This Day in History is DUE’s daily dose of trivia for all the history buffs out there. So sit back and take a ride of all the fascinating things that happened on 20th March!
People are trapped in history and history is trapped in people, and hence, every day has been a significant one in the foibles of history. Now, let’s take a tour of “This Day in History – 20th March”.
1852: Harriet Beecher Stowe’s ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin’ is published
Harriet Beecher Stowe’s ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly’ came out in the serialized form in the United States in 1851–52 and in book form in 1852. Stowe catalogued the suffering experienced by enslaved people and showed that their owners were morally broken, thus making her case against slavery. An abolitionist novel, it achieved wide popularity, particularly among white readers in the North.
1986: New York City passes its first lesbian and gay rights legislation
On this day, New York City Council passed the Homosexual Rights Bill with a 21-14 vote, ending an emotional 15-year battle. The bill amended the administrative code of New York City. It banned discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in housing, employment and public accommodations. ”It’s not revolutionary, but it’s something that’s going to bring a lot more peace to this city,” said Andrew Humm, a leader of the Coalition for Lesbian and Gay Rights. Read more about the revolutionary bill HERE.
2010: World Sparrow Day
World Sparrow Day is a day to raise awareness and protect the common house sparrows, which are not so commonly seen now due to increasing noise pollution. It’s an international initiative by the Nature Forever Society of India, the Eco-Sys Action Foundation (France) and many other organisations across the world. Indian conservationist Mohammed Dilawar started The Nature Forever Society to help the house sparrows in Nashik. Time named him one of the 2008 Heroes of the Environment for his efforts.
2017: Court declares rivers Ganga and Yamuna ‘living entities’
The Uttarakhand high court declared the Ganga and Yamuna living entities. It bestowed on them the same legal rights as a person, a move that was to help clean the pollution-choked rivers. The order allowed complaints to be filed in the name of the two rivers, held sacred by millions of Hindus. It also gave the Centre eight weeks to set up boards for cleaning and maintaining the rivers. This was a part of The Namami Gange – Modi’s government’s ambitious plan to bring together various efforts for cleaning and conserving the river.
2020: Nirbhaya rape case convicts are hanged
After a tremendously long duration, India brought the gruesome rape case of Nirbhaya, The Fearless One, to a close today. The four men, who trapped and raped a young woman on a bus in 2012, were finally hanged at Tihar Jail. It was India’s first hanging after 2013. The appalling nature of the crime and the fact that it unfolded on the busy streets of India’s capital sent shock waves across the nation and around the world, leaving a deep mark on India’s psyche. Her death continues to spark uncomfortable discussions about the abuses that countless Indian women suffer every year.
