On This Day in History — March 9

Highlights of March 9

• 1977 — Twelve gunmen seized three buildings in Washington, D.C., and took 149 hostages in a 39-hour standoff that ended in two deaths. Read more
• 1967 — Svetlana Alliluyeva, the daughter of former Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, defected to the United States. Read more
• 1959 — The popular fashion doll Barbie debuted at the American International Toy Fair in New York City. Read more
• 1957 — The Andreanof Islands earthquake struck Hawaii and the Aleutian Islands, causing more than $5 million in damage from ground movement and a destructive tsunami. Read more
• 1956 — In Tbilisi, Georgia, soldiers suppressed mass demonstrations against Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev's policy of de-Stalinization. Read more
• 1946 — Thirty-three people were killed in a human crush at Burnden Park, a football stadium in Bolton, England. Read more
• 1944 — World War II: As part of the Battle of Narva, the Soviet Air Forces heavily bombed Tallinn, Estonia, killing up to 800 people, mostly civilians. Read more
• 1933 — U.S. president Franklin D. Roosevelt submitted the Emergency Banking Act to the United States Congress, the first of his New Deal policies. Read more
• 1932 — Éamon de Valera (pictured), a dominant political figure in 20th-century Ireland, became President of the Executive Council of the Irish Free State. Read more
• 1927 — Former Royal Air Force officer Vivian Stranders (pictured) was convicted of industrial espionage by a French court. Read more
• 1925 — The Royal Air Force began a bombardment and strafing campaign against the mountain strongholds of Mahsud tribesmen in South Waziristan, present-day Pakistan. Read more
• 1910 — A seventeen-month-long strike, which at its peak involved 15,000 coal miners represented by the United Mine Workers across 65 mines, began in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, U.S. Read more
• 1891 — Kaʻiulani (pictured) was appointed the heir apparent to the throne of the Hawaiian Kingdom. Read more
• 1862 — American Civil War: In the world's first battle between two ironclad warships, USS Monitor and CSS Virginia fought to a draw near the mouth of Hampton Roads in Virginia. Read more
• 1847 — Mexican–American War: The Siege of Veracruz began, the first large-scale amphibious assault conducted by United States military forces. Read more
• 1842 — Awaking from a nap under a tree at Rancho San Francisco, Francisco López made the first popularly documented discovery of gold in California. Read more
• 1842 — Nabucco, an opera by Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi that established his reputation, premiered at La Scala in Milan. Read more
• 1776 — Scottish philosopher Adam Smith published his book The Wealth of Nations, the first classical treatise on political economy. Read more
• 1009 — The first recorded use of the name of Lithuania appeared in Latin in the Annals of Quedlinburg, written in Saxony-Anhalt, present-day Germany. Read more

Events

• 2023 — A shooting in the Alsterdorf quarter of Hamburg, Germany, kills eight people and injures another eight. Read more
• 2020 — Giuseppe Conte, Prime Minister of Italy, announces in a televised address and signs the decree imposing the first nationwide COVID-19 lockdown in the world. Read more
• 2015 — Two Eurocopter AS350 Écureuil helicopters collide in mid-air over Villa Castelli, Argentina, killing all 10 people on board both aircraft, including French athletes Florence Arthaud, Camille Muffat and Alexis Vastine, as well as producers and guests for the French TV show Dropped. Read more
• 2012 — A truce between the Salvadoran government and gangs in the country goes into effect when 30 gang leaders are transferred to lower security prisons. Read more
• 2011 — Space Shuttle Discovery makes its final landing after 39 flights. Read more
• 2000 — Nupedia, a multi-language online encyclopedia, is launched. Read more
• 1997 — Comet Hale–Bopp: Observers in China, Mongolia and eastern Siberia are treated to a rare double feature as an eclipse permits Hale-Bopp to be seen during the day. Read more
• 1987 — Chrysler announces its acquisition of American Motors Corporation. Read more
• 1978 — President Soeharto inaugurates Jagorawi Toll Road, the first toll highway in Indonesia, connecting Jakarta, Bogor and Ciawi, West Java. Read more
• 1977 — The Hanafi Siege: In a 39-hour standoff, armed Hanafi Muslims seize three Washington, D.C., buildings. Read more
• 1976 — Forty-two people die in the Cavalese cable car disaster, the deadliest cable car accident in history. Read more
• 1974 — The Mars 7 Flyby bus releases the descent module too early, missing Mars. Read more
• 1967 — Trans World Airlines Flight 553 crashes in a field in Concord Township, Ohio, following a mid-air collision with a Beechcraft Baron, killing 26 people. Read more
• 1961 — Sputnik 9 successfully launches, carrying a dog and a human dummy, and demonstrating that the Soviet Union was ready to begin human spaceflight. Read more
• 1960 — Dr. Belding Hibbard Scribner implants for the first time a shunt he invented into a patient, which allows the patient to receive hemodialysis on a regular basis. Read more
• 1959 — The Barbie doll makes its debut at the American International Toy Fair in New York. Read more
• 1957 — The 8.6 Mw Andreanof Islands earthquake shakes the Aleutian Islands, causing over $5 million in damage from ground movement and a destructive tsunami. Read more
• 1956 — Soviet forces suppress mass demonstrations in the Georgian SSR, reacting to Nikita Khrushchev's de-Stalinization policy. Read more
• 1954 — McCarthyism: CBS television broadcasts the See It Now episode, "A Report on Senator Joseph McCarthy", produced by Fred Friendly. Read more
• 1946 — Bolton Wanderers stadium disaster at Burnden Park, Bolton, England, kills 33 and injures hundreds more. Read more
• 1945 — World War II: A coup d'état by Japanese forces in French Indochina removes the French from power. Read more
• 1945 — World War II: Allied forces carry out firebombing over Tokyo, destroying most of the capital and killing over 100,000 civilians. Read more
• 1944 — World War II: Soviet Army planes attack Tallinn, Estonia. Read more
• 1942 — World War II: Dutch East Indies unconditionally surrenders to the Japanese forces in Kalijati, Subang, West Java, and the Japanese complete their Dutch East Indies campaign. Read more
• 1933 — Great Depression: President Franklin D. Roosevelt submits the Emergency Banking Act to Congress, the first of his New Deal policies. Read more
• 1916 — Mexican Revolution: Pancho Villa leads nearly 500 Mexican raiders in an attack against the border town of Columbus, New Mexico. Read more
• 1908 — Inter Milan is founded on Football Club Internazionale, following a schism from A.C. Milan. Read more
• 1883 — Demonstration of 9 March 1883: Parisian anarchists, unemployed and carpenters narrowly miss the Presidential palace during a violent protest; first use of the black flag as a symbol of anarchism by Louise Michel. Read more
• 1862 — American Civil War: USS Monitor and CSS Virginia (rebuilt from the engines and lower hull of the USS Merrimack) fight to a draw in the Battle of Hampton Roads, the first battle between two ironclad warships. Read more
• 1847 — Mexican–American War: The first large-scale amphibious assault in U.S. history is launched in the Siege of Veracruz. Read more
• 1842 — Giuseppe Verdi's third opera, Nabucco, receives its première performance in Milan; its success establishes Verdi as one of Italy's foremost opera composers. Read more
• 1842 — The first documented discovery of gold in California occurs at Rancho San Francisco, six years before the California Gold Rush. Read more
• 1841 — The U.S. Supreme Court rules in the United States v. The Amistad case that captive Africans who had seized control of the ship carrying them had been taken into slavery illegally. Read more
• 1815 — Francis Ronalds describes the first battery-operated clock in the Philosophical Magazine. Read more
• 1811 — Paraguayan forces defeat Manuel Belgrano at the Battle of Tacuarí. Read more
• 1796 — Napoléon Bonaparte marries his first wife, Joséphine de Beauharnais. Read more
• 1776 — Scottish philosopher Adam Smith publishes The Wealth of Nations, ushering in the classical period of political economy. Read more
• 1765 — After a 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 may have actually died by suicide. Read more
• 1701 — Safavid troops retreat from Basra, ending a three-year occupation. Read more
• 1500 — The fleet of Pedro Álvares Cabral leaves Lisbon for the Indies. The fleet will discover Brazil which lies within boundaries granted to Portugal in the Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494. Read more
• 1230 — Bulgarian Tsar Ivan Asen II defeats Theodore of Epirus in the Battle of Klokotnitsa. Read more
• 1226 — Khwarazmian sultan Jalal ad-Din conquers the Georgian capital of Tbilisi. Read more
• 1044 — The people of Constantinople riot against emperor Constantine IX Monomachos, whose preference of his mistress Maria Skleraina over empress Zoe Porphyrogenita is seen as an insult. Read more
• 1009 — First known mention of Lithuania, in the annals of the monastery of Quedlinburg. Read more
• 141 BC — Liu Che, posthumously known as Emperor Wu of Han, assumes the throne over the Han dynasty of China. Read more

Born on March 9

• 2003 — Sunisa Lee, American gymnast Read more
• 2002 — Usman Garuba, Spanish basketball player Read more
• 2001 — Jeon Somi, South Korean-Canadian singer Read more
• 2000 — Khaby Lame, Senegalese-Italian social media personality Read more
• 1999 — Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Finnish ice hockey player Read more
• 1998 — Najee Harris, American football running back Read more
• 1997 — Nadeo Argawinata, Indonesian footballer Read more
• 1997 — Chika, American rapper Read more
• 1995 — Cierra Ramirez, American actress and singer Read more
• 1994 — Morgan Rielly, Canadian ice hockey player Read more
• 1993 — George Baldock, Greek footballer (died 2024) Read more
• 1993 — Miikka Salomäki, Finnish ice hockey player Read more
• 1993 — Suga, South Korean rapper, songwriter and record producer Read more
• 1991 — Jooyoung, South Korean singer-songwriter Read more
• 1990 — Daley Blind, Dutch footballer Read more
• 1990 — YG, American rapper Read more
• 1989 — Taeyeon, South Korean singer Read more
• 1987 — Daniel Hudson, American baseball player Read more
• 1987 — Bow Wow, American rapper and actor Read more
• 1986 — Bryan Bickell, Canadian ice hockey player Read more
• 1986 — Damien Brunner, Swiss ice hockey player Read more
• 1986 — Colin Greening, Canadian ice hockey player Read more
• 1986 — Brittany Snow, American actress and producer Read more
• 1985 — Brent Burns, Canadian ice hockey player Read more
• 1985 — Jesse Litsch, American baseball player Read more
• 1985 — Pastor Maldonado, Venezuelan race car driver Read more
• 1985 — Parthiv Patel, Indian cricketer Read more
• 1984 — Abdoulay Konko, French footballer Read more
• 1984 — Julia Mancuso, American skier Read more
• 1983 — Clint Dempsey, American soccer player Read more
• 1983 — Wayne Simien, American basketball player Read more
• 1982 — Ryan Bayley, Australian cyclist Read more
• 1982 — Érika de Souza, Brazilian basketball player Read more
• 1982 — Mirjana Lučić-Baroni, Croatian tennis player Read more
• 1981 — Antonio Bryant, American football player Read more
• 1981 — Chad Gilbert, American musician, songwriter, and producer (died 2026) Read more
• 1981 — Clay Rapada, American baseball player Read more
• 1980 — Matt Barnes, American basketball player Read more
• 1980 — Chingy, American rapper Read more
• 1980 — Matthew Gray Gubler, American actor Read more

Died on March 9

• 2023 — Chaim Topol, Israeli actor (born 1935) Read more
• 2021 — James Levine, American conductor and pianist (born 1943) Read more
• 2021 — Roger Mudd, American journalist (born 1928) Read more
• 2020 — John Bathersby, Australian Catholic bishop (born 1936) Read more
• 2018 — Jo Min-ki, Korean actor (born 1965) Read more
• 2017 — Howard Hodgkin, British painter (born 1932) Read more
• 2016 — Robert Horton, American actor (born 1924) Read more
• 2016 — Clyde Lovellette, American basketball player and coach (born 1929) Read more
• 2015 — James Molyneaux, Baron Molyneaux of Killead, Northern Irish soldier and politician (born 1920) Read more
• 2013 — Max Jakobson, Finnish journalist and diplomat (born 1923) Read more
• 2013 — Merton Simpson, American painter and art collector (born 1928) Read more
• 2011 — David S. Broder, American journalist and academic (born 1929) Read more
• 2010 — Willie Davis, American baseball player and manager (born 1940) Read more
• 2010 — Doris Haddock, American activist and politician (born 1910) Read more
• 2010 — Wilfy Rebimbus, Indian singer (born 1942) Read more
• 2010 — Henry Wittenberg, American wrestler (born 1918) Read more
• 2007 — Brad Delp, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1951) Read more
• 2007 — Glen Harmon, Canadian ice hockey player (born 1921) Read more
• 2006 — Tom Fox, American activist (born 1951) Read more
• 2006 — Anna Moffo, American soprano (born 1932) Read more
• 2006 — John Profumo, English soldier and politician, Secretary of State for War (born 1915) Read more
• 2004 — John Mayer, Indian composer (born 1930) Read more
• 2003 — Stan Brakhage, American director and cinematographer (born 1933) Read more
• 2003 — Bernard Dowiyogo, Nauruan politician, President of Nauru (born 1946) Read more
• 2000 — Jean Coulthard, Canadian composer and educator (born 1908) Read more
• 1999 — Harry Somers, Canadian pianist and composer (born 1925) Read more
• 1999 — George Singh, Belizean jurist and Chief Justice of Belize (born 1937) Read more
• 1997 — Jean-Dominique Bauby, French journalist and author (born 1952) Read more
• 1997 — Terry Nation, Welsh author and screenwriter (born 1930) Read more
• 1997 — The Notorious B.I.G., American rapper, songwriter, and actor (born 1972) Read more
• 1996 — George Burns, American comedian, actor, and writer (born 1896) Read more
• 1995 — Edward Bernays, Austrian-American propagandist (born 1891) Read more
• 1994 — Charles Bukowski, American poet, novelist, and short story writer (born 1920) Read more
• 1994 — Eddie Creatchman, Canadian wrestler, referee, and manager (born 1928) Read more
• 1994 — Fernando Rey, Spanish actor (born 1917) Read more
• 1993 — C. Northcote Parkinson, English historian and author (born 1909) Read more
• 1992 — Menachem Begin, Belarusian-Israeli soldier, politician and Prime Minister of Israel, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1913) Read more
• 1991 — Jim Hardin, American baseball player (born 1943) Read more
• 1989 — Robert Mapplethorpe, American photographer (born 1946) Read more
• 1988 — Kurt Georg Kiesinger, German lawyer, politician and Chancellor of Germany (born 1904) Read more

Holidays & observances

Christian feast day: Catherine of Bologna; Christian feast day: Forty Martyrs of Sebaste; Christian feast day: Frances of Rome; Christian feast day: Pacian; Christian feast day: Pope Cyril VI of Alexandria (Coptic Orthodox Church); Christian feast day: Gregory of Nyssa (Episcopal Church (United States)); Christian feast day: March 9 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics); Teachers' Day or Eid Al Moalim (Lebanon)

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