In 1917 ‘The February Revolution’ started in Russia. It was the first part of the 1917 Russian revolution that would culminate in the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II, the end of Tsarist rule in Russia and lead to October revolution in Russia which was the start of Communism there (also known as Red October). The ‘February and October Revolutions were named after the months that they occurred in 1917 based on the old Julian calendar (which is currently 13 days behind the Gregorian calendar now used by most of the world). Russia changed to the Gregorian calendar in 1918 after the end of the Russian Revolution). The Russian people had had enough of the growing poverty, governmental corruption and tremendous loss of life for Russia in World War I, which all happened under Tsarist Rule. On this day in the Capital of Petrograd (now St. Petersburg) more than 90,000 protesters clashed with police and remained on the streets. The protesters would not leave despite being attacked by the army on the 11th of March and many being killed the protestors resolve didn’t waver. Later that day 150,000 soldiers joined the protestors and on the 14th all Russian Soldiers in the capital had been ordered not to harm the civilians. On the 15 of March Nicholas II abdicated, giving the throne to his brother Michael. Michael refused the crown and Tsar Rule in Russia was ended after hundreds of years.
In 1669 Mount Etna rumbles, warning of the imminent eruption which would go on to kill 20,000 people. Mount Etna is Europe’s most active volcano and takes up a large proportion of the island of Sicily in Italy. Although it has killed many hundreds of thousands of people who live near or on the Volcano, the eruptions produce very nutrient rich soil and so people are willing to risk living there. The warning signs were ignored by most residents and on the 11th of March the volcano released Plumes of noxious gas which killed 3,000 people still living on the slopes. Lava soon began to pour out and headed south towards Catania, a city with around 20,000 residents who had failed to evacuate. Some of the men from the town attempted to alter the path of the lava and were to some extent successful, diverting a small channel westward. This channel began to head towards another city and the residents of which had observed the actions of the Catanians. They attacked the Catanians, who were condemning their city of Paterno, and soon the lava hardened, stopping the channel and saving their city. The city of Catanian was still in the path of the main lava flow and most of its residents refused to leave, believing the city walls would protect them. They didn’t and approximately 17,000 residents of the city died. A new law was shortly passed in Italy banning interference of lava flows.
