The Book of Mormon is published in Palmyra, New York.

“The Book of Mormon” is a sacred text in the religious tradition of Mormonism, also known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It is considered scripture alongside the Bible by members of the LDS Church and is believed by them to be a record of ancient inhabitants of the American continent.

Origins: According to Mormon belief, “The Book of Mormon” was originally written in ancient America by prophets such as Nephi, Mormon, and Moroni, among others, between approximately 600 BC and 421 AD. The text was said to have been engraved on golden plates and buried by Moroni, who appeared as an angel to Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism, in the early 19th century.

Translation: Joseph Smith claimed to have been directed by an angel named Moroni to a hill near his home in upstate New York where he found the golden plates buried. With the aid of seer stones, he translated the text into English, producing “The Book of Mormon” in 1830.

Content: “The Book of Mormon” is divided into several books, each purportedly written by different ancient prophets. It tells the story of two major civilizations, the Nephites and the Lamanites, who descended from a group that left Jerusalem in 600 BC. The narrative covers their religious beliefs, wars, migrations, and interactions with God. The central figure in the book is Jesus Christ, who, according to the narrative, visited the Americas after his resurrection.

Doctrines: Doctrinally, “The Book of Mormon” teaches many principles similar to mainstream Christianity, such as faith in Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost. It also contains unique teachings such as the concept of eternal progression and the belief that the Americas were inhabited by ancient Israelites.

Importance: For members of the LDS Church, “The Book of Mormon” holds significant spiritual and doctrinal importance. It is considered by them to be a companion scripture to the Bible and is used alongside it in religious study and worship. The book is believed to contain the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Distribution and Influence: “The Book of Mormon” has been translated into numerous languages and distributed worldwide by the LDS Church. It has had a profound impact on the lives of millions of adherents and has also been a subject of study and curiosity for scholars, historians, and religious seekers outside of the Mormon faith.

Thirty-nine bodies are found in the Heaven’s Gate mass suicides.

Heaven’s Gate was a religious cult that was founded in the 1970s by Marshall Applewhite and Bonnie Nettles. The group believed in the existence of extraterrestrial beings and that their mission was to prepare for the arrival of these beings. They believed that the only way to do this was to shed their physical bodies and ascend to a higher plane of existence.

On March 26, 1997, 39 members of the Heaven’s Gate cult committed suicide in a mass ritual in a rented mansion in Rancho Santa Fe, California. The group believed that their souls would be transported to a spacecraft that was following the Hale-Bopp comet, which was then visible in the night sky.

The members of the cult had been preparing for the suicide for months, selling their possessions, and disconnecting from their families and friends. They ingested a lethal cocktail of phenobarbital and vodka and then laid down to die, dressed in matching black clothing and brand new Nike sneakers. The bodies were discovered by the police two days later.

The mass suicide of the Heaven’s Gate cult shocked the world and brought attention to the dangers of cults and the influence that charismatic leaders can have over their followers. The tragedy also raised questions about mental health, the search for meaning and purpose, and the role of religion and spirituality in our lives.

The Book of Mormon is published in Palmyra, New York.

Thirty-nine bodies are found in the Heaven’s Gate mass suicides.

The first Henley Royal Regatta is held.

The Biological Weapons Convention comes into force.

The Biological Weapons Convention, the first multilateral disarmament treaty banning the development, production and stockpiling of an entire category of weapons of mass destruction, was opened for signature on 10 April 1972. The BWC entered into force on 26 March 1975.

The Second Review Conference agreed that the States Parties were to implement a number of confidence-building measures in order to prevent or reduce the occurrence of ambiguities, doubts and suspicions and in order to improve international co-operation in the field of peaceful biological activities. The CBMs were expanded by the Third Review Conference.

Under these agreements, the States Parties undertook to provided annual reports – using agreed forms – on specific activities related to the BWC including: data on research centres and laboratories; information on vaccine production facilities; information on national biological defence research and development programmes; declaration of past activities in offensive and/or defensive biological research and development programmes; information on outbreaks of infectious diseases and similar occurrences caused by toxins; publication of results and promotion of use of knowledge and contacts; information on legislation, regulations and other measures.

Recognizing the need to further strengthen the BWC, a group of governmental experts was established at the Third Review Conference to identify and examine potential verification measures from a scientific and technical standpoint. At a Special Conference in September 1994, the States parties agreed to establish the Ad Hoc Group of the States parties to the BWC in order to negotiate and develop a legally-binding verification regime for the Convention.

The Fourth Review Conference welcomed the decision of the Ad Hoc Group to intensify its work with a view to completing it before the Fifth Review Conference to be held in 2001. The Ad Hoc Group was unable to conclude the negotiations on the draft legal instrument.

Due to persisting divergent views and positions on certain key issues, the Fifth Review Conference decided to adjourn its proceedings and resume its work in November 2002 in Geneva. The Conference was reconvened in November 2002 and adopted a Final Report that included a decision to hold annual meetings of States parties and experts meetings in the next three years leading up to the Review Conference in 2006.

The Sixth Review Conference succeeded in comprehensively reviewing the Convention, adopting a final document by consensus. The States parties adopted a detailed plan for promoting universal adherence, and decided to update and streamline the procedures for submission and distribution of the Confidence-Building Measures. They also adopted a comprehensive intersessional programme spanning from 2007 to 2010. In a significant development, the Conference agreed to establish an Implementation Support Unit to assist States parties in implementing the Convention.

An earthquake devastates Caracas, Venezuela.

The 1812 Caracas earthquake took place in Venezuela on March 26 on Maundy Thursday at 4:37 p.m. It measured 7.7 on the Richter magnitude scale. It caused extensive damage in Caracas, La Guaira, Barquisimeto, San Felipe, and Mérida. An estimated 15,000–20,000 people perished as a result, in addition to incalculable material damage.

The seismic movement was so drastic that in a zone named Valecillo a new lake was formed and the river Yurubí was dammed up. Numerous rivulets changed their course in the valley of Caracas, which was flooded with dirty water.

Based on contemporary descriptions, the earthquake is believed to have consisted of two seismic shocks occurring within the span of 30 minutes. The first destroyed Caracas and the second Mérida, where it was raining when the shock occurred.

Since the earthquake occurred on Maundy Thursday, while the Venezuelan War of Independence was raging, it was explained by royalist authorities as divine punishment for the rebellion against the Spanish Crown. The archbishop of Caracas, Narciso Coll y Prat, referred to the event as “the terrifying but well-deserved earthquake” which “confirms in our days the prophecies revealed by God to men about the ancient impious and proud cities: Babylon, Jerusalem and the Tower of Babel”.

The first international assistance received by Venezuela in response to the earthquake came from the United States, “…when the congress convened in Washington decreed unanimously the sending of five ships loaded with flour, to the coasts of Venezuela to be distributed among the most indigent of its inhabitants.

The Schengen Agreement comes into effect.

The Biological Weapons Convention comes into force.