March 9
1796 - Napoleon Bonaparte married Josephine de Beauharnais, widow of a former French officer executed during the revolution.
1841 - The U.S. Supreme Court, in United States v. The Amistad, ruled 7-1 in favor of a group of illegally enslaved Africans who were captured off the U.S. coast after seizing control of a Spanish schooner, La Amistad; the justices ruled that the Africans should be set free.
1862 - The first battle between two ironclad ships, the Monitor (Union) and Merrimack (Confederate) occurred near Hampton Roads, Virginia, revolutionizing naval warfare.
1916 - More than 400 Mexican raiders led by Pancho Villa attacked Columbus, New Mexico, killing 18 Americans.
1916 - During World War I, Germany declared war on Portugal.
1933 - The special session of Congress known as the "100 Days" opened, launching President Franklin D. Roosevelt's "New Deal".
1945 - During World War II, U.S. B-29 bombers began launching incendiary bomb attacks against Tokyo, resulting in an estimated 100,000 deaths.
1959 - Mattel's "Barbie" doll, created by Ruth Handler, made its public debut at the American International Toy Fair in New York.
1964 - The U.S. Supreme Court issued its New York Times v. Sullivan ruling in which the court raised the standard for public officials to prove they'd been libeled in their official capacity by news organizations.
1976 - A cable car in the Italian ski resort of Cavalese fell some 700 feet to the ground when a supporting line snapped, killing 43 people.
1987 - Chrysler Corp. announced it had agreed to buy the financially ailing American Motors Corp.
1989 - The U.S. Senate rejected President George H.W. Bush's nomination of John Tower to be defense secretary by a vote of 53-47. (The next day, Bush tapped Wyoming Rep. Dick Cheney, who went on to win unanimous Senate approval.)
1990 - Dr. Antonia Novello was sworn in as both the first Hispanic and woman to be U.S. surgeon general.
2011 - After a trip to the International Space Station, shuttle Discovery ended its career as the most flown U.S. spaceship, returning from orbit for the last time.
2011 - Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn signed legislation abolishing the death penalty in his state and commuting the sentences of all remaining death row inmates.
2020 - Global stock markets and oil prices plunged, reflecting mounting alarm over the impact of the coronavirus. An alarmingly sharp slide at the opening bell on Wall Street triggered the first automatic halt in trading in more than two decades; the Dow industrials finished nearly 8% lower.
Birthdays
22 - Charly Jordan (model)
26 - Cierra Ramirez (actress)
26 - Sanne Vloet (model)
29 - Luis Armand Garcia (actor)
34 - Bow Wow (rapper)
34 - Stacey Dooley (journalist)
35 - Brittany Snow (actress)
38 - Maite Perroni (actress)
41 - Matthew Gray Gubler (actor)
42 - Jordan Klepper (comedian)
42 - Melina Perez (professional wrestler)
42 - Oscar Isaac (actor)
49 - Kerr Smith (actor)
49 - Jean Louisa Kelly (actress)
50 - Emmanuel Lewis (actor)
57 - Steve Wilkos (TV host)
57 - Juliette Binoche (actress)
62 - Tom Amandes (actor)
63 - Linda Fiorentino (actress)
64 - Faith Daniels (newscaster)
78 - Charles Gibson (journalist)
80 - Trish Van Devere (actress)
87 - Joyce Van Patten (actress)
88 - Lloyd Price (singer)
=======================================
Today in Sports History - March 9
1936 - Babe Ruth turns down an offer from the Cincinnati Reds to make a return to baseball as a player.
1946 - Ted Williams rejects a $500,000 offer to play baseball in the Mexican League.
1958 - George Yardley (Detroit Pistons) became the first NBA player to score 2,000 points in a season. He did it in 72 games.
1961 - Wilt Chamberlain of the Philadelphia Warriors scores 67 points against the New York Knicks.
1980 - Gordie Howe and his two sons skated on a line together for the Hartford Whalers. National Hockey League history was made when the event occurred about midway through a game against the Boston Bruins.
1984 - Tim Witherspoon won a 12-round decision over Greg Pane to claim the World Boxing Council heavyweight championship.
1995 - Major League Baseball awards a franchise to he Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
2002 - Joe Sakic plays in his 1,000th career NHL game.
1796 - Napoleon Bonaparte married Josephine de Beauharnais, widow of a former French officer executed during the revolution.
1841 - The U.S. Supreme Court, in United States v. The Amistad, ruled 7-1 in favor of a group of illegally enslaved Africans who were captured off the U.S. coast after seizing control of a Spanish schooner, La Amistad; the justices ruled that the Africans should be set free.
1862 - The first battle between two ironclad ships, the Monitor (Union) and Merrimack (Confederate) occurred near Hampton Roads, Virginia, revolutionizing naval warfare.
1916 - More than 400 Mexican raiders led by Pancho Villa attacked Columbus, New Mexico, killing 18 Americans.
1916 - During World War I, Germany declared war on Portugal.
1933 - The special session of Congress known as the "100 Days" opened, launching President Franklin D. Roosevelt's "New Deal".
1945 - During World War II, U.S. B-29 bombers began launching incendiary bomb attacks against Tokyo, resulting in an estimated 100,000 deaths.
1959 - Mattel's "Barbie" doll, created by Ruth Handler, made its public debut at the American International Toy Fair in New York.
1964 - The U.S. Supreme Court issued its New York Times v. Sullivan ruling in which the court raised the standard for public officials to prove they'd been libeled in their official capacity by news organizations.
1976 - A cable car in the Italian ski resort of Cavalese fell some 700 feet to the ground when a supporting line snapped, killing 43 people.
1987 - Chrysler Corp. announced it had agreed to buy the financially ailing American Motors Corp.
1989 - The U.S. Senate rejected President George H.W. Bush's nomination of John Tower to be defense secretary by a vote of 53-47. (The next day, Bush tapped Wyoming Rep. Dick Cheney, who went on to win unanimous Senate approval.)
1990 - Dr. Antonia Novello was sworn in as both the first Hispanic and woman to be U.S. surgeon general.
2011 - After a trip to the International Space Station, shuttle Discovery ended its career as the most flown U.S. spaceship, returning from orbit for the last time.
2011 - Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn signed legislation abolishing the death penalty in his state and commuting the sentences of all remaining death row inmates.
2020 - Global stock markets and oil prices plunged, reflecting mounting alarm over the impact of the coronavirus. An alarmingly sharp slide at the opening bell on Wall Street triggered the first automatic halt in trading in more than two decades; the Dow industrials finished nearly 8% lower.
Birthdays
22 - Charly Jordan (model)
26 - Cierra Ramirez (actress)
26 - Sanne Vloet (model)
29 - Luis Armand Garcia (actor)
34 - Bow Wow (rapper)
34 - Stacey Dooley (journalist)
35 - Brittany Snow (actress)
38 - Maite Perroni (actress)
41 - Matthew Gray Gubler (actor)
42 - Jordan Klepper (comedian)
42 - Melina Perez (professional wrestler)
42 - Oscar Isaac (actor)
49 - Kerr Smith (actor)
49 - Jean Louisa Kelly (actress)
50 - Emmanuel Lewis (actor)
57 - Steve Wilkos (TV host)
57 - Juliette Binoche (actress)
62 - Tom Amandes (actor)
63 - Linda Fiorentino (actress)
64 - Faith Daniels (newscaster)
78 - Charles Gibson (journalist)
80 - Trish Van Devere (actress)
87 - Joyce Van Patten (actress)
88 - Lloyd Price (singer)
=======================================
Today in Sports History - March 9
1936 - Babe Ruth turns down an offer from the Cincinnati Reds to make a return to baseball as a player.
1946 - Ted Williams rejects a $500,000 offer to play baseball in the Mexican League.
1958 - George Yardley (Detroit Pistons) became the first NBA player to score 2,000 points in a season. He did it in 72 games.
1961 - Wilt Chamberlain of the Philadelphia Warriors scores 67 points against the New York Knicks.
1980 - Gordie Howe and his two sons skated on a line together for the Hartford Whalers. National Hockey League history was made when the event occurred about midway through a game against the Boston Bruins.
1984 - Tim Witherspoon won a 12-round decision over Greg Pane to claim the World Boxing Council heavyweight championship.
1995 - Major League Baseball awards a franchise to he Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
2002 - Joe Sakic plays in his 1,000th career NHL game.