1. In 1644, the first recorded duel in New York took place on March 12, between two employees of the Dutch West India Company. They fought with swords on a sandy plain located where today's Wall Street stands.

2. On March 12, 1852, the New York City government leased an abandoned reservoir located on the eastern shore of Central Park to the New York State Legislature to use as a temporary statehouse while the old one was being remodeled. The "State Capitol" was used until 1879.

3. March 12, 1912, marked the opening of the new Grand Central Terminal in New York City. The Beaux-Arts building, complete with its signature clock, was hailed as an engineering marvel and became one of the city's most recognizable landmarks.

4. On March 12, 1930, Mahatma Gandhi began a hunger strike in his jail cell in India in protest of British rule. The strike gained global attention, prompting a demonstration in solidarity in New York City's Union Square, attended by tens of thousands.

5. March 12, 1993, witnessed the opening of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. Among the first inductees were New York legends Chuck Berry, The Everly Brothers, and James Brown, as well as Brooklyn-born Barbra Streisand.