On March 22, 1945, the League of Arab States was formed in Cairo, Egypt to promote the cultural and political interests of the Arab World. Since then, the original six-nation roster of Egypt, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Transjordan (now Jordan), Lebanon, and Iraq has now expanded to 22 member states. Read the Charter of the League [...]

On March 21, 1965, Martin Luther King, Jr. began his third march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama to protest racial discrimination in the Jim Crow South. By March 25, over 25,000 people led by Dr. King reached Montgomery, Alabama. Specifically, the march called attention to the suppression of African-American voting rights and a police assault [...]

March 21 is the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

On March 20, 1602, the States-General of the Netherlands established the Dutch East India Company (VOC). The creation edict granted VOC a monopoly over Dutch colonial activities in Asia for twenty-one years. During that time, VOC became the world’s first multinational company and the first to issue stock. Read a history of the VOC and [...]

On March 20, 1899, Martha Place, convicted of the murder of her stepdaughter, became the first woman to die in the electric chair. The execution was carried out at New York’s Auburn Prison.

On March 19, 1972, India and Bangladesh signed a Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation, and Peace for twenty-five years. The treaty recognized the independence of Bangladesh by India at the conclusion of Bangladesh’s war of independence from Pakistan. The treaty expired in 1997 without renewal.

US Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren was born on March 19, 1891, in Los Angeles, California. He led the Court during a critical period of social change in the 1950s and 1960s and is perhaps best known for his Opinion in Brown v. Board of Education. Learn more about Earl Warren from the Supreme [...]

On March 18, 1922, a court in British-ruled India sentenced Mohandas Gandhi to six years in prison for sedition in connection with his civil disobedience campaign for Indian home rule. Read Gandhi’s famous statement to the trial court. Gandhi served two years of his sentence and was then released.

On March 18, 1963, the US Supreme Court in Gideon v. Wainwright held that the Constitution requires states to provide counsel for indigent criminal defendants. For a unanimous Court, Justice Hugo Black wrote, “Any person haled into court, who is too poor to hire a lawyer, cannot be assured a fair trial unless counsel is [...]

On March 17, 1999, the International Olympic Committee expelled six of its members for taking bribes. The preceding investigation revealed that the indicted officials had received over $800,000 in gifts and benefits from the Salt Lake Organizing Committee (SLOC) before awarding the 2002 Winter Games to Salt Lake City.