March 8: General Interest
1917 : February Revolution begins
In Russia, the February Revolution (known as such because of Russia's
use of the Julian calendar) begins when riots and strikes over the
scarcity of food erupt in Petrograd. One week later, centuries of
czarist rule in Russia ended with the abdication of Nicholas II, and
Russia took a dramatic step closer toward communist revolution.
By 1917, most Russians had lost faith in the leadership ability of the
czarist regime. Government corruption was rampant, the Russian economy
remained backward, and Nicholas repeatedly dissolved the Duma, the
Russian parliament established after the Revolution of 1905, when it
opposed his will. However, the immediate cause of the February
Revolution--the first phase of the Russian Revolution of 1917--was
Russia's disastrous involvement in World War I. Militarily, imperial
Russia was no match for industrialized Germany, and Russian casualties
were greater than those sustained by any nation in any previous war.
Meanwhile, the economy was hopelessly disrupted by the costly war
effort, and moderates joined Russian radical elements in calling for
the overthrow of the czar.
On March 8, 1917, demonstrators clamoring for bread took to the
streets in the Russian capital of Petrograd (now known as St.
Petersburg). Supported by 90,000 men and women on strike, the
protesters clashed with police but refused to leave the streets. On
March 10, the strike spread among all of Petrograd's workers, and
irate mobs of workers destroyed police stations. Several factories
elected deputies to the Petrograd Soviet, or "council," of workers'
committees, following the model devised during the Revolution of 1905.
On March 11, the troops of the Petrograd army garrison were called out
to quell the uprising. In some encounters, regiments opened fire,
killing demonstrators, but the protesters kept to the streets, and the
troops began to waver. That day, Nicholas again dissolved the Duma. On
March 12, the revolution triumphed when regiment after regiment of the
Petrograd garrison defected to the cause of the demonstrators. The
soldiers, some 150,000 men, subsequently formed committees that
elected deputies to the Petrograd Soviet.
The imperial government was forced to resign, and the Duma formed a
provisional government that peacefully vied with the Petrograd Soviet
for control of the revolution. On March 14, the Petrograd Soviet
issued "Order No. 1," which instructed Russian soldiers and sailors to
obey only those orders that did not conflict with the directives of
the Soviet. The next day, March 15, Czar Nicholas II abdicated the
throne in favor of his brother Michael, whose refusal of the crown
brought an end to the czarist autocracy.
The new provincial government, tolerated by the Petrograd Soviet,
hoped to salvage the Russian war effort while ending the food shortage
and many other domestic crises. It would prove a daunting task.
Meanwhile, Vladimir Lenin, leader of the Bolshevik revolutionary
party, left his exile in Switzerland and crossed German enemy lines to
return home and take control of the Russian Revolution.
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General Interest
1917 : February Revolution begins
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1801 : Anglo-Ottoman force takes Abukir Bay
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1957 : Egypt opens the Suez Canal
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American Revolution
1782 : Pennsylvania militiamen senselessly murder Patriot allies
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Automotive
1936 : First stock-car race run at Daytona
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1969 : Firebird Trans Am debuts
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Civil War
1862 : C.S.S. Virginia terrorizes Union navy
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Cold War
1982 : United States accuses Soviets of using poison gas
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Crime
1951 : The Lonely Hearts Killers are executed
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Disaster
1669 : Mount Etna erupts
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Entertainment
1933 : 42nd Street premieres
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1986 : Mask opens
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1991 : Theater violence over New Jack City
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1993 : Bandleader Billy Eckstine dies
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Literary
1935 : Thomas Wolfe's second novel, Of Time and the River, is published
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Old West
1893 : Emmet Dalton goes to prison
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Presidential
1983 : Reagan refers to U.S.S.R. as "evil empire"…again
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Sports
1971 : Ali battles Frazier for heavyweight championship
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Vietnam War
1965 : U.S. Marines land at Da Nang
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1975 : Thieu orders force withdrawal
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Wall Street
1796 : Supreme Court knocks down tax law
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1985 : Reaganomics and the Millionaire Boom
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World War I
1917 : February Revolution begins in Russia
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World War II
1942 : Dutch surrender on Java
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