Under Sunday, March 6, the book of history records, among other things:
12 v. Chr.: The Roman Emperor Augustus is elected Pontifex Maximus (Chief Priest).
1932: During excavations in Ephesus in Turkey, Austrian archaeologist Franz Miltner finds a copy of the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
1957: Under the name of Ghana, the British Gold Coast with the affiliated British Togo in West Africa becomes an independent republic, with Kwame Nkrumah as its first president.
1982: Five death sentences are passed in the Cairo trial of the assassins of Egyptian President Anwar al-Sadat.
1987: The British channel ferry “Herald of Free Enterprise” sinks after leaving the Belgian port of Zeebrugge because a loading gate is not closed. 189 passengers are killed.
1992: The computer virus “Michelangelo”, named after the Italian Renaissance artist (born on March 6, 1475), becomes active. Contrary to fears, the damage caused by this is limited.
1992: The Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) is founded in Copenhagen. The international organization aims to promote economic, political, cultural and environmental cooperation between the countries bordering the Baltic Sea, Norway and Iceland.
1997: The former Gdańsk Lenin Shipyard, founding place of the independent Polish trade union movement Solidarność, will definitely be closed after failing to get further loans. The last 3,500 employees are laid off.
2002: Because of the drastic increase in steel tariffs announced by US President George W. Bush, a global trade war is looming.
2007: The final hurdle in the BAWAG trial has been cleared: the Vienna Higher Regional Court has rejected all open objections to the indictment. This is therefore legally binding. The public prosecutor’s office accuses the nine defendants of infidelity and balance sheet falsification in a graded form. Ex-CEO Helmut Elsner is also accused of serious fraud. The accused are accused of having damaged the former trade union bank BAWAG by 1.4 billion euros. Elsner’s detention is also confirmed. The trial begins on July 16.
birthdays: Josef Bayer, Austria composer (1852-1913); Johan Bojer, Norwegian writer (1872-1959); Paul Juhon, Russian composer (1872-1940); Gabriel García Marquez, Colombian Writer, Nobel Prize 1982 (1927-2014); Bronisław Geremek, Polish politician (1932-2008); Valentina Tereshkova Nikolayeva, former Soviet cosmonaut, first woman in space (1937); Erika Hess, Swiss Ex-skier (1962); Andreas Felder, Austria Ex-Ski Jumper (1962); Michael Konsel, Austria Ex-Footballer (1962); Shaquille O’Neal, former US basketball player, actor and rapper (1972).
days of death: Zoltán Kodály, Hungarian composer (1882-1967); Friedrich Schnack, German writer (1888-1977); Eddie Durham, US jazz musician (1906-1987); Maria Helena Vieira da Silva, Portuguese painter (1908-1992); Cheddi Jagan, President of Guyana (1918-1997); Michael Manley, Jamaica. politician (1924-1997); Friedrich Hahn, Austria politician (1924-2002); Jean Baudrillard, French sociologist/philosopher (1929-2007).
name days: Fridolin, Nicoletta, Colette, Friedrich, Mechthild, Franziska, Quiriakus, Chrodegang, Nicole.