts that together were known as the Coercive Acts. The other three were a new Quartering Act, the Administration of Justice Act and the Massachusetts Government Act.
As part of the Crown’s attempt to intimidate Boston’s increasingly unruly residents, King George III appointed General Thomas Gage, who commanded the British army in North America, as the new governor of Massachusetts. Gage became governor in May 1774, before the Massachusetts Government Act revoked the colony’s 1691 charter and curtailed the powers of the traditional town meeting and colonial council. These moves made it clear to Bostonians that the crown intended to impose martial law.
In June, Gage easily sealed the ports of Boston and Charlestown using the formidable British navy, leaving merchants terrified of impending economic disaster. Many merchants wanted to simply pay for the tea and disband the Boston Committee of Correspondence, which had served to organize anti-British protests. The merchants’ attempt at convincing their neighbors to assuage the British failed. A town meeting called to discuss the matter voted them down by a substantial margin.
Parliament hoped that the Coercive Acts would isolate Boston from Massachusetts, Massachusetts from New England and New England from the rest of North America, preventing unified colonial resistance to the British. Their effort backfired. Rather than abandon Boston, the colonial population shipped much-needed supplies to Boston and formed extra-legal Provincial Congresses to mobilize resistance to the crown. By the time Gage attempted to enforce the Massachusetts Government Act, his authority had eroded beyond repair.
Parliament extended its control with the Intolerable Acts. Learn about the Boston Port Bill from the Intolerable Acts of 1774.
www.bostonteapartyship.com
March 31, 1596:
René Descartes, philosopher, scientist, logician, and mathematician, widely considered a seminal figure in the emergence of modern philosophy and science during Renaissance era, was born in France. He is best known for the famous phrase “
I think, therefore I am”.
17th-century philosopher Descartes’ exultant declaration – “I think, therefore I am” – is his defining philosophical statement. This article explores its meaning, significance, and how it altered the course of philosophy forever.
philosophybreak.com
March 31, 1685:
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750) composer and musician of the late Baroque known for his prolific output across a variety of instruments and forms was born in Germany.
Meet the king of counterpoint, Johann Sebastian Bach. Get to know all the great composers with BBC Music's insightful online guides
www.classical-music.com
March 31, 1732:
Composer Joseph Haydn, one of the most important figures in the development of the Classical style in music during the 18th century, was born in Rohrau, Austria.
Learn about the music, life and legacy of Austrian composer Joseph Haydn, the 'father of the symphony'
www.lso.co.uk
March 31, 1870:
Thomas Peterson-Mundy of Perth Amboy, New Jersey, became the first African American to vote under the Fifteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
March 31, 1889:
The 984-foot (300-meter) Eiffel Tower, a wrought iron technological masterpiece created by Gustave Eiffel to commemorate the centenary of the French Revolution, was officially inaugurated in Paris.
March 31, 1918:
The United States U.S. implements Daylight Saving Time.
President Woodrow Wilson's Standard Time Act went into effect, which advanced clocks by an hour. Also called “war time” because of its implementation during World War I, the time change was designed to conserve fuel by reducing the need for artificial light. However, daylight saving was largely unpopular; groups that rose early, such as farmers, were its harshest critics. After being implemented and repealed in various forms over the years, in 1966 the government set the Universal Time Act, which standardized Daylight Saving Time nationwide.
March 31, 1928:
Hockey player Gordie Howe - one of the game's greatest players, known for both his scoring ability and his toughness - was born in Saskatchewan, Canada.
March 31, 1939:
"The Hound of Baskervilles" first of 14 films starring Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes and Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson is released.
March 31, 1943:
Oklahoma! debuted on Broadway. The first of 11 musicals written by the iconic team of composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist and librettist Oscar Hammerstein II, Oklahoma! launched a golden age of American musical comedy that lasted through the 1950s.
March 31, 1943:
Christopher Walken, the Oscar-winning actor noted for offbeat performances in films like "The Deer Hunter" and "Pulp Fiction" - and his need for more cowbell - was born in New York City.
March 31, 1948:
American politician Al Gore, who served as vice president (1993–2001) in the administration of U.S. President Bill Clinton and lost the disputed 2000 presidential election, was born in Washington, DC.
March 31, 1948:
Rhea Perlman, the Emmy-winning actress best known for playing feisty bar worker Carla in the sitcom
Cheers was born born in New York City.
March 31, 1957:
Rodgers & Hammerstein's live television musical "Cinderella", starring Julie Andrews, with Kaye Ballard and Alice Ghostley, premieres on CBS-TV.
March 31, 1958:
The US Navy forms an atomic submarine division. On the same day the USSR claims to suspend nuclear weapons tests, and urges the US and Britain to do same,
March 31, 1959:
The Dalai Lama, fleeing the Chinese suppression of a national uprising in Tibet, crosses the border into India, where he is granted political asylum.
March 31, 1966:
25,000 anti war demonstrators march in New York City.
March 31, 1968:
U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson ended a televised speech about the Vietnam War by announcing that he would not seek reelection, stunning viewers. Earlier on the same day LBJ authorized a troop surge in Vietnam, bringing the total number of US soldiers to a peak of 549,500.
How LBJ’s exit from the 1968 presidential race rocked politics.
www.history.com
March 31, 1968:
Seattle's major league baseball expansion team will named the Pilots, and begin play in 1969. They would last just one season. On March 31, 1970 federal bankruptcy court allows Seattle Pilots to be sold to Milwaukee.
March 31, 1971:
Lt. William Calley is sentenced to life for Mi Lai Massacre. He would eventually win an appeal as the court held that Calley had been improperly convicted due to extensive pre-trial publicity, the military court's refusal to permit certain defense witnesses.
March 31, 1973:
Boston Bruins defenceman Bobby Orr scores his 3rd career hat trick in a 7-3 loss at Toronto to become the first player in NHL history to score 100 points for four straight seasons.
March 31, 1973:
An overconfident Muhammad Ali suffers a broken jaw in a shock split-points decision loss to Ken Norton over 12 rounds in San Diego; it was Ali's second loss as a professional heavyweight boxer. Ali would win a rematch in a highly controversial split decision.
March 31, 1980:
American track-and-field legend Jesse Owens, who won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, died at age 66.
Also on this date, there were almost concurrent heavyweight boxing championship fights: Larry Holmes TKOs Leroy Jones in 8 for WBC title in Las Vegas, NV while Mike Weaver KOs John Tate in 15 for WBA belt in Knoxville, TN.
March 31, 1980:
President Jimmy Carter deregulates the banking industry. It phased out Regulation Q interest rate caps, allowed interest-bearing checking accounts (NOW accounts) nationwide, and raised deposit insurance to $100,000.
<p>In the early 1980s, the U.S. Congress enacted significant deregulation measures affecting banks and savings and loans, primarily through the Depository Institutions Deregulation and Monetary Control Act of 1980 (DIDMCA) and the Garn-St. Germain Depository Institutions Act of 1982. These...
www.ebsco.com
March 31, 1983:
Monty Python's
The Meaning of Life is released in the US, eight days after being released in the UK.
March 31, 1984:
Mike Bossy becomes first player in NHL history to record seven straight 50-goal seasons, scoring his 50th and 51st of the year in a 3-1 New York Islanders' win at Washington.
March 31, 1985:
The first-ever Wrestlemania is held at Madison Square Garden, a nine-match event headlined by Mr. T and Hulk Hogan smacking down Rowdy Piper and Mr. Wonderful. Also there: Muhammad Ali as a referee and Liberace as a timekeeper.
The first edition of the WWE's annual pro wrestling spectacular was almost named The Colossal Tussle. Cooler heads prevailed.
www.mentalfloss.com
March 31, 1991:
St. Louis Blues' future Hockey Hall of Fame right wing Brett Hull scores his 86th goal of the season in a 2-1 win over Minnesota North Stars; marking the third best total in NHL history.
March 31, 1994:
The Chicago White Sox assign former NBA superstar Michael Jordan to the Birmingham Barons of Class AA Southern League; he would return to NBA after one season of playing baseball.
March 31, 1995:
Pop star Selena is murdered in Corpus Christi, Texas, shot dead by a deranged president of her fan club at the age of 23.
March 31, 1999:
The writing and directing sibling team of Lana and Lilly Wachowski release their second film, the mind-blowing science-fiction blockbuster
The Matrix. The movie stars Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, and Joe Pantoliano. It depicts a dystopian future in which humanity is unknowingly trapped inside the Matrix, a simulated reality created by intelligent machines. The plot follows the computer hacker Neo, who is recruited by Morpheus into a rebellion against the machines. The critically acclaimed film was a box office success, grossing over $460 million on a $63 million budget.
