What happened on this day in history: Michelangelo is born, the Alamo falls, and more historical events from March 6th.
1475: Michelangelo Is Born
Wikimedia CommonsA portrait of Michelangelo by Daniele da Volterra, circa 1545.
Artist Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni is born in Caprese, Italy. Michelangelo excelled in sculpting, painting, and architecture during the Italian Renaissance. His best-known works include the sculpture David, his frescoes on the ceiling of the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel, and his work as an architect during the construction of St. Peter’s Basilica. During his lifetime, Michelangelo was called Il Divino, or “The Divine One,” and he remains one of the most renowned artists in world history to this day.
1836: The Alamo Falls
Wikimedia CommonsThe Fall of the Alamo by Robert Jenkins Onderdonk. 1903.
The Mexican Army led by General Santa Anna defeats Texan forces in San Antonio, seizing the mission known as the Alamo. During the Texas Revolution, Texans and Tejanos had been fighting Mexico for control of the region, and the Battle of the Alamo was one of the key clashes. Nearly all of the 200 or so defenders inside the Alamo were killed in the attack, including American icons like James Bowie and Davy Crockett.
1857: The Dred Scott Case Is Decided
The United States Supreme Court decides the case of Dred Scott v. Sandford in favor of the defendant — a landmark result in American judicial history. An enslaved man, Dred Scott had been taken by his owners from Missouri, where slavery was legal, to Illinois and the Wisconsin territory, where it was illegal. Scott then sued for his freedom, arguing that because his owners had taken him into free territory, he thus became free.
However, the Supreme Court issued a 7-2 decision saying that Black Americans “are not included, and were not intended to be included, under the word ‘citizens’ in the Constitution, and can therefore claim none of the rights and privileges which that instrument provides for and secures to citizens of the United States.”
This only further increased the tensions between slave states and free ones that would spark the Civil War four years later.
1899: Bayer Patents Aspirin
German pharmaceutical company Bayer patents the anti-inflammatory drug aspirin, also known as acetylsalicylic acid. The active ingredient in the medication, salicin, had been used as far back as ancient Greece for pain relief. However, Bayer employee Felix Hoffmann discovered a way to create a more stable form of the drug — and aspirin was born. Its name comes from “a” for acetyl, “spir” for spirea, one of the sources of salicin, and “in” as a common suffix for medications. Today, it’s still one of the most commonly used drugs in the world.
1951: The Rosenberg Espionage Trial Begins
Wikimedia CommonsJulius and Ethel Rosenberg in 1951.
American couple Julius and Ethel Rosenberg go on trial for espionage after passing classified information to the Soviets.
The Rosenbergs provided the Soviet Union with secrets about radar, sonar, and nuclear weapons. They also recruited other spies, ultimately forming an espionage ring. The information spread by the Rosenbergs may have significantly accelerated the Soviet Union’s nuclear weapon program, and they were executed for their crimes in 1953.
1981: Marianne Bachmeier Shoots Her Daughter’s Killer Dead In Court
Marianne Bachmeier fatally shoots Klaus Grabowski, the man accused of murdering her seven-year-old daughter, right in the middle of a West German courtroom. In 1980, police found seven-year-old Anna Bachmeier dead near a canal in Lübeck. Grabowski’s fiancé then tipped off the police and he was arrested.
During the trial, Bachmeier entered the courtroom with a .22-caliber pistol in her purse and shot Grabowski six times. Bachmeier later faced trial for the shooting and was sentenced to six years in prison, though she only served three. Her story of dramatic vigilantism received international attention — often support — earning her the nickname “the revenge mother.”
2008: Viktor Bout Is Arrested In Thailand
Viktor Bout, a prolific Russian arms dealer, is arrested in a sting operation in Thailand. Bout was later found guilty by a U.S. jury of conspiracy to kill American citizens and officials, the delivery of anti-aircraft missiles, and providing aid to a terrorist organization. He was sentenced to 25 years in jail before being exchanged for U.S. basketball player Brittney Griner, who was detained in Russia, in 2022.
