Here is what happened on March 7!

• 1861: Braxton Bragg became a brigadier general in the Confederate Army. He rose through the ranks and became the commander of the Army of Tennessee. He suffered several losses and was later made Jefferson Davis’s nominal chief of staff. Health issues caused Bragg to be a mean man and he was considered “the most unpopular general in either army.” Despite this strong dislike and his often unsuccessful career, the Army named something significant after him that’s still around today. Find out what it is in Biographies.

• 1876: Alexander Graham Bell was awarded the patent for the telephone. A mere three days later, the first ever telephone call was made. The call was made because Bell accidentally spilled something on himself and said “Watson, come here. I want you.” Do you know what was spilled? See if you’re right in Shapers of Society.

• 1918: Dr. Susan McKinney Steward died in Wilberforce, Ohio.Due to the double prejudice because she was African American and a woman, she started her private practice helping people who were also discriminated against. She went on to become a pediatrics specialist, establish the Women’s Hospital and Dispensary in Brooklyn, become a staff physician for the New York Medical College and Hospital for Women, and more. She also used an alternative form of medicine. Learn more about this and her other achievements in Biographies

• 1936: Hitler marched into the Rhineland in Western Germany in violation of the Treaty of Versailles. At first, England and France didn’t do much to stop Hitler. Find out what made them start fighting against him—the official start of World War II—in American History.

• 1950: Football player Franco Harris was born in Fort Dix, New Jersey. Harris was the number-one draft choice for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1972. As a rookie, he rushed for 1055 yards—only the fifth player to best the 1000-yard mark in their rookie year. And it wasn’t just beginner’s luck. Franco hit this goal in seven of his first eight seasons and became the fifth-leading NFL rusher. He led the Steelers to multiple Super Bowl Wins, too. Can you guess how many? See if you’re right in Sports Champions.

• 1965: A peaceful march in Selma, Alabama, became “Bloody Sunday” due to violent police assaults on Civil Rights protesters.The marchers, led by the Reverend Hosea Williams, were trying to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge on their way to Montgomery. When marchers got to the bridge, they refused troopers’ orders to leave. Instead, they prayed, and the troopers began beating them, firing tear gas, and riding their horses over people. A future congressman got a fractured skull and two concussions. Find out who it was in the “Bloody Sunday” section in Defining Moments.

• 2006: Gordon Parks, photographer, photojournalist, and co-founder of Essence magazine, died in New York City. Parks became a fashion photographer and, later, a photojournalist. His work appeared in Vogue, Glamour, and Life magazines. He covered a variety of people, including prominent African Americans. He also wrote a popular autobiography and produced and directed the movie version of it, making him the first African American director for a major Hollywood studio. One of his most famous photographs is a take on a famous American painting. Read about it in Biography for Beginners