This Day In History, March 20th.

Five Historical Events That Happened on March 20th.

• The Dutch government established the Dutch East India Company (Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie or VOC) in 1602. It was one of the world's first companies to issue stock and went on to become one of the most powerful and influential trading companies in history.

• The novel "Uncle Tom's Cabin" by Harriet Beecher Stowe was published in 1852. The book was a powerful indictment of slavery that helped galvanize support for the American abolitionist movement.

• Albert Einstein published his general theory of relativity in 1916, which changed the way scientists thought about the nature of space, time, and gravity. One of the pillars of modern physics is general relativity.

• John Lennon and Yoko Ono marry in Gibraltar in 1969. The couple famously used their honeymoon as a platform for peace activism, staging a week-long "bed-in" protesting the Vietnam War in Amsterdam.

• The Aum Shinrikyo cult used sarin gas on the Tokyo subway in 1995, killing 12 people and injuring over 5,000 more. The attack is still considered one of the deadliest acts of domestic terrorism in Japanese history.

This Day In History, March 20th, 1602: The Dutch East India Company (Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie or VOC) was established by the Dutch government. It was one of the first companies in the world to issue stock, and became one of the most powerful and influential trading companies in history.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the VOC was a major player in the global economy, with a vast trading network spanning Asia, Africa, and the Americas. The company was given a monopoly on Dutch trade in the East Indies, and it used its military and economic might to dominate the spice trade and other lucrative industries. The VOC was also known for its innovative business practices, such as the issuance of stock to raise capital and the payment of dividends to shareholders. The company's wealth and power, however, eventually led to corruption and mismanagement, and it was dissolved in 1799. Despite its eventual demise, the VOC remains a significant historical example of corporate power and the impact of global trade on world history.

1852: Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel "Uncle Tom's Cabin" was published. The book was a powerful indictment of slavery and helped to galvanize support for the abolitionist movement in the United States.

The novel "Uncle Tom's Cabin" by Harriet Beecher Stowe was first published in 1852 and quickly became a best-seller, selling over 300,000 copies in the first year alone. The book depicted the brutal reality of slavery and the lives of enslaved people in America, and it had a significant impact on public opinion and the abolitionist movement. The book helped to galvanize Northern opposition to slavery, and it was widely read and discussed in the United States and abroad. "Uncle Tom's Cabin" is now regarded as a classic of American literature and a seminal work in the history of the anti-slavery movement.

1916: Albert Einstein published his theory of general relativity, which revolutionized the way scientists thought about the nature of space, time, and gravity. General relativity remains one of the pillars of modern physics.

Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity, published in 1916, was a game changer in our understanding of the nature of space, time, and gravity. The theory proposed a new definition of gravity as the curvature of spacetime caused by the presence of mass and energy, as well as a new framework for understanding the behavior of moving objects. Numerous experiments and observations have confirmed general relativity, and it remains one of the fundamental pillars of modern physics. The theory has also had a significant impact on our understanding of the universe as a whole, from black hole behavior to the structure of the universe on the largest scales.

1969: John Lennon and Yoko Ono married in Gibraltar. The couple famously used their honeymoon as a platform for peace activism, staging a week-long "bed-in" in Amsterdam to protest the Vietnam War.

On March 20, 1969, in Gibraltar, John Lennon and Yoko Ono married, and they used their honeymoon as a platform for peace activism. The couple held a week-long "bed-in" in Amsterdam, inviting journalists and activists to their hotel room to talk about their ideas for promoting peace and protesting the Vietnam War. The "bed-in" received extensive media coverage, which aided in raising awareness of the anti-war movement. Throughout their lives, Lennon and Ono were outspoken advocates for peace, using their fame and influence to bring attention to a variety of social and political issues.

1995: The Aum Shinrikyo cult released sarin gas on the Tokyo subway, killing 12 people and injuring over 5,000 others. The attack remains one of the most deadly acts of domestic terrorism in Japanese history.

The Aum Shinrikyo cult released sarin gas on several lines of the Tokyo subway during rush hour on March 20, 1995, killing 12 people and injuring over 5,000 others. The attack was the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in Japanese history, and its brutality and scope shocked the world. Shoko Asahara's Aum Shinrikyo cult was a radical religious group that had been involved in a series of violent incidents in the years leading up to the subway attack. The leaders of the cult believed that the attack would precipitate a spiritual awakening and hasten the end of the world. The attack prompted a massive crackdown on the cult and its leaders, with several members arrested and charged with crimes related to the attack.The incident also resulted in new chemical regulations and increased awareness of the potential dangers of terrorism.