This Day in History: March 10

Here’s a brief look back in time on this day, March 10.

In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell makes the first phone call a couple of days after receiving his patent for the telephone. This ability to talk with electricity was something originally thought impossible. His first call was to his assistant, Thomas Watson. His message was: “Mr. Watson, come here, I want to see you”.

In 1906, Europe’s worst mining accident occurs in the commune of Courrieres, France, after an explosion kills roughly 1,100 workers. A fire was believed to have originated around 270 meters (or about 886 feet) underground, where a flammable substance began to fill the air. This substance is disputed to either be coal dust, or methane gas from a lantern. Out of the 1,800 men and boys who were deep within the mines at this time, about 700 would make it out alive. Some of the survivors were badly burned, and began choking from the abundant dust buildup. It still remains as one of the worst mining accidents in the world, placing second behind China’s Benxihu Colliery accident.