On a side note, today is Einstein’s birthday. Happy 134th!

This Month in Criminal History

March 1, 1932: Charles Lindbergh’s son is kidnapped from his home in Hopewell, New Jersey. A $50,000 ransom is paid, but the boy’s body is found on May 12. Cause of death is believed to be an accidental fall as his kidnapper, Bruno Richard Hauptmann, carried him down a ladder at the Lindbergh’s private estate. It’s likely the child died instantly.

March 1, 1974: Watergate scandal is revealed. Nixon’s former chief of staff H.R. Haldeman, aide John Erlichman, and former attorney general John Mitchell are indicted with four other high ranking officials.

March 3, 1913: 5,000 women participating in a suffrage march in Washington D.C. were attacked by onlookers while police stood by. Many were spat on and struck, and soldiers were called in to restore order. Remember what our predecessors fought for, ladies.

March 5, 1770: The Boston Massacre. A group of Americans harassed the British soldiers who then opened fire. Five men were killed. British Captain Thomas Preston and eight of his men were charged with murder. The Captain and six of his men were acquitted, while two were found guilty of manslaughter, branded, and then released.

March 6, 1836: Remember the Alamo. Fort Alamo fell to General Santa Anna. Beginning on February 23th, Santa Anna and his soldiers attacked. The Texans and their reinforcements held the fort until March 6. Davy Crockett is believed to have been killed in the battle, with some stating he was surrounded by no less than 16 dead Mexican officers, but others say he surrendered.

March 13, 1943: A plot by German Army officers to kill Hitler failed.

March 15, 44 B.C.: Julius Caesar was assassinated by Brutus and other conspirators.

March 16, 1968: In what’s known as the My Lai Massacre, American soldiers of Charlie Company murdered 504 Vietnamese men, women, and children. They were charged but later pardoned by President Richard Nixon.

March 20, 1995: A Japanese religious cult unleashes a nerve gas attack on the Tokyo subway system during rush hour. 12 were killed and 5,000 injured. Members of the cult were eventually arrested.

March 30, 1981: President Reagan is shot in the chest in Washington, D.C. After surgery to remove the .22 caliber bullet from his lung, Reagan joked, “I should have ducked.” Reagan’s press secretary, James Brady, was shot in the forehead but survived. He is permanently disabled and a supporter of gun control.

SOURCE

Did you know some of these events occurred in March? What is your favorite time in history?

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