Germany reoccupied the Rhineland. (1936) Hitler and his troops marched into the Rhineland today, violating both the Treaty of Versailles and the Locarno Pact. It was one of the first truly aggressive moves on the part of Nazi Germany in the build-up to World War II.
A group of more than 600 Civil Rights marchers was broken up in Selma, Alabama. (1965) Coverage of the riot, which was broken up by state troopers with teargas and whips, was one of the first to get major coverage in the Civil Rights movement and put the national spotlight on the issue.
“We Are the World” was released internationally. (1985) The anthem focused on the unity of the world, which was still a controversial issue in the 1980s. The song was recorded by the supergroup USA for Africa, which included Lionel Ritchie, Michael Jackson, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, and Bette Midler, among others.
“Dies Sol invicti” — “Sun-day” — was declared a public holiday in Rome. (321) The day of the Sun, or “Sunday” was declared to be a day of rest by the Emperor Constantine. Though other religious traditions had previously adopted a day of rest during the week, this was one of the first times for a day to be set aside regularly by a secular authority.
Bangladesh had its first democratic leader. (1973) Sheikh Mujib Rahman won the country’s first ever general elections, after years of pressure and attacks from Pakistan. Rahman was overwhelmingly elected as the prime minister of Bangladesh after spending a year in prison in Pakistan.
Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening was published. (1923) The popular poem by Robert Frost was first published on this day in The New Republic. It was an instant classic, and many people still remember the lines, “The woods are lovely, dark and deep/but I have promises to keep/and miles to go before I sleep/and miles to go before I sleep.”
The US Senate revised its filibuster rule. (1975) Before, senators could filibuster almost indefinitely, or until a two-thirds majority was found to vote to stop them. Under the new rule, however, only 75 votes were needed to invoke cloture and stop the filibuster.
Aristotle is said to have died. (322 BC) A founding father of Greek philosophy, Aristotle’s work continued to influence philosophers throughout the 21st century. His work was among some of the first to create a comprehensive system of philosophy, rather than focusing on one specific aspect of life.
The US Supreme Court ruled that parodies made to mock original songs do not require copyright permission. (1994) This greatly expanded the notion of “fair use” and was a major turning point in copyright law.
Piet Mondrian was born. (1872) Mondrian was a Dutch painter famous for his abstract works featuring strong, straight lines and blocks of primary colors. He, along with fellow artists Paul Klee and Wassily Kandinsky were extremely influential to later modern and post-modern artists.