On This Day, March 1: Puerto Rican nationalists open fire at Capitol

On March 1, 1954, Puerto Rican nationalists opened fire from the gallery of the U.S. House of Representatives, injuring five members of Congress. And on March 1, 1971, a bomb exploded in a restroom in the Senate wing of the U.S. Capitol, causing $300,000 damage but no injuries. File Photo by Tim Clary/UPI
On March 1, 1954, Puerto Rican nationalists opened fire from the gallery of the U.S. House of Representatives, injuring five members of Congress. And on March 1, 1971, a bomb exploded in a restroom in the Senate wing of the U.S. Capitol, causing $300,000 damage but no injuries. File Photo by Tim Clary/UPI

March 1 (UPI) -- On this date in history:

In 1565, the city of Rio de Janeiro was established. Rio served as the capital of Brazil from 1822 until 1960, when the government moved to Brasília in the interior.

In 1692, the notorious witch hunt began in the Salem village of the Massachusetts Bay colony, eventually resulting in the executions of 19 men and women.

In 1780, Pennsylvania became the first state to abolish slavery.

In 1781, the American colonies adopted the Articles of Confederation, paving the way for a federal union.

Copacabana Beach and the surrounding area is seen from the Christ the Redeemer Statue in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, on August 3, 2016. The city was established March 1, 1565. File Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI
Copacabana Beach and the surrounding area is seen from the Christ the Redeemer Statue in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, on August 3, 2016. The city was established March 1, 1565. File Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI

In 1803, Ohio was admitted to the union as the 17th state.

In 1867, Nebraska was admitted to the union as the 37th state.

The Yellowstone River tumbles over the Lower Falls as it plunges through the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone in Yellowstone National Park, Wyo., July 29, 2006. On March 1, 1872, the park was established by an act of Congress. It was the first area in the world to be designated a national park. File Photo by A.J. Sisco/UPI
The Yellowstone River tumbles over the Lower Falls as it plunges through the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone in Yellowstone National Park, Wyo., July 29, 2006. On March 1, 1872, the park was established by an act of Congress. It was the first area in the world to be designated a national park. File Photo by A.J. Sisco/UPI

In 1872, Yellowstone National Park was established by an act of Congress. It was the first area in the world to be designated a national park.

File Photo by A.J. Sisco/UPI
File Photo by A.J. Sisco/UPI
President John F. Kennedy addresses the first group of Peace Corps volunteers headed for Ghana and Tanzania in this August 8, 1961, file photo. The Peace Corps was established by Kennedy's executive order on March 1, 1961. UPI File Photo
President John F. Kennedy addresses the first group of Peace Corps volunteers headed for Ghana and Tanzania in this August 8, 1961, file photo. The Peace Corps was established by Kennedy's executive order on March 1, 1961. UPI File Photo

In 1932, aviator Charles Lindbergh's son was kidnapped. The child's body was found on May 12. Bruno Hauptmann was convicted of the kidnapping and murder and executed in 1936.

In 1953, former Soviet-General Secretary Joseph Stalin had a major stroke, from which he died four days later.

On March 1, 1953, former Soviet General Secretary Joseph Stalin has a major stroke, from which he died four days later. File Photo by Library of Congress/UPI
On March 1, 1953, former Soviet General Secretary Joseph Stalin has a major stroke, from which he died four days later. File Photo by Library of Congress/UPI

In 1954, Puerto Rican nationalists opened fire from the gallery of the U.S. House of Representatives, injuring five members of Congress.

In 1961, an executive order from U.S. President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps.

Charles A. Lindbergh is shown on the witness stand in the courtroom at Flemington as he told his dramatic story of the night of March 1, 1932, when his young son was kidnapped. File Photo by Library of Congress/UPI
Charles A. Lindbergh is shown on the witness stand in the courtroom at Flemington as he told his dramatic story of the night of March 1, 1932, when his young son was kidnapped. File Photo by Library of Congress/UPI

In 1971, a bomb exploded in a restroom in the Senate wing of the U.S. Capitol, causing $300,000 damage but no injuries. The Weather Underground, a leftist radical group that opposed the Vietnam War, claimed responsibility.

In 1995, the company formerly known as Jerry and David's guide to the World Wide Web incorporated under the name, Yahoo!

In 2003, Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the suspected mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States, was captured in Pakistan.

In 2004, an interim government took over in Haiti one day after President Jean-Bertrand Aristide fled into exile following a monthlong insurrection.

File Photo by Ezio Petersen/UPI
File Photo by Ezio Petersen/UPI

In 2005, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that execution of juvenile offenders is unconstitutional.

In 2011, the U.S. Interior Department approved the first deep-water drilling permits in the Gulf of Mexico since a BP offshore explosion and massive oil spill in April 2010.

In 2022, President Joe Biden announced during his State of the Union address that the United States planned to close off its airspace to all Russian flights in response to its invasion of Ukraine.

File Photo by Saul Loeb/UPI
File Photo by Saul Loeb/UPI