Supreme Court’s Dred Scott Decision Issued on This Day

Today is Friday, March 6, the 65th day of 2026, with 300 days remaining in the year. This date marks several significant historical events.

Legal and Political Developments

On March 6, 1857, the U.S. Supreme Court issued the Dred Scott v. Sandford decision. The court ruled 7-2 that Scott, an enslaved person, was not a U.S. citizen and therefore lacked the right to sue for his freedom in federal court. The ruling also stated that Congress could not prohibit slavery in any federal territory. This decision intensified the national division over slavery, contributing to the events leading up to the Civil War.

Historical Events in the United States

In 1820, President James Monroe signed the Missouri Compromise. This agreement allowed Missouri to enter the Union as a slave state and Maine as a free state. It also prohibited slavery in the northern portion of the Louisiana Territory.

In 1836, the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas, fell to Mexican forces led by General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. After a 13-day siege, the fortress was stormed, resulting in the deaths of all Texian defenders, including William Travis, James Bowie, and Davy Crockett.

Scientific and Cultural Milestones

In 1869, chemist Dmitri Mendeleev presented his concept of the periodic table of elements at a meeting of the Russian Chemical Society in St. Petersburg.

In 1912, the National Biscuit Company (later Nabisco) introduced Oreo cookies.

Espionage and Political Violence

In 1951, the trial commenced in New York for Julius and Ethel Rosenberg on federal espionage charges. Both were later found guilty, sentenced to death, and executed in 1953.

In 1970, a bomb constructed by members of the Weather Underground militant leftist group accidentally exploded within a townhouse in New York’s Greenwich Village. The explosion destroyed the house and resulted in the deaths of three group members.

Media and Aviation History

In 1981, Walter Cronkite delivered his final broadcast as the anchor of “The CBS Evening News” after nearly two decades in the role.

In 1990, Ed Yeilding and Joseph T. Vida flew a Lockheed SR-71 “Blackbird” spy plane across the United States from coast to coast in a record time of 67 minutes and 54 seconds. The U.S. Air Force reconnaissance plane was a significant tool for American military and intelligence gathering from 1968 until its retirement.

Space Exploration

In 2009, NASA launched the Kepler Space Telescope from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Its mission was to search for Earth-sized planets orbiting distant stars. Kepler discovered 2,681 exoplanets before being retired in 2018 after 9 1/2 years of operation.

Religious Diplomacy

In 2021, Pope Francis met with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, a leading figure in Shiite Islam, in Najaf, Iraq. The meeting aimed to promote peaceful coexistence and encourage the embrace of Iraq’s Christian minority. The encounter followed months of negotiations between the ayatollah’s office and the Vatican.

Birthdays

Today’s birthdays include former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan (100), former Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova (89), opera singer Kiri Te Kanawa (82), rock musician David Gilmour (Pink Floyd) (80), actor-comedian Tom Arnold (67), actor-comedian D.L. Hughley (63), actor Connie Britton (59), basketball Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal (54), rapper-producer Tyler, the Creator (35), and actor Millicent Simmonds (23).

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