On this day: March 18

Early documented mass indoctrination: the 1934 Manson-style? No — a 1934 case in Mexico

On March 18, 1934, authorities in Huautla de Jiménez, Oaxaca, Mexico, dismantled a religious-political sect led by Manuel García, an event often cited as an early documented instance of organized mass indoctrination in modern Latin America.

Albert DeSalvo Sentenced to Life in Prison in Boston Strangler Case

Albert DeSalvo, who confessed to a series of murders attributed to the 'Boston Strangler,' was sentenced to life imprisonment on March 18, 1967, after being convicted in related crimes; questions about the full extent of his responsibility persisted for decades.

First Successful Use of Heart–Lung Machine Tested, March 18, 1953

On March 18, 1953, surgeons in the United States reported the first successful experimental use of a heart–lung machine to maintain circulation and oxygenation during open-heart surgery, a pivotal advance that enabled safer cardiac operations in subsequent decades.