It happened one 16 March

1926 : Launch of the first rocket


On 16 March 1926, American scientist Robert Hutchings Goddard launched the first liquid-fueled rocket.

1935 : Treaty of Versailles


On 16 March 1935, Hitler violated the Versailles Treaty by restoring compulsory military service and rebuilding of the German armed forces.

1965 : Link between cancer and cigarettes


On March 16, 1965, Dr. William K. Kerr of the Banting Institute in Toronto reported the first biochemical link between cancer and smoking.

1968 : My Lai Massacre


On March 16, 1968, U.S. troops conducted atrocities against unarmed civilians at My Lai in northern South Vietnam, killing over 500 people. Only the lieutenant in charge of these soldiers, Lieutenant Calley, was prosecuted. When these atrocities were known, they change significantly the view of many Americans about the war in Vietnam.

1978 : Aldo Moro


On March 16, 1978, former prime minister and leader of the Christian Democrat party, Aldo Moro, was kidnapped and his 5 bodyguards assassinated in Rome by the extreme left terrorist group the Red Brigades. He was killed and his body found on May 9.

1978 : Amoco Cadiz


On March 16, 1978, the supertanker Amoco Cadiz was wrecked off the coast of Brittany in front of the village of Portsall, releasing 220,000 tons of Iranian crude oil causing one of the worst oil spills, over 240 km of French coastline.

1985 : Terry Anderson


On March 16, 1985, journalist Terry Anderson, correspondent for the Associated Press, was kidnapped in Beirut in Lebanon by Islamic militants of Hezbollah. He was not released until more than 6 years later.

1988 : Gas attack on the Kurdish population


On March 16, 1988, 5000 Kurdish civilians were killed in attacks by Iraqi troops on the orders of Saddam Hussein, with different gaz including mustard gas and sarin gas in the town of Halabja in northern Iraq.

Quote of the day : 16 March

Bob Schieffer, journaliste, CBS News
Had there been a reporter along with Lieutenant Calley when he massacred those people in Vietnam, I think that probably wouldn't have happened.

Birthdays : 16 March

Caroline Herschel, German astronomer (1750)
Ninkō, Emperor of Japan (1800)
Sully Prudhomme, French writer, Nobel Prize in Literature (1839)
Alexander Popov, Russian physicist (1859)
Francisco Ayala, Spanish writer (1906)
Mercedes McCambridge, American actress (1916)
Frederick Reines, American physicist, Nobel Prize Laureate (1918)
Luis E. Miramontes, Mexican chemist (1925)
Jerry Lewis, American comedian (1926)
Vladimir Komarov , Russian cosmonaut (1927)
Bernardo Bertolucci, Italian director (1940)
Erik Estrada, Puerto Rican actor (1949)
Victor Garber, Canadian actor (1949)
Isabelle Huppert, French actress (1953)
Pascal Richard, Swiss cyclist (1964)
Gore Verbinski, American director (1964)
Cristiana Reali, Brazilian actress (1965)
Lauren Graham, American actress (1967)
Hosea Gear, New Zealand All Black rugby player (1984)
Nicole Trunfio, Australian supermodel (1986)
Daisuke Takahashi, Japanese figure skater (1986)

They left us one 16 March

Charles Gobat, Swiss lawyer, Nobel Peace Prize (1914)
Marguerite Durand, French actress and journalist (1936)
Kamal Jumblatt, Lebanese politician (1977)
Jean Monnet, French politician (1979)
Yves Rocard, French physicist (1992)
Derek Barton, English chemist, Nobel Prize Laureate (1998)

Tip of the Day : 16 March

Colors of electric wires


To avoid accidents, it is best to respect and recognize the colors of of electric wires :
- red, black or brown: phase conductor wire, by which the current arrives
- blue: neutral, by which the current leaves
- yellow and green : earth, wire protective conductor

* Warning

Vue mer : crédit photo Aseed