March 1962
The following events occurred in March 1962: March 1, 1962 (Thursday) Pakistan's President Ayub Khan promulgated a new constitution designed to reinforce his authority in the absence of martial law. All 95 people aboard American Airlines Flight 1 were killed when the Boeing 707, crashed shortly after its 10:07 am takeoff from Idlewild Airport at New York. The dead included W. Alton Jones, philanthropist and chairman of the board of Cities Service Company (now CITGO). An investigation concluded that the crash was caused by a rudder malfunction, which sent the plane into an uncontrolled roll resulting and loss of control. A three-story hotel collapsed in the Egyptian city of Asyut, killing 34 people who were eating after sunset on Eid ul-Fitr, a feast celebrating the end of the fasting of the month of Ramadan on the Islamic calendar. Seven survivors were recovered alive from the rubble. Benedicto Kiwanuka became the interim Prime Minister of Uganda as the United Kingdom granted the African colony self-government. He would be replaced by Milton Obote the next month, before Uganda's independence on October 9, and would later be murdered by Ugandan President Idi Amin in 1972. The very first K-Mart discount store (now Kmart)