March 7

On this day, March 7, 1965, civil rights marchers attempting to cross the Edmund Pettis

bridge and Selma, Alabama were violently attacked by state troopers. The event later known as Bloody

Sunday shocked the nation and helped lead to the passage of the Voting Rights Act. Also on

this day, in 1965, footage of the Selma attack aired on national television, sparking widespread

outrage. Also on this day, in 1981, boxing champion Sugar Ray Leonard announced his first retirement.