March 10’s entries move between decisions that reshape institutions and inventions that change how people connect. In 1864, Abraham Lincoln appointed Ulysses S. Grant lieutenant general and placed him in command of all Union armies amid the Civil War. Twelve years later, Alexander Graham Bell made what is described as the first clear telephone call, transmitting his request for Mr. Watson to come to him. One date, then, links military command during a vast conflict with a new way to reach someone at a distance.
The list also shows that power and progress can have consequences far beyond their immediate aims. In 1945, U.S. Army Air Forces incendiary bombing devastated Tokyo, destroying large parts of the city and killing nearly 100,000 people. Two years later, Kim Campbell was born; in 1993, she became Canada’s 19th prime minister and the first—and only—woman to hold the office. Communication, leadership, and the costs of war recur across these entries. March is also a seasonal threshold in much of the Northern Hemisphere, as winter gives way toward spring. This date’s mix likewise suggests a world in transition, though not always toward gentler outcomes.