1649: The House of Commons passed an act abolishing the House of Lords, declaring it ‘useless and dangerous to the people of England’.
1916: Eight Curtiss “Jenny” planes of the First Aero Squadron take off from Columbus, New Mexico, in the first combat air mission in U.S. history. The First Aero Squadron, organized in 1914 after the outbreak of World War I, was on a support mission for the 7,000 U.S. troops who invaded Mexico to capture Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa.
1931: The US state of Nevada legalized gambling after previously banning it in 1909.
1945: Adolf Hitler issued his ‘Nero Decree’ ordering all industries, military installations, shops, transportation facilities and communications facilities in Germany to be destroyed in order to prevent their use by Allied forces as they penetrated deep within Germany.
1962: Bob Dylan releases his first album
Dylan is one of the world’s most influential music artists. His songs “Blowin’ in the Wind” and “The Times They Are a-Changin’” became anthems for the anti-war movement.
1986: Buckingham Palace announced the engagement of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson. Exactly six years later it was announced that they were to separate.
1990: Iyaloye Oyinkansola “Oyinkan” Abayomi, a Nigerian nationalist and feminist died at the age of 93. She was the head of the Nigerian Girl Guides and founder of the Nigerian Women’s Party.
1994: The world’s largest omelet was cooked up in Japan.
A feast for all, the dish was made using 160,000 eggs!
1996: One of the worst fires in the history of the Philippines swept through a Manila discotheque, killing 159 of the 400 people in the nightclub, which was intended to hold no more than 35.
1996: After 38 years of marriage, Judge Eloff granted Nelson and Winnie Mandela a divorce. Irreconcilable differences were cited as the reason for the parting. The Mandelas were married in 1958 and only spent a couple of years together before Nelson Mandela was sentenced to life in prison as one of the Rivonia Trialists in 1963. It is believed that the lengthy separation that the couple experienced while Nelson Mandela was incarcerated contributed greatly to the eventual split. Two daughters, Zenani and Zindzi were born from their marriage.
2002: Zimbabwe was suspended from the Commonwealth of Nations after the country’s 2001 elections were found to be flawed by electoral observers. The elections were marred by politically motivated violence. The announcement was made by a troika of Commonwealth leaders that included then President of South Africa Thabo Mbeki. The suspension meant that the country would be barred from Commonwealth meetings for a period of 12 months, with the opportunity for review at the end of 12 months when a decision would be taken based on the progress made by the country.
2003: The United States, along with coalition forces primarily from the United Kingdom, initiates war on Iraq. Just after explosions began to rock Baghdad, Iraq’s capital, U.S. President George W. Bush announced in a televised address, “At this hour, American and coalition forces are in the early stages of military operations to disarm Iraq, to free its people and to defend the world from grave danger.” President Bush and his advisors built much of their case for war on the specious claim that Iraq, under dictator Saddam Hussein, possessed or was in the process of building weapons of mass destruction.
2013: Water-bearing minerals were discovered on Mars by NASA’s Curiosity Rover.
2018: The last male northern white rhinoceros died.
Sudan was euthanized on this day after suffering from age-related complications. His death ensures the extinction of the species.
Births on This Day, March 19
Harvey Weinstein, 72 years
Harvey Weinstein is an American former film producer and convicted sex offender.
In 1979, Weinstein and his brother, Bob Weinstein, co-founded the entertainment company Miramax, which produced several successful independent films including Sex, Lies, and Videotape.
Bruce Willis, 69 years
Walter Bruce Willis is an American retired actor. He achieved fame with a leading role on the comedy-drama series Moonlighting and has appeared in over a hundred films, gaining recognition as an action hero for his portrayal of John McClane in the Die Hard franchise.
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