On This Day - What Happened On March 15 | Britannica

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1940 Hitler orders church bells be reclaimed for war efforts On this day in 1940, Adolf Hitler decreed that church bells across Germany be confiscated for use in the ongoing war. About 175,000 church bells were taken by force, despite widespread protest, and melted down to make armaments for the German military. In addition to marking times of prayer throughout the day and summoning worshipers to Sunday services, many had functioned for centuries as.as holiday markers, ringing during times of celebration and merriment. Many years after the war, bells were discovered in various locations across Europe, including Estonia and Poland—buried to prevent their peals from being stolen for the war effort. Read today's edition of Today in History > > Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Featured Biography

Ruth Bader Ginsburg United States jurist bornMarch 15, 1933New York City, New YorkdiedSeptember 18, 2020 (aged 87)Washington, D.C., United StatesSteve Petteway/Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States 1947 Ry Cooder American musician 1943 David Cronenberg Canadian film director, screenwriter, and actor 1933 Ruth Bader Ginsburg United States jurist 1878 Reza Shah Pahlavi shah of Iran 1813 John Snow British physician See All Biographies On This Day

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2019 More than 1.5 million students participated in climate change protests around the world as part of Fridays for Future, a movement started by Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg. What's the difference between global warming and climate change? Sean Gallup/Getty Images 2011 Antigovernment protests were held in several cities across Syria, considered the beginning of the county's civil war. Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about the Middle EastAP/Shutterstock.com 2003 Hu Jintao succeeded Jiang Zemin as the president of China. Sort fact from fiction in our China quizEPA/REX/Shutterstock.com 1993 Alia Bhatt, an actress in Bollywood cinema who is celebrated for her screen presence, versatility, and success at the box office, was born in Mumbai. How much do you know about Bollywood?© 2023 Dharma Productions/Viacom18 Studios and Collection Christophel/Alamy 1990 The Congress of People's Deputies of the U.S.S.R. elected Mikhail Gorbachev to the newly created post of president of the Soviet Union. Watch an overview of Mikhail Gorbachev's life and careerBoris Yurchenko/AP Images 1972 The Godfather, an epic drama about organized crime, premiered to universal acclaim; the Academy Award-winning film was directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starred Al Pacino and Marlon Brando. Take our Al Pacino quiz© 1972 Paramount Pictures Corporation 1965 About a week after a civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, was halted due to violent opposition, U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson delivered his We Shall Overcome speech, in which he introduced voting rights legislation that was passed later that year. Discover 10 milestones in U.S. civil rights historyWhite House Collection 1964 Following a highly publicized affair, American actress Elizabeth Taylor wed British actor Richard Burton in Montreal; they divorced in 1974 and briefly remarried (1975–76). Test your knowledge of A-list actors© 1963 Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation 1917 During the first phase of the Russian Revolution, Tsar Nicholas II was forced to abdicate, thus ending the rule of the Romanov dynasty. How much do you know about Russian history?Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. LC-B2- 4315-10) 1875 Pope Pius IX appointed John McCloskey the first American cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. Test your knowledge of popesReligious News Service 1781 American revolutionaries won a strategic victory over the British at the Battle of Guilford Courthouse in North Carolina. Watch an overview of the American Revolution 1767 Andrew Jackson, who was the first U.S. president to come from west of the Appalachians and the first to be elected by a direct appeal to the mass of voters, was born. Do you know where each U.S. president was born?Bettmann/Getty Images 1614 Franciscus Sylvius, whose studies helped shift medical emphasis from mystical speculation to a rational application of the laws of physics, was born in Hanau, Germany. Take our physics quizBBC Hulton Picture Library 44 bce In 44 bce Roman dictator Julius Caesar was launching a series of political and social reforms when he was assassinated on the Ides of March by a group of nobles, among whom were Cassius and Brutus.© Photos.com/Thinkstock SIGN UP FOR History's Biggest Headlines Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors. SIGN UP Thanks for signing up for Today in History. Your first newsletter will arrive soon! SIGN UP By clicking "Sign Up" you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.