March 1 in Pop Culture History

The Salem Witch Trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts in 1692. The trials resulted in the execution of 20 people, primarily women, who were found guilty of practicing witchcraft.

The trials began when a group of young girls in Salem Village claimed to be possessed by the devil and accused several local women of practicing witchcraft. The accusations quickly spread, and more people were accused. Many were arrested and put on trial.

The trials were conducted by a special court established by the colonial government. The accused were considered guilty until proven innocent. The court relied heavily on spectral evidence, testimony from the accusers claiming to see the charge as a specter or spirit. The accused were often forced to endure harsh questioning and were held in crowded, unsanitary conditions.

The trials eventually ended when the governor of Massachusetts, William Phips, ordered that the use of spectral evidence be banned. By this time, 20 people had been executed, including 19 by hanging and one by pressing, in which heavy stones were placed on the accused until they confessed or died.

1692 – In Salem Village in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Sarah Goode, Sarah Osborne, and Tituba, an Indian slave from Barbados, were accused of witchcraft, beginning the Salem Witchcraft Trials. Assuming those convicted were not practicing the dark arts, 20 innocent women and men were killed due to the trials.

1783 (Earthquake) Calabria, Italy

1790 – The first United States census was authorized.

1868 – The Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity was founded at the University of Virginia.

1872 – Congress made 1,221,773 acres of public land in the area of what were later the states of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho as America’s first national park – Yellowstone National Park. Yellowstone National Park spans an area of 3,468.4 square miles.

1910 – An avalanche in Wellington, Washington, took The Great Northern Railroad’s westbound Spokane Express and the Wellington Train Station. 96 people were killed.

1915 – Iceland’s prohibition laws banned drinks containing more than 2.25% alcohol until March 1st, 1989. March 1st is now celebrated as “Beer Day.”

1921 – Harry Houdini earned a US Patent (#1,370,31) for a safety Diver Suit for his underwater magic escape tricks.

1932 – The Lindbergh Kidnapping – Charles Lindbergh III, the 20-month-old son of aviation hero Charles Lindbergh, was kidnapped from the family’s new mansion in Hopewell, New Jersey.

1954 – At Bikini Atoll, US hydrogen bomb code-named Bravo exploded.

1961 – President John F. Kennedy issued an executive order establishing the Peace Corps.

1971 – A bomb exploded in the Capitol building in Washington, DC, but hurt no one. A group callied the “Weather Underground” claimed credit for the bombing, which was done in protest of the ongoing US-supported Laos invasion.

1971 – James Taylor made the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine, spotlighting ‘The New Rock: Bittersweet and Low.’

1975 – #1 Hit March 1, 1975 – March 7, 1975: Eagles – Best of My Love

1983 – Swatch watches were introduced. I’m still looking to replace my wife’s black face, black band, and black hands edition.

1985 – The Purple Rose of Cairo was released in theaters

1986 – #1 Hit March 1, 1986 – March 14, 1986: Mr. Mister – Kyrie

1991 – The Doors was released in theaters.

1991- Clarissa Explains It All debuted on Nickelodeon.

1995 – Yahoo! was incorporated.

1996 – The news was revealed that 1 billion households worldwide owned a television set.

1998 – Titanic became the first film to gross over $1 billion worldwide.

2002 – 40 Days and 40 Nights debuted in theaters.

2007 – Chiller debuted on cable television