Bloody Sunday in Selma: Civil Rights Marches On
State troopers and sheriff's deputies beat 600 marchers with billy clubs and tear gas on the Edmund Pettus Bridge, turning a peaceful protest into "Bloody Sunday" that shocked the nation. This brutality forced federal courts to intervene and galvanized public opinion, directly prompting Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act of 1965 just months later. The legislation finally authorized federal oversight to enforce voting rights in jurisdictions where discrimination had long suppressed minority participation.
March 21, 1965
61 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on March 21
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Emperor Heraclius marched into Jerusalem to reclaim the True Cross, a relic stolen by the Sassanid Persians during their conquest of the city. This triumphant r…
Byzantine emperor Heraclius marched into Jerusalem to return the True Cross to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, ending a grueling fourteen-year war with the Sa…
Charles Martel crushed the forces of Neustria at the Battle of Vincy, ending the challenge to his authority as Mayor of the Palace. By securing this victory, he…
She was the richest woman in Europe, and Louis VII just handed her back. The annulment freed Eleanor of Aquitaine from France's king—along with her entire duchy…
He was two years old. Emperor Antoku became Japan's 81st emperor after his grandfather, the ruthless Taira no Kiyomori, forced his father to abdicate in a power…
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