March 9 is the 68th day of the year (69th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 297 days remaining until the end of the year.
Events
- 590 - Bahram Chobin is crowned as king Barham VI of Persia.
- 1230 - Bulgarian tsar Ivan Asen II defeats Theodore of Epirus near the village of Klokotnitsa.
- 1276 - Augsburg becomes an Imperial Free City.
- 1500 - The fleet of Pedro Alvares Cabral leaves Lisbon for the Indies. The fleet will discover the sea route to Brazil, already Portuguese since the treaty of Tordesillas in 1494.
- 1566 - David Rizzio, the private secretary to Mary I of Scotland, is murdered in the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh, Scotland.
- 1765 - After a public campaign by the writer Voltaire, judges in Paris posthumously exonerate Jean Calas of murdering his son. Calas had been tortured and executed in 1762 on the charge, though his son had actually committed suicide.
- 1776 - Publication of the economics book The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith.
- 1796 - Napoléon Bonaparte marries his first wife, Joséphine de Beauharnais.
- 1834 - French Foreign Legion is founded.
- 1841 - The Supreme Court of the United States rules in the Amistad case, concerning captive Africans who seized control of the slave-trading ship carrying them: the court rules that they had been taken into slavery illegally.
- 1842 - Giuseppe Verdi's third opera Nabucco premieres in Milan; its success establishes Verdi as one of Italy's foremost opera writers.
- 1847 - Mexican-American War: United States forces under General Winfield Scott invade Mexico near Vera Cruz.
- 1856 - Sigma Alpha Epsilon is founded in the Johnston Mansion House on the University of Alabama
- 1862 - American Civil War: The first battle between two ironclad warships, a five-hour battle near Hampton Roads, Virginia between the USS Monitor and the CSS Virginia, results in a draw.
- 1896 - Prime Minister Francesco Crispi resigns following the Italian defeat at the Battle of Adowa.
- 1908 - Inter Milan is founded.
- 1910 - The Westmoreland County Coal Strike, involving 15,000 coal miners represented by the United Mine Workers, begins.
- 1916 - Pancho Villa leads 1,500 Mexican raiders in an attack against Columbus, New Mexico, killing 17.
- 1924 - Italy annexes Fiume.
- 1925 - Pink's War, the first RAF operation conducted independently of the Army or Navy, begins.
- 1932 - The Egyptian University rector "Ahmed Lotfy El-Said" resigns in protest of the transfer of Dr.Taha Hussein without the University's permission. In 2003, an academic group called "March 9" is established in Egypt to defend academic rights and university independence.
- 1932 - The first Ford Flathead engine leaves the assembly line at Ford Motor Company.
- 1933 - Great Depression: The United States Congress begins its first 100 days of enacting New Deal legislation. President Franklin D. Roosevelt submits the Emergency Banking Act to the Congress.
- 1935 - Adolf Hitler announces the creation of a new air force.
- 1945 - World War II: Bombing of Tokyo - American B-29 bombers attack Tokyo, Japan with incendiary bombs. The resulting fire storm kills over 100,000 people. The attack begins March 9 and continues into March 10.
- 1954 - McCarthyism: CBS television broadcasts the See It Now episode, "A Report on Senator Joseph McCarthy," produced by Fred Friendly.
- 1957 - The magnitude 8.6 1957 Andreanof Islands Earthquake and tsunami occurs.
- 1959 - The Barbie doll debuts.
- 1967 - Joseph Stalin's daughter Svetlana Alliluyeva defects to the United States.
- 1975 - Construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System begins.
- 1976 - Forty-two people die in a Cavalese cable-car disaster, the worst cable-car accident to date.
- 1977 - The 1977 Hanafi Muslim Siege: Approximately a dozen armed Hanafi Muslims take over three buildings in Washington, D.C., killing one person and taking more than 130 hostages. The hostage situation ends two days later.
- 1984 - The Competitive Enterprise Institute in founded in Washington, D.C.
- 1986 - United States Navy divers find the largely intact but heavily-damaged crew compartment of the Space Shuttle Challenger. The bodies of all seven astronauts were still inside.
- 1989 - A strike forces financially-troubled Eastern Air Lines into bankruptcy.
- 1990 - Dr. Antonia Novello is sworn in as Surgeon General of the United States, becoming the first female and Hispanic American to serve in that position.
- 1990 - Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, Clyde Wells confirms he will rescind Newfoundland and Labrador's approval of the Meech Lake Accord to amend Canada's constitution, effectively killing the Accord.
- 1991 - Massive demonstrations are held against Slobodan Milošević in Belgrade. Two people are killed and tanks are in the streets.
- 1993 - Rodney King testifies at the federal trial of four Los Angeles, California police officers accused of violating King's civil rights when they beat him during an arrest.
- 2006 - Liquid water is discovered on Enceladus, the sixth largest moon of Saturn.
- 2007 - The US Justice Department releases an internal audit that found that the Federal Bureau of Investigation had acted illegally in its use of the USA Patriot Act to secretly obtain personal information about US citizens.
Births
- 1213 - Hugh IV, Duke of Burgundy, French crusader (d. 1271)
- 1285 - Emperor Go-Nijō of Japan (d. 1318)
- 1454 - Amerigo Vespucci, Italian explorer and cartographer (d. 1512)
- 1564 - David Fabricius, German astronomer (d. 1617)
- 1568 - Aloysius Gonzaga, Italian saint (d. 1591)
- 1629 - Tsar Alexis I of Russia (d. 1676)
- 1720 - Philip Yorke, 2nd Earl of Hardwicke, English politician (d. 1790)
- 1737 - Josef Mysliveček, Czech composer (d. 1781)
- 1749 - Honore Mirabeau, French writer and politician (d. 1791)
- 1753 - Jean-Baptiste Kleber, French general (d. 1800)
- 1758 - Franz Joseph Gall, German neuroscientist (d. 1828)
- 1763 - William Cobbett, English journalist and author (d. 1835)
- 1806 - Edwin Forrest, American actor and philanthropist (d. 1872)
- 1814 - Taras Shevchenko, Ukrainian poet (d. 1861)
- 1815 - David Davis, Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (d. 1886)
- 1820 - Samuel Blatchford, Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (d. 1893)
- 1825 - Alexander F. Mozhaiski, Russian aviation pioneer (d. 1890)
- 1833 - Frederick A. Schroeder, tobacco industrialist and mayor of Brooklyn (d. 1899)
- 1839 - Phoebe Knapp, American hymn writer (d. 1908)
- 1856 - Eddie Foy, American singer and dancer (d. 1928)
- 1887 - Phil Mead, English cricketeer (d. 1958)
- 1887 - Fritz Lenz, German geneticist (d. 1976)
- 1890 - Vyacheslav Molotov, Russian politician (d. 1986)
- 1891 - José P. Laurel, 3rd President of the Philippines (d. 1959)
- 1892 - Vita Sackville-West, English writer and gardener (d. 1962)
- 1894 - Frank Arnau, German writer (d. 1976)
- 1900 - Howard Aiken, American computing pioneer (d. 1973)
- 1900 - Tomislav II of Croatia, 4th Duke of Aosta, Italian aristocrat (d. 1948)
- 1902 - Will Geer, American actor (d. 1978)
- 1904 - Paul Klipsch, American engineer, noted for his loudspeaker designs. (d. 2002)
- 1909 - Derk Bodde, American sinologist (d. 2003)
- 1910 - Samuel Barber, American composer (d. 1981)
- 1915 - Johnnie Johnson, British fighter pilot (d. 2001)
- 1918 - George Lincoln Rockwell, founder and leader of the American Nazi Party (d. 1967)
- 1918 - Mickey Spillane, American writer (d. 2006)
- 1921 - Carl Betz, American actor (d. 1978)
- 1921 - Dimitris Horn, Greek actor (d. 1998)
- 1923 - Walter Kohn, Austrian-born physicist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry
- 1928 - Gerald Bull, Canadian long range artillery designer (d. 1990)
- 1929 - Desmond Hoyte, Prime Minister and President of Guyana (d. 2002)
- 1930 - Ornette Coleman, American musician
- 1931 - Thore Skogman, Swedish entertainer (d. 2007)
- 1932 - Keely Smith, American singer
- 1932 - Walter Mercado, Puerto Rican astrologist and actor
- 1933 - Mel Lastman, Canadian politician
- 1933 - Lloyd Price, American singer
- 1934 - Yuri Gagarin, Soviet cosmonaut (d. 1968)
- 1934 - Del Close, American actor, improviser, writer, and teacher (d. 1999)
- 1934 - Marlene Streit, Canadian golfer
- 1934 - Joyce Van Patten, American actress
- 1935 - Andrew Viterbi, American telecommunications scientist and businessman
- 1936 - Tom Sestak, American football player (d. 1987)
- 1936 - Mickey Gilley, American musician and singer
- 1937 - Bernard Landry, Premier of Quebec from 2001-2003
- 1937 - Brian Redman, English racing driver
- 1938 - Lill-Babs, Swedish singer
- 1940 - Raúl Juliá, Puerto Rican actor (d. 1994)
- 1941 - Ernesto Miranda, American litigant (d. 1976)
- 1942 - John Cale, Welsh musician (The Velvet Underground)
- 1942 - Mark Lindsay, American singer/musician (Paul Revere & The Raiders)
- 1943 - Bobby Fischer, American chess player (d. 2008)
- 1943 - Charles Gibson, American television journalist
- 1943 - Trish Van Devere, American actress
- 1943 - Colin Murdock, American voice actor
- 1945 - Robert Calvert, English singer (Hawkwind) (d. 1988)
- 1945 - Dennis Rader, American serial killer
- 1945 - Robin Trower, British rock musician
- 1946 - Jim Cregan, British rock musician
- 1947 - Keri Hulme, New Zealandic writer
- 1948 - Jeffrey Osborne, American singer
- 1948 - Emma Bonino, Italian politician
- 1949 - Tapani Kansa, Finnish singer
- 1950 - Doug Ault, baseball player (d. 2004)
- 1950 - Danny Sullivan, American race car driver
- 1951 - Michael Kinsley, American journalist and editor
- 1951 - Helen Zille, South African politician
- 1952 - Bill Beaumont, English rugby player
- 1954 - Bobby Sands, IRA member (d. 1981)
- 1955 - Teo Fabi, Italian racing driver
- 1955 - Ornella Muti, Italian actress
- 1956 - Shashi Tharoor, Indian author & United Nations Under-Secretary General
- 1956 - Mark Dantonio, Michigan State University American football coach
- 1956 - David Willetts, UK Shadow Secretary for Education (Conservative)
- 1957 - Mark Mancina, American composer
- 1957 - Faith Daniels, American journalist
- 1957 - Mona Sahlin, Swedish politician
- 1958 - Martin Fry, English pop singer (ABC)
- 1958 - Jack Kenny, American television writer and producer
- 1960 - Linda Fiorentino, American actress
- 1961 - Mike Leach, American college football coach
- 1961 - Robert Rechsteiner, US professional wrestler (Rick Steiner)
- 1961 - Camryn Manheim, American actress
- 1962 - Jan Furtok, Polish footballer
- 1963 - Sean Salisbury, American football player
- 1963 - Terry Mulholland, American baseball player
- 1963 - David Pogue, Technology columnist and musician
- 1964 - Juliette Binoche, French actress
- 1964 - Phil Housley, American ice hockey player
- 1964 - Herbert Fandel, German football referee
- 1965 - Brian Bosworth, American football player
- 1965 - Benito Santiago, Puerto Rican baseball player
- 1966 - Brendan Canty, American musician (Fugazi)
- 1966 - Tony Lockett, Australian Rules Footballer
- 1966 - Michael Patrick MacDonald, American memorist
- 1968 - Youri Djorkaeff, French footballer
- 1968 - Johnny Kelly, American drummer (Type O Negative)
- 1969 - Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, American basketball player
- 1969 - Stefie Shock, Quebec singer and songwriter
- 1970 - Martin Johnson, English rugby player
- 1970 - Shannon Leto, American drummer and occasional actor (30 Seconds to Mars)
- 1971 - Emmanuel Lewis, American actor
- 1971 - C Miller, American rapper
- 1971 - Diego Torres, Argentine singer
- 1972 - Spencer Howson, Australian radio broadcaster
- 1972 - Kerr Smith, American actor
- 1973 - Aaron Boone, American baseball player
- 1975 - Roy Makaay, Dutch footballer
- 1975 - Juan Sebastián Verón, Argentine footballer
- 1976 - Thor Halvorssen, human rights activist
- 1976 - Ben Mulroney, Canadian television host
- 1977 - Yamila Diaz, Argentine supermodel
- 1977 - Radek Dvořák, Czech hockey player
- 1978 - Lucas Neill, Australian footballer
- 1979 - Chingy, American rapper
- 1979 - Melina Perez, WWE Diva
- 1980 - Matthew Gray Gubler, American actor, film director, sketch artist, and former fashion model.
- 1981 - Antonio Bryant, American football player
- 1981 - Anders Nøhr, Danish footballer
- 1981 - Clay Rapada, American baseball player
- 1982 - Paul Ballard, English television presenter
- 1983 - Clint Dempsey, American footballer
- 1983 - Maite Perroni, singer in the Latin pop group RBD
- 1983 - Wayne Simien, American basketball player
- 1985 - Parthiv Patel, Indian Cricket Player
- 1984 - Julia Mancuso, American Olympic gold medalist
- 1986 - Brittany Snow, American actress
- 1987 - Bow Wow, American rapper and actor
- 1989 - Christina Broccolini, Canadian TV presenter
- 1996 - Darsheel Safary, Youngest Indian actor to win filmfare award for best performance
Deaths
- 1202 - King Sverre of Norway
- 1422 - Jan Zelivsky, Hussite priest (b. 1380)
- 1440 - St Frances of Rome, Italian nun (b. 1384)
- 1566 - David Rizzio, Italian secretary of Mary I of Scotland (b. 1533)
- 1649 - James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Hamilton, Scottish statesman (b. 1606)
- 1649 - Henry Rich, 1st Earl of Holland, English soldier (executed) (b. 1590)
- 1661 - Jules Cardinal Mazarin, French cardinal and statesman (b. 1602)
- 1709 - Ralph Montagu, 1st Duke of Montagu, English diplomat
- 1808 - Joseph Bonomi the Elder, architect (b. 1739)
- 1851 - Hans Christian Ørsted, Danish physicist (b. 1777)
- 1888 - William I, German Emperor (b. 1797)
- 1897 - Sondre Norheim, Norwegian skier (b. 1825)
- 1918 - Frank Wedekind, writer
- 1937 - Paul Elmer More, American critic and essayist (b. 1864)
- 1954 - Eva Ahnert-Rohlfs, German astronomer (b. 1912)
- 1954 - V. Walfrid Ekman, Swedish oceanographer (b. 1874)
- 1960 - Jack Beattie, Northern Irish politician (b. 1886)
- 1964 - Paul Erich von Lettow-Vorbeck, German general (b. 1870)
- 1966 - Pablo Birger, Argentine racing driver (b. 1924)
- 1971 - Pope Cyril VI of Alexandria, Coptic Orthodox Patriarch (b. 1902)
- 1974 - Earl Wilbur Sutherland Jr., American physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1915)
- 1975 - Gleb W. Derujinsky, Russian-American sculptor (b. 1888)
- 1983 - Faye Emerson, American actress (b. 1917)
- 1983 - Ulf von Euler, Swedish physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1905)
- 1989 - Robert Mapplethorpe, American artist (b. 1946)
- 1991 - Jim Hardin, former Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves pitcher (b. 1943)
- 1992 - Menachem Begin, Prime Minister of Israel, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1913)
- 1993 - C. Northcote Parkinson, British historian and writer (b. 1909)
- 1993 - Bob Crosby, American bandleader and vocalist (b. 1913)
- 1994 - Charles Bukowski, American writer (b. 1920)
- 1994 - Fernando Rey, Spanish-born actor (b. 1917)
- 1994 - Eddie Creatchman, Canadian wrestler manager (b. 1928)
- 1996 - George Burns, American actor and singer (b. 1896)
- 1997 - The Notorious B.I.G., American rapper (b. 1972)
- 1999 - Harry Somers, Canadian composer (b. 1925)
- 2000 - Ivo Robić, Croatian singer and songwriter (b. 1923)
- 2003 - Stan Brakhage, American filmmaker (b. 1933)
- 2003 - Bernard Dowiyogo, President of Nauru (b. 1946)
- 2004 - Albert Mol, Dutch actor (b. 1917)
- 2004 - Dr. Gerald Deskin, Ph.D., clinical child psychologist (b. 1929)
- 2004 - Robert Pastorelli, American actor (b. 1954)
- 2004 - Rust Epique, former Crazy Town guitarist (b. 1968)
- 2005 - Chris LeDoux, American country singer (b. 1948)
- 2005 - Kurt Lotz, German business executive, second postwar CEO of Volkswagen (b. 1912)
- 2005 - István Nyers, Hungarian footballer (b. 1924)
- 2005 - Jeanette Schmid, Austrian professional whistler; aka Baroness Lips von Lipstrill (b. 1924)
- 2006 - John Profumo, British cabinet minister (b. 1915)
- 2006 - Geir Ivarsøy, Norwegian programmer, co-founder of Opera Software ASA (b. 1957)
- 2007 - Brad Delp, American singer (Boston) (b. 1951)
- 2007 - Glen Harmon, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1921)
- 2007 - Jeanne Hopkins Lucas, North Carolina politician (b. unknown)
Holidays and observances
Catholicism Feast day of
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