1865
Politics
Authorized to search for missing soldiers
Lincoln authorized Barton to search for missing soldiers, leading to the Missing Soldiers Office and a major postwar humanitarian record-keeping effort.
View detailsThis Day
03March
39 indexed achievements across recorded history.
1873
Law
Non-mailability of abortion-related medications and supplies established
Comstock Act makes abortion‑related medications and obstetrical supplies non‑mailable, threatening providers with multi‑year prison terms.
View details1873
Law
Federal criminalization of mailed contraception and abortion information
Comstock Act makes mailing or importing contraception and abortion‑related devices and information a federal crime by defining them as “obscene.”
View details1873
Law
Criminal penalties for violating Comstock Act codified
Comstock Act sets penalties of up to five years’ hard‑labor imprisonment and $2,000 fines for mailing prohibited “obscene” or abortion‑related materials.
View details1873
Law
Spread of “little Comstock” laws at state and local levels
Federal Comstock Act inspires state and local “little Comstock” laws that replicate bans on contraception, abortion‑related items, and sexual materials.
View details1873
Law
Comstock Act initiates prolonged conflict over reproductive rights
Comstock Act’s enactment initiates a long, national struggle over reproductive rights and privacy, profoundly impacting women’s access to care.
View details1873
Law
Federal obscenity and reproductive regulation expanded
Comstock Act extends federal obscenity regulation into Americans’ sexual and reproductive lives amid contests over suffrage, immigration, and birth rates.
View details1873
Law
Comstock Act enacted by U.S. Congress
U.S. Congress passes the Comstock Act, criminalizing mailed “obscene” matter, including contraceptive and abortion‑related items and information.
View details1873
Law
First federal law banning contraceptives and abortion drugs from the mail
President Ulysses S. Grant signs the Comstock Act, the first federal law banning mailing contraceptives and abortion drugs as “obscene.”
View details1873
Law
First federal obscenity law to cover contraception and abortion materials
Comstock Act becomes the first federal obscenity law to explicitly include contraception‑ and abortion‑related writings and devices.
View details1873
Law
Federal search-and-seizure powers over mailed “obscene” matter established
Comstock Act grants postal officials broad powers to search, seize, and destroy “obscene” mailed materials and prosecute senders.
View details1879
Science
First woman admitted to the U.S. Supreme Court bar
Sworn in as the first woman member of the United States Supreme Court bar, on motion of Albert G. Riddle.
View details1887
Activism
Anne Sullivan begins teaching Helen Keller
Anne Sullivan arrives in Tuscumbia on March 3, 1887, beginning Helen Keller’s formal education.
View details1887
Medicine
Anne Sullivan begins teaching Helen Keller
Anne Sullivan started teaching Helen Keller in Tuscumbia, Alabama.
View details1891
Literature
Grace Lumpkin's Birth
Grace Lumpkin was born on March 3, 1891, in Milledgeville, Georgia.
View details1905
Science
First woman honored with a statue in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda
A statue of Willard by sculptor Helen Farnsworth Mears was placed in the U.S. Capitol's National Statuary Hall Collection, a first for a woman.
View details1913
Politics
First civil rights march on Washington, D.C., steps off at 3:00 p.m.
First civil rights march begins on March 3, 1913, at 3:00 p.m.
View details1913
Activism
Procession inspires regional suffrage parades across the country
March 3, 1913 procession inspired regional parades nationwide.
View details1913
Activism
Procession marks turning point and beginning of final phase of suffrage campaign
The 1913 march marked the beginning of the final suffrage campaign phase.
View details1913
Politics
Participation in 1913 Woman Suffrage Procession
On March 3, 1913, Wells-Barnett marched in Washington, D.C.'s suffrage parade, defying segregation demands.
View details1913
Activism
Procession helps establish Washington as venue for large-scale popular demonstrations
March 3, 1913, procession established D.C. as a venue for large protests.
View details1913
Activism
Procession revitalizes national campaign for a federal suffrage amendment
The March 3, 1913 procession reignited the federal suffrage amendment campaign.
View details1913
Politics
Violence against marchers leads to injuries and congressional hearings
March 3, 1913, procession violence leads to injuries and a congressional investigation.
View details1913
Activism
Approximately 5,000 women participate in the procession
About 5,000 women marched in D.C. on March 3, 1913.
View details1913
Activism
Woman Suffrage Procession held in Washington, D.C.
On March 3, 1913, the Woman Suffrage Procession took place in Washington, D.C., demonstrating for a federal suffrage amendment.
View details1913
Activism
First suffragist parade in Washington, D.C.
The Woman Suffrage Procession on March 3, 1913, was the first suffragist parade in the capital.
View details1913
Activism
First large-scale civil rights demonstration in the nation’s capital
On March 3, 1913, this event marked the first large-scale civil rights demonstration in the capital.
View details1913
Politics
First large, organized political march on Washington
The march on March 3, 1913, was the first large, organized political march in D.C.
View details1916
Arts
Marriage to Tadeusz Łempicki in Saint Petersburg
Tamara married Tadeusz Łempicki, a young Polish lawyer, in 1916.
View details1917
Science
Birth of Sameera Moussa in Gharbia, Egypt
Sameera Moussa was born on March 3, 1917, in a village in the Gharbia Governorate of Egypt.
View details1931
Literature
Became a naturalized U.S. citizen
Officially naturalized as a citizen of the United States, completing her transition from Soviet émigré to American writer.
View details1946
Literature
Launch of Bell Telephone–sponsored etiquette radio show
Emily Post initiated a Bell Telephone-sponsored radio show on March 3, 1946.
View details1962
Sports
Birth of Jackie Joyner-Kersee
Jacqueline Joyner (later Jackie Joyner-Kersee) is born in East St. Louis, Illinois, U.S., to Mary and Alfred Joyner.
View details1975
Sports
Death of Belle Moore
Belle Moore passed away on March 3, 1975, in Yonkers, New York.
View details1978
Arts
Release of album 'Easter' with hit single 'Because the Night'
Released *Easter* album with "Because the Night" on March 3, 1978.
View details1996
Literature
Death of Marguerite Duras
Marguerite Duras passed away on March 3, 1996, in Paris, France.
View details2011
Science
L'Oréal–UNESCO For Women in Science European Laureate
Anne L'Huillier received the L'Oréal–UNESCO For Women in Science Award (European Laureate) in Paris for her attosecond physics research.
View details2013
Science
Perl-UNC Neuroscience Prize 2013 Ceremony
Perl-UNC Neuroscience Prize ceremony at UNC Chapel Hill honoring May-Britt and Edvard Moser for their discovery of grid cells.
View details2022
Science
Wolf Prize in Physics 2022
Anne L'Huillier was co-awarded the 2022 Wolf Prize in Physics for pioneering contributions to attosecond science and strong-field laser physics.
View details