This Day In History

On March 20, 1865, John Wilkes Booth set in motion a plan to kidnap President Abraham Lincoln. The attempt never happened—but its failure helped push Booth toward a far more deadly decision just weeks later.

On March 19, 1941, the War Department ordered the creation of the 99th Pursuit Squadron, better known as the Tuskegee Airmen. What began as a reluctant experiment soon became one of the most disciplined and effective fighter programs of World War II.

On March 18, 1965, Alexei Leonov did what no human had ever done before—he stepped out of a spacecraft and into the vacuum of space. Suspended above Earth with only a thin tether holding him to life, Leonov’s daring walk marked a turning point in the early Space Race.

On March 17, 1941, Franklin D. Roosevelt presided over the opening of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. The museum, created from the art collection and generosity of financier Andrew Mellon, gave the United States a national gallery comparable to those long established in Europe.

On March 6, 1820, President James Monroe signed the Missouri Compromise into law. The measure aimed to calm rising tensions over slavery, but it also revealed how deeply divided the nation had already become.

Cattle rancher Charles Goodnight was born on March 5, 1836, in Macoupin County, Illinois. One of America’s most famous cattle barons, Goodnight helped blaze a major cattle trail and is sometimes referred to as the “Father of the Texas Panhandle.”

Winfield Scott Hancock was born on February 14, 1824, in Montgomeryville, Pennsylvania, and would grow into one of the Union Army’s most respected battlefield commanders. Known later as “Hancock the Superb,” he built his reputation not through legend, but through steady leadership in some of the Civil War’s hardest fights.

George Sewall Boutwell was born on January 28, 1818, in Brookline, Massachusetts, at a time when the young nation was still defining its political identity. Over the course of his long career, Boutwell became a key figure in state and federal government, shaping policy before, during, and after the Civil War.

On March 21, 1918, Germany launched its Spring Offensive in the hopes of tipping the scales of the war before American troops and supplies could reach the front.

On March 21, 1617, the funeral of Pocahontas was held at Saint George’s, Gravesend, Kent, England. While some stories of her life have been exaggerated, she did befriend John Smith and help bring peace between their people.

On March 21, 1826, the Rensselaer School was incorporated in Troy, New York.  Later named the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, it’s considered the oldest continuously operating technological college in America and the English-speaking world.

On March 21, 1965, Martin Luther King Jr. led the third (and finally successful) march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, to protest for voting rights.