Prague, Czech Republic. Several notable political, legal, scientific and sports events have occurred on March 10 across different years, including leadership changes, court verdicts and major space milestones.
Political developments
In 1948, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Masaryk killed himself by jumping from a window at the foreign ministry in Prague, shortly after Soviet-backed Communists took power.
In 1952, former Cuban president Fulgencio Batista overthrew the government and began his dictatorship, which ended in 1959 when he was toppled by Fidel Castro.
Legal rulings
In 1999, a French court sentenced six Libyans, including Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s brother-in-law, in absentia to life in prison for the bombing of a French airliner over Africa in 1989.
In 2000, a Turkish court sentenced Islamist former prime minister Necmettin Erbakan to a year in jail for “provoking hatred” in a speech in 1994.
International agreements and space exploration
In 2004, Libya signed a protocol giving the International Atomic Energy Agency the right to perform snap inspections of its atomic facilities.
In 2006, NASA’s $450 million Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter slipped into orbit around the Red Planet, avoiding the fate of to 50 percent or so of Mars missions that fail.
Science, technology and sport
In 2007, Canadian scientists restore world’s largest dinosaur skeleton in Berlin.
In 2010, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder uses latest Samsung camera at 40th CeBit fair.
In 2012, U.S. heptathlete Ashton Eaton breaks his own world record at Indoor Championships.
Which of these March 10 events do you think had the most lasting impact?
