2008-03-12

A gas leak caused an explosion in East Harlem, New York City, destroying two apartment buildings and causing eight deaths.

U.S. Army soldiers gang-raped a 14-year-old Iraqi girl and murdered her along with her family members.

The Turkish Armed Forces executed a "coup by memorandum", forcing the resignation of Prime Minister Süleyman Demirel (pictured).

General Suharto (pictured) seized power from President Sukarno when the Provisional People's Consultative Assembly sworn him in as acting president of Indonesia.

British diplomat Lord Ismay was appointed the first secretary general of NATO.

Cold War: U.S. president Harry S. Truman proclaimed the Truman Doctrine to help stem the spread of communism.

The Moscow Peace Treaty was signed, ending the Winter War between Finland and the Soviet Union.

Supported by the Estonian army, Konstantin Päts staged a coup d'état, beginning the Era of Silence.

Mahatma Gandhi began the Salt March (pictured), a 24-day nonviolent walk to defy the British salt tax in colonial India.

The failure of the St. Francis Dam (pictured) northwest of Los Angeles resulted in a flood that killed 400 people.