This month in history
By Hyon O'Brien
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One of the things I do regularly each week is to share with my Rotary Club members in Bal Harbour, Florida an eclectic list of miscellaneous historical events that happened on that day ― “today in history.” The recent 100th anniversary of Korea's March 1, 1919 Independence Movement against Japanese occupation inspired me to do the same thing for the month of March. So here is “this month in history.”
On March 1, 1919, Seoul was overflowing with marches by people from around the country protesting against Japanese colonial rule. One of the leaders, at the tender age of 16, was student Ryu Gwan-sun (1902-1920). When her school was closed, Ryu continued her ongoing independence protests in her home in Chungcheong Province. Along with her family, Ryu worked tirelessly going door to door and encouraged the people to join the Independence Movement. Ryu organized a demonstration of about 3,000 protesters chanting “Long Live Korean Independence!”
The Japanese military police arrived and fired on the unarmed Korean protesters and killed 19 people including Ryu's parents. Yu was arrested and died in prison on Sept. 28, 1920 due to injuries sustained from torture and beatings inflicted by the Japanese prison wardens, one of 7,500 who reportedly died at the hands of the Japanese authorities.
On a more upbeat note, on March 14, 1879 Albert Einstein (1879-1955) was born in Germany. He developed the theory of relativity, and is best known to the general public for “the world's most famous equation,” his mass-energy equivalence formula, E=mc2.
Coincidentally, one of my favorite people in the world was also born on March 14. Lorraine Graham O'Brien (1920-1989) is my husband's mother. When I first met her in Seoul 50 years ago, I instantly liked her for her quiet dignity, elegance and kindness. She and her husband, James O'Brien, had flown to Korea to meet my family. For the next 20 years, I gradually got to know her and she became my role model. Her unconditional love for her three children, her discretion in her treatment of them, and her strong support and respect for all of them as individual adults became my guidelines. When we had our first child in 1973, she dropped all her responsibilities as a teacher, organist and wife and drove 200 miles to help us cope with the new baby.
Her love of books and words, and her incredible knowledge of music, have influenced me and we were able to connect deeply beyond the relationship made as in-laws. Her skill as a piano teacher, her work as an organist for her church, her leadership of the Parkchester Chorus in the Bronx, all deepened my admiration of her. I will never forget her kindness, selflessness, friendship and love. Happy 99th birthday, Mom!
Other things of note that happened in March:
March 15, the Ides of March is the best-known day in the Roman calendar as the date on which Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 B.C. As many as 60 conspirators participated, led by M. Junius Brutus and P. Servilius Casca.
March 17 is the feast of Saint Patrick (385-461), the 5th century Romano-British Christian missionary and patron saint of Ireland. St Patrick's Day is a cultural and religious celebration held on March 17, the “traditional” date of his death. The day is marked with parades around the world, including a spirited celebration in Seoul.
On March 1, 1872, Yellowstone became the first National Park in the United States.
It is the first and the oldest national park in the world followed by the Royal National Park established in 1879 in Australia. John Muir (1838-1914), the American naturalist, known as the Father of the National Parks, dedicated his life as an advocate for the preservation of wilderness. His activism helped to preserve the Yosemite Valley, Sequoia National Park and many other wilderness areas. The Sierra Club (yours truly is a member) that Muir founded is a prominent American conservation organization.
On March 7, 1876, Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922) obtained the patent for the telephone.
I remember visiting his home in Nova Scotia, Canada, when I silently thanked him for his invention. It was a surprise to discover that he also did groundbreaking work in hydrofoils and optical telecommunications. I vividly remember our family getting our first telephone installed at our home in Wonju in 1959. It was an unforgettable experience to hear my friend speaking at the other end of the line.
On March 26, 1953, Dr. Jonas Salk (1914-95) announced the successful test of a vaccine to fight polio.
Since 1985, Rotary International's main focus of service for the world community has been polio vaccinations. For a time the disease seemed to have been eradicated by this effort, but currently six cases of polio have been diagnosed in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Rotary continues to campaign to “End Polio Now,” sending doctors to vaccinate where needed. One of my friends spent a week recently in India with a Rotary team overseeing polio vaccinations in remote villages.
In March 1838, Charles Dickens (1812-70) issued the first four chapters of his serial novel “Nicholas Nickleby,” his third published novel. It was an instant success that cemented his reputation.
Let's look forward to an equally historic April.
Hyon O'Brien (hyonobrien@gmail.com) is a former reference librarian now living in the United States.