March 19th marks a date woven with historical significance across various continents,join us on a journey through some of the notable events that unfolded on March 19th, offering insights into the diverse facets of human endeavor and the enduring impact of key moments in history.
- 1279 – A Mongolian victory against the Song Dynasty at the Battle of Yamen, resulting in the eventual collapse of the Southern Song Dynasty and the beginning of Mongol rule in China under the Yuan Dynasty.
- 1687 – French explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, was murdered by his own men while attempting to establish a colony at the mouth of the Mississippi River.
- 1916 – The First World War Battle of Verdun began in France between French and German forces. It lasted until December of the same year and resulted in hundreds of thousands of casualties on both sides.
- 1945 – Adolf Hitler issued the “Nero Decree,” ordering the destruction of German infrastructure to prevent it from falling into Allied hands as the Allies advanced into Germany during World War II.
- 1965 – The American spacecraft Gemini 3, carrying astronauts Virgil “Gus” Grissom and John Young, was launched from Cape Kennedy, marking the first manned flight of the Gemini program.
- 2003 – The United States and coalition forces began the invasion of Iraq, initiating the Iraq War, which lasted until December 2011.
STORY BY ;PORTIA AKU SHIKA GAFAH
