March 4 brings together moments of arrival and beginnings, from imperial ambition to a new system of government. In 1519, Hernán Cortés reached the shores of Mexico, setting out on an expedition that would lead to the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire. More than two centuries later, in 1789, the first session of the U.S. Congress convened in New York City, marking the start of the federal government under the Constitution. These events point in sharply different directions: one toward expansion and conquest, the other toward the launch of a new political framework.
The date also celebrates two landmarks in music and dance. Antonio Vivaldi was born in 1678, later becoming known for his violin concertos, including The Four Seasons. In 1877, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake premiered at Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre. Across the list, beginnings recur—an expedition, a government, a composer’s life, and a ballet’s first performance—yet their effects reach far beyond a single day. Early March is a fitting backdrop for such a collection: it sits at a seasonal threshold, when winter gives way to spring in much of the United States, and the calendar itself seems to invite thoughts of change and renewal.