This day in history: 14 march

1489: Catherine Cornaro, Queen of Cyprus, sold her kingdom to Venice, marking the end of the Lusignan dynasty.
1757: British Admiral John Byng was executed by firing squad for failing to relieve Minorca from the French fleet during the Seven Years’ War.
1879: Albert Einstein, one of the greatest physicists of all time, was born in Ulm, Germany. His work revolutionized physics through the theory of relativity and quantum mechanics.
1942: The first successful use of penicillin to save a dying patient was recorded during World War II.

1757: British Admiral John Byng was executed for failing to defend Minorca against the French during the Seven Years’ War.
1960: Leaders of Germany and Israel, Konrad Adenauer and David Ben-Gurion, met for the first time, marking a historic step in post-World War II reconciliation.

1931: Alam Ara, the first full-length sound film in India, was released. This marked a revolutionary moment in Indian cinema.
1986: The first Mahila Battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in India, the 88(M) Battalion, was established in New Delhi.
2013: Xi Jinping was named President of the People’s Republic of China, solidifying his leadership role in the country.

1821: The African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church was officially formed in New York City, though it had been operating since 1796. The church was established after Black ministers were refused the right to preach in the White-controlled Methodist Church.
1961: South Africa announced its withdrawal from the British Commonwealth in response to criticism of the country’s apartheid policy, officially becoming a republic on May 31, 1961.
1977: Fannie Lou Hamer, a pivotal figure in the Civil Rights Movement, passed away. As Mississippi field secretary for the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee and head of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, she coined the phrase “I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired”.