Osun Defender History Corner: March 17 In Focus

Today, on the history corner, we take a trip in the realm of flashback and recall some events that marked this day.

March 17, 432

Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, dies in Saul, Downpatrick, Ireland.

March 17, 1190

Crusaders massacre the Jewish population of York during the Crusades.

March 17, 1756

Saint Patrick’s Day is celebrated in New York City for the first time.

March 17, 1845

The rubber band is patented by Stephen Perry of London.

March 17, 1861

The Kingdom of Italy is proclaimed following the unification of Italy.

March 17, 1905

Albert Einstein completes his scientific paper introducing his theory of relativity.

March 17, 1939

The German battleship “Bismarck” is launched.

March 17, 1941

The National Gallery of Art opens in Washington, D.C.

March 17, 1958

The United States launches the Vanguard 1 satellite, the first solar-powered satellite.

March 17, 1966

Off the coast of Spain, the supertanker “Torrey Canyon” hits rocks and spills oil, causing one of the world’s worst oil spills at the time.

March 17, 1969

Golda Meir becomes the first female Prime Minister of Israel.

March 17, 1973

The Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph “Napalm Girl” is taken during the Vietnam War.

March 17, 1988

A ceasefire is declared in the Iran-Iraq War after nearly eight years of conflict.

March 17, 1992

White South Africans vote to end apartheid, granting legal equality to all races.

March 17, 2003

Secretary of State Colin Powell declares that Iraq has failed to disarm, leading to the invasion of Iraq by coalition forces.

March 17, 2008

The Olympic torch is extinguished in Paris amid protests against China’s human rights record ahead of the Beijing Olympics.

March 17, 2011

A tsunami triggered by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake strikes Japan, causing widespread devastation and the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

March 17, 2014

Crimea votes in a controversial referendum to secede from Ukraine and join Russia.

March 17, 2015

The Solar Impulse 2, a solar-powered aircraft, begins its round-the-world flight from Abu Dhabi.

March 17, 2019

Cyclone Idai makes landfall in Mozambique, causing widespread flooding and destruction, and resulting in over 1,000 deaths across Mozambique, Malawi, and Zimbabwe.

Please note that these are just a few historical events that happened on March 17. History is full of numerous other significant events on this day, ranging from politics and warfare to cultural and scientific milestones.