On March 20, 2013, the United Nations observed the first International Day of Happiness. The day was created through a unanimous UN resolution, recognizing that happiness and well-being are as important to a successful society as economic goals.
For centuries, St. Patrick’s Day has been celebrated on March 17, the date generally considered to be the day St. Patrick died in the year 461. St. Patrick’s Day celebrations date back to the 9th or 10th century, but the first recorded St. Patrick’s Day parade was held in North America in the 1600s!
On March 13, 1961, President John F. Kennedy announced the Alliance for Progress to provide economic and social aid to Latin America.
Carl Christian Schurz was born on March 2, 1829, in Liblar, Prussia, Germany (present-day Erftstadt). Schurz commanded forces during the Civil War, reformed the Civil Service and was a vocal proponent of forest preservation.
The 1984 Winter Olympic Games opened in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia (now Bosnia), on February 8, 1984. These were the first Winter Games – and the second Olympics – held in a Communist state.
On February 6, 1778, Delegates of King Louis XVI of France and the Second Continental Congress signed a Treaty of Alliance, promising military support to each other. French aid and manpower contributed to America’s ultimate victory in the Revolution.
On January 30, 1948, a Hindu extremist assassinated Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi used civil disobedience and hunger strikes to fight discrimination and push for India’s independence from Great Britain, among many other causes.
On January 27, 1938, the Honeymoon Bridge at Niagara Falls collapsed from the force of ice on the river pressing against its supports. It had been the largest steel arch bridge in the world.
On January 26, 1788, the first British prisoners arrived in Australia, establishing an experimental penal colony. Though the colony struggled at first, it eventually thrived and became an independent commonwealth.