Today in History: March 21, civil rights activists begin march from Selma to Montgomery
In 1963, the United States closed Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary. Over 1,500 inmates had been jailed at the island prison off the coast of San Francisco, Calif., over its three decades of use.
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In 1965, civil rights demonstrators led by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. began their third attempt to march from Selma to Montgomery, Ala.— this time under the escort of US Army and National Guard troops assigned by President Lyndon B. Johnson.
In 1980, President Jimmy Carter announced that the United States would boycott the Summer Olympic games in Moscow because of the Soviet Union's failure to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan.
In 1990, Namibia became an independent nation as the former colony marked the end of 75 years of South African rule.
In 2012, meting out unprecedented punishment for a bounty system that targeted key opposing players, the NFL suspended New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton without pay for the coming season and indefinitely banned the team's former defensive coordinator. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell fined the Saints $500,000 and took away two draft picks.
In 2019, President Trump abruptly declared that the US would recognize Israel's sovereignty over the disputed Golan Heights — the first country to do so — in a major shift in American policy.
In 2022, a China Eastern Boeing 737 aircraft with 132 people on board crashed in a mountainous area of southern China, setting off a forest fire visible from space in the country's worst air disaster in decades. (All 123 passengers and nine crew members would later be confirmed dead.)
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Follow the AP's coverage of President Donald Trump at . ___ This story has been corrected to reflect that the 82nd Airborne Division, not the U.S. Army Rangers, is based at Fort Bragg. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
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