● Mar 31 in History
1854 — (Sir) Dugald Clerk, designer of the world’s first successful two-stroke motorcycle engine in 1878 (patented in 1881), is born in Glasgow, Scotland. 1822 — The sultan of the Ottoman Empire gives orders that lead to the Massacre of Chios during the Greek War of Independence (1821-32). As the Greek revolt escalated on the mainland, revolutionaries from neighbouring Samos landed on Chios Island. They attacked the Turks, who retreated to the citadel. Many islanders joined the revolution, but the vast majority didn’t. The Turkish fleet arrives on April 13.
For two weeks, the Turks kill and torture people, burn villages and churches. About 90,000 people are killed, 50,000 enslaved and 25,000 exiled. Only 2,000, hiding in caves, remain on the scorched island. 1885 — The United Kingdom establishes the Bechuanaland Protectorate.
1900 — General Christiaan de Wet and his men deal the British a severe blow in Anglo-Boer War 2 when they defeat Brigadier-General RG Broadwood’s forces at Sannaspos, 28km east of Bloemfontein. The British lose 159 men and the Boers 13. The victory raises the Boers’ morale and many burghers who had gone home after the fall of the Free State capital on March 13, again take up their weapons.
1903 — New Zealand farmer and inventor Richard Pearse, 25, flies his bamboo-framed, mono-winged plane for about 50m in Waitohi. The solitary man, who takes few notes and talks to few people about his work, doesn’t believe he flew “properly”. The Wright brothers’ flight on December 17, by contrast, is a muchpublicised affair. Pearse also invents a needle threader, power cycle, recording machine, harp, magic viewer, power generator, potato planter, motorised discing machine, topdresser and two sorts of musical box. 1959 — Three weeks after escaping Tibet, the 14th Dalai Lama and his entourage cross the border into India, which had agreed to provide them asylum.
1970 — Explorer 1 plunges back into Earth’s atmosphere after 12 years in orbit. Launched on January 31 1958, the 13.97kg satellite’s original expected lifetime before orbital decay was three years. It stopped transmitting data on May 23 1958 when its batteries died. It burns up high over the South Pacific Ocean after more than 58,000 orbits. 1980 — Jesse Owens, 66, US athlete, dies in Tucson, Arizona. At the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games, Owens emerged as top medallist with gold in the 100m, 200m, long jump and 4x100m relay.
1983 — Hashim Amla, SA cricketer, is born in Durban. 1995 — Singer Selena (Queen of Tejano music), 23, is shot dead in Corpus Christi, Texas, by the founder of her fan club and manager of her boutiques. On October 23, Yolanda Saldívar, 34, is sentenced to life in prison.