History: March 17 (#4)

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Arts & Culture Contemporary Politics & Power

March 17, 2000 Five hundred and thirty members of the Ugandan cult Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God die in a fire, considered to be a mass murder or suicide orchestrated by leaders of the cult. Elsewhere another 248 members are later found dead.

Commentary

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)

On March 17, in the year 2000: Five hundred and thirty members of the Uga ndan cult Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God die in a fire, considered to be a mass murder or suicide orchestrated by leaders of the cult. Elsewhere another 248 members are later found dead. Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa.

Commentary

Source: Internal

Why March 17, 2000 matters: Five hundred and thirty members of the Ugandan cult Movemen t for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God die in a fire, considered to be a mass murder or suicide orchestrated by leaders of the cult. Elsewhere another 248 members are later found dead. What began on this day left a lasting mark on history. The effects were felt immediately and continued to shape events, ideas, and lives long afterwards.

Commentary

Source: Internal

Historical context: March 17, 2000 The 21st century has already seen profound shifts: the digital revolution has connected billio ns while reshaping politics and culture; climate change has emerged as a defining crisis; and new powers have risen to challenge the world order that followed the Cold War. The event on this day: Five hundred and thirty members of the Ugandan cult Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God die in a fire, considered to be a mass murder or suicide orchestrated by leaders of the cult. Elsewhere another 248 members are later found dead. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uganda (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)