Historical Events on March 12

On This Day in History: March 12

1. In 1054 Pope Leo IX escaped from prison and returned to Rome and resumed his papacy.
2. In 1455, the first mention of Johannes Gutenberg’s Bible appeared in a letter from Enea Silvio Piccolomini, mentioning its printing the year before.
3. In 1594, Dutch merchants in Amsterdam founded the Company of Far Lands to trade with the East Indies, laying the foundation for the Dutch East India Company.
4. In 1622, Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits, was officially canonized.
5. In 1689, former English king James II arrived in Ireland to reclaim his throne with French support.
6. In 1737, Galileo’s remains were moved to the Church of Santa Croce in Florence, Italy, honoring his legacy.
7. In 1837, British poet laureate Robert Southey dismissed the literary ambitions of 20-year-old Charlotte Brontë, saying, “Literature cannot be the business of a woman’s life.”
8. In 1868 the US Congress abolished the producer tax, thereby easing the financial burden on producers.
9. In 1884, Mississippi established the first state college for women in the US, promoting women’s education.
10. In 1894, Coca-Cola was first sold in bottles at a candy store in Vicksburg, Mississippi, revolutionizing its distribution.
11. In 1908, the Montreal Wanderers defeated the Winnipeg Maple Leafs 9–3, winning the series 2–0 and winning the Stanley Cup.
12. In 1917, a German submarine sank the unarmed American merchant ship Algonquin on the same day that President Woodrow Wilson ordered the arming of American merchant ships.
13. In 1930 Mahatma Gandhi began his historic 200-mile Salt March in protest of the oppressive British salt tax.
14. In 1945, 30 residents of Amsterdam were killed by Nazi occupiers in a brutal act of repression during World War II.
15. In 1959, the U.S. House, along with the Senate, approved statehood for Hawaii, paving the way for it to become the 50th state.