Osun Defender History Corner: March 23 In Focus

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

March 23, 1400

The Trần dynasty of Vietnam is deposed after one hundred and seventy-five years of rule by Hồ Quý Ly, a court official.

March 23, 1568

The Peace of Longjumeau is signed, ending the second phase of the French Wars of Religion.

March 23, 1775

American revolutionary Patrick Henry delivers his famous speech with the words, “Give me liberty, or give me death!” at St. John’s Church in Richmond, Virginia.

March 23, 1801

Russian Tsar Paul I is assassinated by a group of dismissed officers.

March 23, 1848

The ship John Wickliffe arrives at Port Chalmers carrying the first Scottish settlers for Dunedin, New Zealand.

March 23, 1857

Elisha Otis’s first elevator is installed at 488 Broadway New York City.

March 23, 1888

In England, The Football League, the world’s oldest professional association football league, is founded.

March 23, 1903

The Wright brothers obtain an airplane patent.

March 23, 1933

The Reichstag passes the Enabling Act, making Adolf Hitler dictator of Germany.

March 23, 1942

World War II: In the Indian Ocean, Japanese forces capture the Andaman Islands.

March 23, 1965

NASA launches Gemini 3, the United States’ first two-man space flight (crew: Gus Grissom and John Young).

March 23, 1983

Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI): U.S. President Ronald Reagan makes his initial proposal to develop technology to intercept enemy missiles.

March 23, 1994

At an election rally in Tijuana, Mexican presidential candidate Luis Donaldo Colosio is assassinated by Mario Aburto Martínez.

March 23, 2001

The Russian Mir space station is disposed of, breaking up in the atmosphere before falling into the southern Pacific Ocean near Fiji.

March 23, 2010

The Affordable Care Act, often referred to as Obamacare, is signed into law by President Barack Obama.

March 23, 2014

A mudslide occurs in Oso, Washington, killing 43 people.

March 23, 2016

Belgian police arrest Salah Abdeslam, a suspect in the November 2015 Paris attacks, after a shootout in Brussels.

March 23, 2019

After 50 people are killed in two mosque shootings in Christchurch, New Zealand, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announces a ban on all military-style semi-automatic weapons and assault rifles.

March 23, 2020

The International Olympic Committee announces the postponement of the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

March 23, 2021

The Suez Canal is blocked by the container ship Ever Given, causing a major disruption to global trade.

Please note that these are just a few historical events that happened on March 23. History is full of numerous other significant events on this day, ranging from politics and warfare to cultural and scientific milestones.