Today in History: March 1

1692: Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne, and Tituba are brought before local magistrates in Salem Village, Massachusetts, beginning what would become known as the Salem witch trials.

1781: The Continental Congress adopts the Articles of Confederation.

1803: Ohio is admitted as the 17th U.S. state.

1847: The Death Penalty was abolished in the state of Michigan, except for treason. This made it the first English-speaking government in the world to make such a move.

1867: Nebraska becomes the 37th U.S. state; Lancaster, Nebraska is renamed Lincoln and becomes the state capital.

1872: Yellowstone National Park, situated in the western United States and designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1978, was established by the U.S. Congress as the country’s—and the world’s—first national park to this day.

1873: E. Remington and Sons in Ilion, New York begins production of the first practical typewriter.

1922: Israeli statesman and soldier Yitzhak Rabin—who, as prime minister of Israel, engaged in peace negotiations with the Palestinians, for which he won a share of the 1994 Nobel Prize for Peace—was born.

1947: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is formed. The IMF’s primary goal of improving the economies of its member countries has frequently been overshadowed in the past by criticisms about the fund’s alleged support of dictatorships and its negative impact on the environment.

1949: Joe Louis, US World Heavyweight boxing champion known as Bomber, retired aged 35, after a record 25 successful defences of his title.

1998: James Cameron’s epic account of the sinking of the Titanic had a budget of $ 200 million and grossed over $ 2 billion in the end.

1941: Captain America issue #1 comic was published by Timely Comics (which later became Marvel). The writers and pencilers were Joe Simon and Jack Kirby.

1953: Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin was found semi-conscious after suffering from a stroke. The Georgian-born leader of the Soviet Union was moved to a couch and hand-fed for three days before dying. Many reports claimed that Stalin was poisoned, with some claiming that some of his closest allies were responsible.

1961: President of the United States John F. Kennedy establishes the Peace Corps. The Peace Corps is a successful volunteer organization that has since sent at least 235,000 Americans abroad to developing countries to help with health care, education, and other human needs.

2005: In a major capital punishment case, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that it was unconstitutional to execute convicts who were under age 18 at the time of their crimes.

Births on this day March 1

Kesha, 37
Kesha Rose Sebert, known mononymously as Kesha, is an American singer and songwriter. In 2005, at age 18, she was signed to Kemosabe Records. Kesha’s first major success came in early 2009 when she was featured on rapper Flo Rida’s number-one single, “Right Round”.

Justin Bieber, 30
Justin Drew Bieber is a Canadian singer. Regarded as a pop icon, he is recognized for his multi-genre musical performances.

Alex Ibru (1 March 1945 – 20 November 2011)
Alex Ibru, businessman, founder, and publisher of The Guardian newspaper, was born in Agbhara-Otor, Delta State. He was Minister of Internal Affairs from 1993 to 1995 during the military regime of General Sani Abacha. He died at the age of 66.

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