Historic Event: March 31 Marked with Significant Events throughout History
March 31, A Day of Historic Milestones
Mark your calendars, folks! This date has witnessed significant moments in history, art, and music. Let's take a stroll down memory lane shall we?
1492: The Alhambra Decree
Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon dropped a giant bummer on the Jewish community by ordering their expulsion from the kingdom of Spain and its territories by summer's end. Ouch!
1631: The Death of a Poet, Birth of Another
English metaphysical poet John Donne took his final bow at St. Paul's, aged 59. Coincidentally, it was Andrew Marvell's tenth birthday, foreshadowing a poetic rivalry yet to unfold.
1732: The Arrival of a Musical Genius
Austrian composer Joseph Haydn popped into the world in Rohrau. Prepare yourselves for symphonies galore!
1763: HMS Defence Launched
The third rate, 74-gun ship of the line had quite the adventurous life, seeing action at St. Vincent, the Glorious First of June, the Nile, and Trafalgar. Unfortunately, it met its watery demise off Jutland in 1811.
1878: The First Black World Heavyweight Boxing Champ
John Arthur "Jack" Johnson was born in Texas, going on to become the first black world heavyweight boxing champion after defeating Canadian Tommy Burns in 1908.
The Eiffel Tower: A Monument Born of Controversy
Built to serve as the centerpiece of the 1889 Paris Universal Exposition, the Eiffel Tower had a rocky beginning. Criticized by the French intellectual elite as an "useless and monstrous" structure, the tower was the product of the collaborative minds of engineers Maurice Koechlin and Emile Nouguier, and the vision of Gustave Eiffel.
Despite widespread opposition, Eiffel defended his creation, proclaiming it a symbol of modern engineering and the century of Industry and Science. When it was opened to the public on March 31, 1889, the tower was incomplete, sans lifts, forcing visitors to climb the stairs to take in the remarkable views. However, the tower's beauty and grandeur soon captured the world's imagination, becoming one of the most celebrated landmarks in the world.
Want more? Check out what happened on this day in history on 30 March and 1st April, as we continue our journey through the annals of human history!
Sources:
[1] Domsh, D. (2019). A lost symbol: Germanic architecture in Paris during the Eiffel Tower Centennial. Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, 78(1), 37-65.
[2] Moore, N. (2006). The Eiffel Tower: An engineering masterpiece. Laveck Press.
[3] Brown, P. (2010). The Eiffel Tower: Engineering of an icon. John Wiley & Sons.
1 - Politics and War-and-ConflictsIn the midst of the criticism and opposition, Gustave Eiffel defended his creation, the Eiffel Tower, proclaiming it a symbol of modern engineering and the century of Industry and Science.
2 - General-NewsBuilt to serve as the centerpiece of the 1889 Paris Universal Exposition, the Eiffel Tower had a tumultuous beginning, with the French intellectual elite denouncing it as an "useless and monstrous" structure.
