Scott Allsop's Blog, page 42

9th March 1776: “The Wealth of Nations” published by Scottish economist and philosopher Adam Smith

The publication of "The Wealth of Nations" had a profound impact on economic thought and policy, laying the foundation for classical economics and providing justification for the rise of free-market ...

8th March 1971: Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier faced each other in the ‘Fight of the Century’

The match went all the way to the 15th round before Frazier was declared the winner by unanimous ...

7th March 1850: Senator Daniel Webster makes his “Seventh of March” speech in favour of the Compromise of 1850

Daniel Webster’s "Seventh of March" speech saw the prominent senator from Massachusetts, who was a staunch defender of the Union, deliver an address endorsing the compromise measures as a means to preserve national unity and avert a possible civil ...

5th March 1936: Supermarine Spitfire aircraft makes its maiden test flight

Captain Joseph "Mutt" Summers, chief test pilot for Vickers, performed a series of exercises to evaluate the Spitfire’s handling characteristics and performance capabilities, and found that the aircraft demonstrated remarkable ...

4th March 1865: Andrew Johnson, Vice President of the United States, delivers his inaugural address while drunk

Johnson’s drunkenness during his inaugural address was widely reported in the press and was a source of embarrassment for Lincoln, who was seated ...

3rd March 1857: The largest ever sale of enslaved people in the United States, known as the Weeping Time

When the two-day sale ended on 3 March, 429 slaves had been ...

2nd March 537: First Siege of Rome begins as the Ostrogoth army encircle the Byzantine forces of the general Belisarius

Despite being driven north towards Ravenna by Emperor Justinian's forces, the Ostrogoths were determined to reclaim Rome and reassert their dominance over ...

1st March 1562: Massacre of Vassy marks the beginning of the French Wars of Religion

The massacre at Vassy exacerbated religious tensions that had been simmering for years, serving as a rallying cry for both Catholics and Protestants, each side seeing the incident as justification for their cause. Within just a few weeks of the massacre, violence erupted across the ...

29th February 1796: Jay Treaty marks the start of ten years of peaceful trade between the United States and Britain

The Jay Treaty, named after John Jay, the chief negotiator on behalf of the United States, sought to resolve several key disputes in the aftermath of the American Revolutionary War and the subsequent Treaty of Paris in ...

28th February 1849: First ‘49ers arrive in San Francisco to begin the California Gold Rush

On February 28, 1849, SS California steamed into San Francisco carrying around 400 passengers seeking their fortune. The city's population, which had been around a thousand in 1848, skyrocketed to tens of thousands within a ...