In 1968 Mauritius gained independence from the United Kingdom and became the newest member of the Commonwealth of Nations. Mauritius had been occupied by European settlers since the Dutch in 1638 who used the locals as slaves and treated them very badly (including amputations as punishment). In 1710 the French took control of the Islands using it as a naval base. In 1810 the British took the island (along with Seychelles and Rodrigues) in the battle at Cap Malheureux and the islands were ceded to Britain in 1814 after the ‘Treaty of Paris’ and in 1833 the ‘Slavery Abolition Act’ came into affect across the British Empire. Indentured labour began on the islands bringing many settlers from India and they have lived alongside the Creole population ever since but not always peacefully. On this day in 1968 Mauritius gained its Independence from the United Kingdom with Seewoosagur Ramgoolam as their first Prime Minister (Parti Travailliste (Mauritius Labour Party)).

In 1938 Germany annexed Austria. One month earlier the Austrian Chancellor Dr. Kurt von Schuschnigg met with Hitler to re-assert Austria’s sovereignty the country had fallen to the will of Hitler. In that meeting Hitler bullied the Austrian chancellor into allowing Nazi’s high positions in government or they would march in and take the country by force. Dr Schuschnigg attempted to hold a referendum in the country on the 9^th of March, but before the vote could be taken Hitler pressured the chancellor into resigning and on this day Hitler rolled into Austria with his troops.  Austria remained annexed with Germany until the end of World War II.

In 1930 Ghandi begins his protest march of the British salt tax which at the time was his most defiant and boldest act of civil disobedience against the British Empire. He started his 241 mile march in India from Sabarmati to the town of Dandi by the Arabian Sea. He set out with 78 followers but as word travelled that number grew and by the time he reached his destination on the 5^th of April that year, he had tens of thousands following him. When he reached the Arabian Sea his plan was to take salt that deposits during high tide, but the authorities had already anticipated this and had it crushed into the mud. Not deterred by this Ghandi reached down into the mud and took a handful of the natural salt and by this he had defied the British.