Moments in Time – March 6, 2019

#Middlebury

• On March 20, 1345, according to scholars at the University of Paris, the Black Death plague is created from what they call “a triple conjunction of Saturn, Jupiter and Mars in the 40th degree of Aquarius.” The Black Death left an estimated 25 million dead. It’s now known that bubonic plague is carried by fleas.
• On March 19, 1842, French writer Honore de Balzac’s play “Les Ressources de Quinola” opens to an empty house. Hoping to create a buzz for the play, Balzac had circulated a rumor that tickets were sold out. Unfortunately, most of his fans stayed home.
• On March 18, 1937, nearly 300 students in Texas are killed by an explosion of natural gas at their school. Officials at the New London school had been persuaded to save money by tapping into less stable wet-gas lines that ran nearby. The blast was felt 40 miles away.
• On March 21, 1952, the first rock and roll concert in history is held in Cleveland, hosted by legendary disk jockey Alan Freed. Police were overwhelmed when an estimated 20,000-25,000 fans swarmed the Moondog Coronation Ball, held in an arena with a capacity of only 10,000.
• On March 24, 1965, the first “teach-in” is conducted at the University of Michigan as 200 faculty members hold special anti-war seminars. This form of protest spread to many colleges and universities.
• On March 22, 1983, the Pentagon awards a contract worth more than $1 billion to AM General Corp. to produce 55,000 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles. Nicknamed the Humvee, the rugged vehicles were used by the U.S. military. In 1992, a civilian version, the Hummer, went on sale.
• On March 23, 1994, Wayne Gretzky scores his 802nd goal, breaking his childhood idol Gordie Howe’s NHL record for most goals in a career.

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