The International Criminal Court issued its first arrest warrant for a sitting head of state when it sought Sudanese dictator Omar al-Bashir on March 4, 2009 for allegedly directing attacks against civilians and being an indirect participant in murder, rape, and torture during the conflict in Darfur. Al-Bashir was removed from power in 2019. The [...]
On March 3, 1918, the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire) signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with the communist government of Russia, ending Russian involvement in World War I. The treaty furthermore opened independence for Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. Read the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk and other documents related to the [...]
On March 3, 1879, Belva Lockwood became the first woman admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court.
On March 2, 1917, President Woodrow Wilson signed the Jones-Shafroth Act, granting Puerto Rico status as a United States territory and granting all of its residents US citizenship. The Bill furthermore constructed a government and a bill of rights for the island and allowed its residents to serve in the US military. In 1952, the [...]
Lord Mansfield (William Murray), Chief Justice of the King’s Bench and developer of English commercial law, was born in Scone, Scotland, on March 2, 1702. Learn more about Lord Mansfield.
On March 1, 1950, German-British atomic scientist Klaus Fuchs was sentenced to 14 years in prison by a UK court for passing British and American nuclear secrets to the Soviet Union. Read a biography of Fuchs from PBS.
On March 1, 1875, the Civil Rights Act of 1875 became law. It declared that all persons within the jurisdiction of the United States shall be entitled to the full and equal enjoyment of the accommodations, advantages, facilities, and privileges of inns, public conveyances on land or water, theaters, and other places of public amusement, [...]