March 10
241 BC. The naval forces of the Republic of Rome soundly defeat the Carthaginian navy off the west coast of Sicily in the Battle of the Aegates Islands, bringing the first Punic War to a successful conclusion.
1804. In St. Louis, Missouri, a ceremony is held to transfer ownership of the Lousiana Territory from France to the United States.
1848. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is completed, ending the Mexican-American War. The US, having crushed Mexico in the war, dictates the terms of treaty, which involve the US paying Mexico $15 million in exchange for approximately 525,000 square miles, or about 55% of Mexico's pre-war territory (excluding Texas), being ceded to the US. The US also agreed to honor Mexican citizens' property rights in the affected region, but then went on to mostly ignore this requirement. The ceded area consisted of all of what is now California, Nevada and Utah and parts of what are now Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, and Wyoming.
1876. The first successful telephone call is made by Alexander Graham Bell who states "Mr. Watson, come here, I want to see you."