| Copernicusmade astronomical observations of orbits of sun, moon, planets and gradually abandoned accepted Ptolemaic system of astronomy and worked out heliocentric system in which Earth rotates daily on axis and, with other planets, revolves around sun. |
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| For eight days beginning on March 9, Invocavit Sunday, and concluding on the following Sunday, Luther preached eight sermons that would become known as the Invocavit Sermons. In these sermons Luther counseled careful reform that took into consideration the consciences of those who were not yet persuaded to embrace reform. Communion in one kind (the consecrated bread) was restored for a time, the consecrated cup given only to those of the laity who desired it. |
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| In 1562, a public ban on kissing is proclaimed in the city of Naples, Italy, punishable by death. It lasts for about a day before the local nobleman is forced to rescind it . |
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| In 1611, Johannes Fabricius, a Dutch astronomer, observed the rising sun through his telescope, and observed several dark spots on it. This was perhaps the first ever observation of sunspots. He called his father to investigate this new phenomenon with him. The brightness of the Sun's center was very painful, and the two quickly switched to a projection method by means of a camera obscura. Johannes was the first to publish information on such observations. He did so in his Narratio de maculis in sole observatis et apparente earum cum sole conversione. |
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| A socialite without equal, Josephine was mistress to several leading political figures and left a young General Napoleon Bonaparte completely smitten on their first meeting. They married in 1796 and while Bonaparte was a fine stepfather to her children, Josephine had regular dalliances with other men, in particular Hippolyte Charles - a dashing young officer who may have been her only true love. Her affairs almost led to divorce, however, a furious Bonaparte was persuaded to ignore her indiscretions on the grounds a stable marriage was necessary for his political ambitions. |
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| Returning from a trip to New Orleans, he became a storekeeper in New Salem, Illinois. His friendliness, honesty, and talent for storytelling soon made him a popular local figure. He decided to enter politics, and in March 1832, he announced his candidacy for the state legislature. At this point the Black Hawk War, an Indian war, began in northern Illinois. Lincoln volunteered and served for three months, first as the elected captain of his own company, then as a private under other commanders. But he engaged in no actual fighting. Back home by July, he had only a few weeks for his political campaign. Election day brought defeat. He finished eighth among 13 candidates. |
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| In 1858, the first U.S. patent for a street mailbox was patented by Albert Potts of Philadelphia. It comprised a simple metal box designed to attach to a lamppost. By August, these boxes were found along the streets of Boston, MA, and New York City, NY. His patent described the "object of this improvement is to afford greater facilities to the inhabitants of large cities for the depositing of letters, and to enable the carriers to collect, or the citizens to deposit therein, at any period of time." The boxes had a central hole for the shaft of a lamp post, lids covering the drop hole to exclude weather, a sight hole so a carrier could see if any letters had been deposited, and a small door secured with a lock for the carrier to empty the box. |
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| Between 1861 and 1865 Confederate currency was being issued to millions of Southerners, gambling that a Confederate victory would ensure the currency would be redeemable. In an effort to debase this currency, the North printed counterfeit Confederate money and circulated it in the south. Inflation was soon rampant in both the north and south, but far worse in the Confederacy. The Act of March 9, 1861 "authorized Treasury notes to be issued for such sum or sums as the exigencies of the public service may require, but not to exceed at any time one million dollars, and of denominations not less than fifty dollars for any such note." Payable "Twelve months after date" with interest at one cent per day for each one hundred dollars. |
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| The naval battle lasted two days. The first day saw the debut of the Virginia and was fought without the Monitor. Havoc was wreaked upon the wooden Union ships and the day ended with the Confederate side at a decided advantage. However, on the second day the Monitor arrived and initiated the famous action known as the duel of the ironclads. Although the battle was inconclusive, it is significant in naval history. Prior to then, nearly all warships were made primarily of wood. After the battle, design of ships and naval warfare changed dramatically, as nations around the world raced to convert their fleets to iron, as ironclads had shown themselves to be clearly superior to wooden ships in their ability to withstand enemy fire. |
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| Lincoln rejected Grant's plan to invade Alabama and Georgia. He also complained about Grant's willingness to keep the president informed of his actions. Lincoln commented that "General Grant is a copious worker, and fighter, but a very meagre writer, or telegrapher." Despite his doubts about Grant, in March, 1864, he was named lieutenant general and the commander of the Union Army. |  |
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| Sockalexis was signed to a professional contract in 1897 by the Cleveland Spiders baseball club of the National League and was an immediate success, hitting an impressive .338 with eight triples and 16 stolen bases in his first 60 games. He appeared to be on target to fulfill the enormous promise predicted for him by New York Giants manager John McGraw, who described Sockalexis as the greatest natural talent he had ever encountered in the game. But his rookie season and his professional baseball career were soon ground to a halt. A drinking problem that had begun in his college days resurfaced, and on July 4, 1897, during a party, an inebriated Sockalexis jumped from the second-story window of a brothel, severely injuring his ankle. |
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| The Cleveland team had been called the Naps, after their star player Napoleon Lajoie, but Lajoie left the team in 1914, bringing about the need for a new nickname. The Cleveland Plain Dealer (newspaper) held a contest. The winning entry, chosen by a committee of sportswriters, was "Indians". According to the ballclub's official account, the name was "suggested by a fan who said he was doing it in honor of an Indians ballplayer named Louis Francis Sockalexis". Sockalexis had died in 1913. |
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| At 1:00 A.M., between 500 and 600 Mexican revolutionaries, led by General Francisco "Pancho" Villa, crossed the border into the United States. Villa divided his troops and attacked Columbus from the southwest at approximately 4:20 am. This attack caught the entire town, as well as the army camp, by surprise. That morning majority of the destruction of the town came from the burning and pillaging of the business district. U.S. Army officers and soldiers, awakened by the commotion, set up a Benet-Mercier machine gun in front of the Hoover Hotel and produced a murderous rain of bullets. Another machine gun set up on East Boundary Street fired north and caught anyone in the intersection of Broadway and East Boundary in a deadly crossfire. The raid lasted until dawn, or approximately one and a half hours. By this time, the death toll totaled 70 to 75 Villistas. In addition, during the attack on Columbus, eighteen Americans, mostly civilians, died. |
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| Newsman Frederick Allen described the situation this way: "The difference between Roosevelt's program and the Hoover program was sharp," Allen wrote. "Roosevelt's was not a program of defense, but of attack. In most of the laws, there was a new push for the good of the common man. There was a new effort to build wealth from the bottom up, rather than from the top down." |
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| Construction of the highway began on March 9, 1942, the start of months of misery for the 20,000 mainly US soldiers shanghaied to ram a road through mountains, mud, mosquito-ridden bogs, icy rivers and forest during some of the harshest extremes of weather. Incredibly, crews working on the eastern and western sections met at Contact Creek, British Columbia, in September 1942, and completed the last leg to Fairbanks in October an engineering triumph that had taken less than a year but cost around $140 million. The first full convoy of trucks to make Fairbanks managed an average 25kph during one of the worst winters in memory. |
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| Passengers enjoyed all-electric cooking between Chicago and St. Louis. A wide variety of dishes was served in Illinois Central Railroad's dining cars from chicken, steak, and seafood that was prepared fresh on board and offered the "Yankee" way or was available with a touch of Creole flavor. Dessert was superb on these trains. The IC was noted for a variety of fresh-baked pies. |
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| According to the Star-Journal, "the holdup was one of the largest and most cleverly executed bank robberies in Queens history. While crowds of unsuspecting workers rushed by outside on Queens Boulevard, the bandits calmly remained inside the bank," until their task was finished. The custodian unlocked the bank at 8.25 am, and slipped next door for a newspaper. As he went back inside the bank, he found a gun and was soon tied up to a radiator in the vestibule. Three men stood inside the bank's front door for an hour, letting in employees." |
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| Broadcast on March 9, 1954, the program, composed almost entirely of McCarthy's own words and pictures, was a damning portrait of a fanatic. McCarthy demanded a chance to respond, but his rebuttal, in which he referred to Murrow as "the leader of the jackal pack," only sealed his fate. The combination of the program's timing and its persuasive power broke the Senator's hold over the nation. |  |
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| WNBT-TV (now WNBC-TV), New York, broadcast the first local color television commercials -- for Castro Decorators of New York City. Castro were the folks who made the Castro convertible sofa beds. The TV commercial featured a little girl (a member of the Castro family) opening a big couch into a bed. It was so-o-o easy! Let me see you try it. |
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| The 1957 Andreanof Islands Earthquake was a magnitude 9.1 megathrust earthquake that took place on March 9, 1957. The earthquake caused damage to infrastructure on Adak Island and Umnak Island, as well as causing an eruption of long-dormant volcano Mount Vsevidof. It also caused a tsunami that reached a height of 16 m (52 ft) and caused around $5,000,000 in damage in Hawaii, destroying two villages on Oahu. No lives were lost in either the earthquake or the tsunami. |
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| Hunter was signed to a contract at Warner Brothers and re-named "Tab Hunter" by his first agent, Henry Willson. His good looks got him pegged as a teen idol. He landed a role in the film “Island of Desire” opposite Linda Darnell. Although he believed that he had a mediocre singing voice, he had a 1957 hit record with a cover of the Sonny James song, "Young Love," which was #1 for Hunter for over a month. Hunter's success led Warner Brothers to form Warner Bros Records. |
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| A 6-foot-5 forward, Yardley specialized in out-jumping opponents, and was one of only a handful of players who dunked regularly in games. His legs had been built up playing sand volleyball and tennis, in which he won five national titles in his age bracket. He could also shoot with tremendous accuracy. The Boston Celtics once tried using Bill Russell to slow Yardley, but the Pistons' forward scored 42 points. Yardley played four years in Fort Wayne, scoring 4,380 points. Other than his rookie season, Yardley averaged more than 17 points in his final six seasons. He made All-NBA first team once in 1958 and the second team in 1957. |
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| 1959 Mattel co-founder Ruth Handler introduces Barbie at New York City's Toy Fair. The doll is 11 1/2 inches tall and features a movable head, arms and legs. "Barbie #1" is known for her sly sideways glance and her black-and-white striped swimsuit. Fashions from Barbie's first year include the "Wedding Day Dress" and the Dixie-themed "Plantation Belle." Girls went wild over her and set a new sales record for Mattel the very first year at 351,000 sold at $3.00 each. |
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| "Venus" was the first of two US #1 singles by the former trumpeter. The other was "Why." It was the first US Top 10 hit that Avalon sang without holding his nose. He held his honker on earlier hits "Dede Dinah"(#7) and "Ginger Bread"(#9). |  |
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| Korabl-Sputnik-4, also known as Sputnik 9 was launched on March 9, 1961 and carried the black dog Chernushka (Blackie) on a one orbit mission. Also onboard the spacecraft was a dummy cosmonaut, mice and a guinea pig. |  |
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| Throughout the winter and into the spring of 1963, the Beatles continued their rise to fame in England by producing spirited recordings of original tunes and also by playing classic American rock and roll on a variety of British Broadcasting Corporation radio programs. They toured with Tommy Roe beginning on March 9 at the Granada in East Ham and finished on March 31 at De Montfort Hall in Leicester. |
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| "Walk Like a Man" was recorded under extraordinary circumstances - they recorded it in a burning building! According to guitarist Vinne Bell, their producer, Bob Crewe, locked the door to the studio (a standard practice on recording day), then after a while - and a couple of bad takes - the musicians smelled smoke and there was a pounding on the studio door. Crewe refused to unlock it, even though plaster was falling from the ceiling, because he wanted one more take to perfect the song. The musicians were afraid of electrocution as water leaked into the studio. The session ended when firemen axed open the studio door and knocked Crewe to the floor in the process. |
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| In 1961, Ford Division Vice President and General Manager Lee Iacocca had a vision: a sporty car that would seat four people, be no more than 180 in. long, weigh less than 2500 lb, and sell for under $2500. On March 9, 1964, vision became reality as the first Mustang rolled off the assembly line. By the end of the day on April 17--the Mustang's official on-sale date--Ford had sold over 22,000 units, and the ponycar revolution was on. It remains one of America's most popular nameplates and makes a superb "first classic" and weekend playtoy. |
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| In 1965 Mauriat established "Le Grand Orchestre de Paul Mauriat" and released hundreds of recordings and compilations through the Philips label for the next 28 years. He is best known for his masterpiece 1968 "L'Amour est bleu" ("Love is Blue"), written by André Popp and originally recorded by Vicky Leandros,which was a number one hit in the United States. |  |
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| Players on the White Sox vote 31-0 in favor of a strike, if necessary, during negotiations between players and owners. The dispute centers around health and pension benefits for players. This is the first of a series of landmark team votes. In two weeks the Sox will release vet pitcher Joel Horlen, the Sox player rep, and he will sign with Oakland. |
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| On March 9, 1974, Hiroo Onoda went to an agreed upon place and found a note that had been left by Suzuki, who he had met two weeks earlier. Along with the note, Suzuki had enclosed two photos that they had taken together the first time that they met along with copies of two army orders. The next day, Onoda decided to take a chance and made a two-day journey to meet up with Suzuki. His long hike paid off handsomely. Suzuki had brought along Onoda’s one-time superior commander, Major Taniguchi, who delivered the oral orders for Onoda to surrender his sword. |
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| Canadian singer Terry Jacks was in the duo The Poppy Family with his wife, Susan. After their divorce,Terry worked on a session with the Beach Boys, where he suggested this song. The Beach Boys recorded it but decided not to release it. Terry released this on his own label, Goldfish Records, and was amazed when it became the largest-selling single in Canadian history -- more than 285,000 copies sold in a matter of weeks. Worldwide, the figure is over six million. |
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| While holidaying in Bermuda, John whiled away the hours listening to Bob Marley and reggae music. This song was John's attempt at capturing that feel, albeit less in a reggae style ... more like a west-indian easy listening beat sounding somewhat like 10c.c. The 12" version of this release included an extra Yoko track, "Never Say Goodbye". Also with the 12" was a free poster showing John and Yoko in a naked embrace. |  |
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| When the band had difficulty coming up with songs for their Wheels Are Turnin' album, they took time off so each member could write alone. Kevin Cronin went to Molokai, Hawaii, during his "time off." There he played around with a song that he wrote 10 years earlier but never finished. When he stopped tinkering with his composition, it had become a song about a person's fear of change -- even though he knows that he MUST change. It was the second of two #1 hits for REO Speedwagon (after "Keep on Lovin' You"). |
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| After carrying Venus entry probes to the vicinity of Venus (arrival and deployment of probes were scheduled for June 11-15, 1985), the two spacecraft were retargetted using Venus gravity field assistance to intercept Comet Halley in March 1986. The first spacecraft encountered Comet Halley on March 6, 1986, and the second three days later. |
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| Chairman Iacocca made a controversial move in March 1987, when Chrysler acquired the American Motors Company (AMC), the number four "American" automaker. AMC was the product of a merger between two small automakers, the Hudson Motor Car Company and Nash-Kelvinator Corporation in 1954. AMC was best know for its Jeep brand light trucks (a subsequent acquisition) and its rather unconventional-looking passenger cars, such as the AMC Pacer. Iacocca's interest in AMC was limited to its Jeep brand and dealer network, but Chrysler was unable to negotiate a separate sale of this unit. Fearing it might lose out to another buyer, Chrysler finally agreed to purchase all of AMC, including Renault's 46 percent interest, for $1.5 billion. |
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| In 1988, the United States Postal Service honored Rockne with a postage stamp. President Ronald Reagan, who played George Gipp in the movie "Knute Rockne, All American" gave an address at the Athletic & Convocation Center at the University of Notre Dame on March 9, 1988, and officially unveiled the Rockne stamp. |  |
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| Dumars played guard for the Detroit Pistons for his entire career, from 1985 to 1999. He won two championships as a player in 1989-1990 and 1990-1991 and was the NBA finals MVP in 1991. |  |
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| After signing to Columbia, Carey entered the studio to begin work on her 1990 self-titled debut LP; the heavily promoted album was a chart-topping smash, launching no less than four number one singles: "Vision of Love," "Love Takes Time," "Someday," and "I Don't Wanna Cry." Her overnight success earned Grammy awards as Best New Artist and Best Female Vocalist. |  |
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1497 Nicolaus Copernicus first recorded
astronomical observation
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1522 Martin Luther preaches his Invocavit
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1562 Kissing in public banned in Naples
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1611 Sunspots spotted
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1796 Napoleon Bonaparte marries Josephine de Beauharnais
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1822 Charles M Graham of New York patents artificial
teeth
1832 Abraham Lincoln of New Salem, IL announced
that he would run for political office
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1858 Albert Potts of Philadelphia patents the
street mailbox
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1861 Confederate currency authorized-$50, $100,
$500, $1,000
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1862 "Monitor" (Union) & "Merrimack"
(Rebel) battle in Hampton Roads
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1864 Ulysses S Grant is appointed commander of
Union Army
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1897 Cleveland Spiders sign Louis Sockalexis,
full-blooded Penobscot
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1897 Indian fans start calling the team Indians
(in 1915 becomes official)
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1916 General Fransisco "Pancho" Villa
leads Mexican band raid on Columbus, NM
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1933 Congress is called into special session by
FDR, & began its "100 days"
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1936 Babe Ruth turns down Reds to make a comeback
as a player
1942 Construction of the Alaska Highway began
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1946 Ted Williams is offered $500,000 to play
in Mexican League, he refuses
1949 The first all-electric dining car was placed
in service
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1950 Willie Sutton robs Manufacturer's Bank of
$64,000 in New York NY
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1954 Edward R Murrow criticizes Senator Joseph
McCarthy (See it Now)
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1954 WNBT-TV (now WNBC-TV), New York, broadcast
the first local color television commercials
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1957 8.1 earthquake shakes Andreanof Islands,
Alaska
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1957 Teenage heartthrob Tab Hunter’s song
"Young Love" was number one in the US
More ...
1958 George Yardley (Pistons) is first NBA player
to score 2,000 points in season
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1959 Barbie, the popular girls' doll, debuted,
over 800 million sold
More ...
1959 "Venus" by Frankie Avalon topped
the charts
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1961 First animal returned from space, dog named
Blackie aboard Sputnik 9
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1963 Beatles began first British tour, supporting
Tommy Roe & Chris Montez
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1963 "Walk Like a Man" by the Four Seasons
topped the charts
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1964 First Ford Mustang produced
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1968 "Love Is Blue" by Paul Mauriat
topped the charts
More ...
1972 Players on White Sox vote 31-0 in favor of
a strike, if necessary
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1974 Last Japanese soldier, a guerrilla operating
in Philippines, surrenders
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1974 "Seasons in the Sun" by Terry Jacks
topped the charts
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1979 Bowie Kuhn orders baseball to give equal
access to female reporters
1984 John Lennon's "Borrowed Time" is
released
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1984 Philadelphia 76'ers block 20 Seattle shots
tying NBA regulation game record
1985 "Can't Fight This Feeling" by REO
Speedwagon topped the charts
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1986 Soviet probe Vega 2 flies by Halley's Comet
at 4990 miles
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1987 Chrysler Corp offered to buy American Motors
Corp
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1988 President Reagan presides at unveiling of
Knute Rockne stamp
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1991 Joe Dumars (Detroit MI) begins NBA free throw
streak of 62 games
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1991 "Someday" by Mariah Carey topped
the charts
More ...
1995 Baseball awards a franchise to Tampa Bay
Devil Rays