Marlon Brando refused his Best Actor Oscar in 1973 as a protest against Hollywood’s portrayal of Native Americans. Viagra was approved by the FDA in 1998 and quickly became popular. Venice was excommunicated in 1309, while Washington DC’s cherry trees were planted in 1912. John Eaton’s appointment as Secretary of War caused controversy in 1829. Nikita Khrushchev became the Premier of the Soviet Union in 1958. March Madness began with the first NCAA basketball tournament in 1939. The United States established a permanent navy in 1794. Yosemite Valley was first seen by Europeans in 1851. Eisaku Sato, a Japanese prime minister and Nobel Peace Prize winner, was born in 1901.
Marlon Brando turned down the Best Actor Oscar. (1973) Brando had won an Oscar for his portrayal of him in The Godfather, but he refused to take it as a protest at the way Hollywood portrayed Native Americans in film. Brando was the second actor to turn down an Oscar, the first being George C. Scott, who turned down a Best Actor Oscar for his role in Patton.
Viagra® approved by the FDA. (1998) It was the first erectile dysfunction drug to be approved for use in the United States and was immediately wildly popular: over a billion US dollars (USD) worth of pills were sold within a year.
The city of Venice was excommunicated. (1309) Pope Clement V excommunicated the city of Venice and all its population when they did not submit to the rule of the papacy. It wasn’t the first time the city had been excommunicated – at least two other cases are also recorded in the 1500s.
Cherry trees planted in Washington DC (1912) Helen Taft, wife of President William Taft, and Viscountess Chinda, wife of the Japanese ambassador, planted the first two of approximately 3,000 cherry trees beside the Potomac River. The trees were a gift from the Japanese government and became so popular that Washington began holding an annual cherry blossom festival.
President Jackson has appointed a controversial secretary of war. (1829) When Jackson appointed John Eaton as his Secretary of War, the matrons of Washington DC went mad with gossip, since Eaton was married to a former tavern maid with an unseemly past. The gossip and gossip got so bad that Eaton eventually resigned to allow Jackson to protect his presidency.
Nikita Khrushchev became the Premier of the Soviet Union. (1958) Khrushchev was the first person to simultaneously hold the posts of First Secretary Khrushchev and Soviet Prime Minister since Joseph Stalin.
March madness has begun. (1939) The first NCAA basketball tournament concluded on this day with the University of Oregon beating Ohio State. The buildup to the tournament became known as March Madness and remains a major event in US sports.
The United States established a permanent navy. (1794) Although the Revolutionary Colonies had had a Continental Navy, it produced such mixed results that it was phased out. The navy was re-established in 1794 to deal with the growing threat from pirates.
Yosemite Valley was first seen by Europeans. (1851) Now one of the most popular natural tourist sites in the United States, Yosemite astounded members of the Mariposa Battalion, a California militia who were the first non-Native Americans to see it. Eyewitness accounts state that members of the group were awed and even wept at the beauty of the valley.
Eisaku Sato was born. (1901) Satō was an extremely influential Japanese prime minister in the 1960s and 1970s, and was also Japan’s longest serving prime minister. He was also the first Asian to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in creating the “Three Non-Nuclear Principles” which would later become the basis of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
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