Today in History: March 15

Posted on by Mark Aldrich

Today is the Ides of March. Members of the Roman Senate assassinated Julius Caesar, the Dictator of the Roman Republic, on this date in 44 B.C.E.

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I discovered many islands inhabited by numerous people. I took possession of all of them for our most fortunate King by making public proclamation and unfurling his standard, no one making any resistance. The island called Juana, as well as the others in its neighborhood, is exceedingly fertile …
—Christopher Columbus’ Report on His First Voyage, March 15, 1493

From October 1492 to February 1493, Christopher Columbus and his expedition members explored the Caribbean, kidnapped about two dozen indigenous people as specimens, and grabbed birds, plants, and interesting rocks (gold) as other sorts of specimens. On this date in 1493, the expedition arrived back in Spain and Columbus dashed off a report in Spanish to the King and Queen of Spain, which was sent to Rome to be translated into Latin and printed. A copy from 1493 currently sits in the collection of the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History (video below the fold):
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Today in History: Pi Day

Posted on by Mark Aldrich

Today is Pi Day. It is a day to reflect on the many ways we use math, both consciously and … pie!
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#SaveThe3: The World Is Watching

Posted on by Mark Aldrich

The fear that the executions of three young men arrested by Saudi Arabian authorities while they were juveniles are imminent may be legitimate and the reasons for applying pressure on the Saudi government to spare their lives ought to be kept front and center in activists’ minds each day, but a clear eye and caution must be maintained while interpreting the pronouncements of the Saudi judicial system.

It was striking that Amnesty International and Reprieve, two organizations that are tenacious human rights defenders but also cautious as organizations, on Friday began to publicize fears that the three executions were hours away from taking place, given that the fears came from a single source: an article in a Saudi newspaper, Okaz.

One can hazard a guess as to the effect this publicity had on the families and loved ones of Dawood al-Marhoon, Abdullah al-Zaher, Ali Mohammad al-Nimr: on one hand, it may have been heartening to witness the world bearing witness with speed and ferocity, as the #SaveThe3 hashtag started trending on Twitter, but it also may have given needless vitality to the fears for the worst outcomes that the families already live with every day. The three were sentenced to death last year, and, for the families each day opens and closes with the knowledge of this in their hearts.

A source reported to me this afternoon that Ali spoke with his family by phone on Friday, and that Abdullah spoke with his family today, Sunday, March 13.
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