Discover what happened on March 7 in history, along with notable celebrity birthdays and fun Days of the Year to celebrate.
What Happened on March 7 in History?
Important events on this day include Alexander Graham Bell receiving the patent for the telephone, the debut of “We Are the World,” and Mike Tyson becoming the youngest heavyweight boxing champion.
MARCH 7 – TODAY IN HISTORY:
1854 – Charles Miller received a patent for the sewing machine.
1876 – Alexander Graham Bell received a patent for his telephone.
1908 – Cincinnati’s Mayor Leopold Markbreit announced before the city council that, “Women are not physically fit to operate automobiles.”
1911 – Willis Farnworth patented the coin-operated locker.
1927 – A Texas law that banned African Americans from voting was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.
1935 – Malcolm Campbell set an auto speed record of 276.8 mph in Florida.
1955 – “Peter Pan” was presented as a television special for the first time.
1955 – Baseball commissioner Ford Frick said that he was in favor of legalizing the spitball.
1959 – Melvin C. Garlow became the first pilot to fly over a million miles in jet airplanes.
1975 – The U.S. Senate revised the filibuster rule. The new rule allowed 60 senators to limit debate instead of the previous two-thirds.
1983 – TNN (The Nashville Network) began broadcasting.
1985 – The song “We Are the World” was heard on the radio for the first time. With sales in excess of 20 million copies, it was one of the fewer than 30 all-time singles to have sold at least 10 million copies worldwide. The promotion and merchandise aided the success of “We Are the World” and raised over $63 million for humanitarian aid in Africa and the U.S.
1986 – Divers from the USS Preserver located the crew cabin of the Space Shuttle Challenger on the ocean floor.
1987 – Mike Tyson became the youngest heavyweight titleholder when he beat James Smith in a decision during a 12-round fight in Las Vegas, NV.
1994 – The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that parodies that poke fun at an original work can be considered “fair use” and do not require permission from the copyright holder.
2001 – A Kenyan businessman who lost his cell phone called the number from his home telephone — and heard his German Shepherd ringing. The dog underwent surgery to remove the phone.
2007 – NASA dumped “astronut” Lisa Nowak, who strapped on a diaper and drove from Houston, TX to Orlando, FL to confront another woman over the affair both were having with Shuttle Commander Bill Oefelein. Oefelein said that he had broken off his relationship with Nowak, and was involved with the other woman, Air Force Captain Colleen Shipman.
2007 – Former ‘N Sync singer Lance Bass signed a deal to write his autobiography.
2009 – NASA’s Kepler Mission, a space photometer for searching for extra-solar planets in the Milky Way galaxy, was launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
2012 – The successor to Apple’s iPad2 was unveiled.
2017 – A windstorm started in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and then stretched across the entire state the following day. Approximately one-third of the state’s nearly 10 million people lost power. More than 1,000 Consumers Energy poles were toppled and 4,000 wires fell to the ground.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS ON MARCH 7:
Janet Guthrie – 88 years old (1938) – Race car driver
Daniel J. Travanti – 86 years old (1940) – Actor
Michael Eisner – 84 years old (1942) – Businessman
Bob Herbert – 81 years old (1945) – Journalist
Elizabeth Moon – 81 years old (1945) – Author
Peter Wolf – 80 years old (1946) – Singer-songwriter and musician
Billy Joe DuPree – 76 years old (1950) – Football player
Ernie Isley – 74 years old (1952) – Guitarist and songwriter
Lynn Swann – 74 years old (1952) – Football player, sportscaster, and politician
Bryan Cranston – 70 years old (1956) – Actor, director, and producer
Rick Bass – 68 years old (1958) – Author and environmentalist
Tom Lehman – 67 years old (1959) – Golfer
Donna Murphy – 67 years old (1959) – Actress and singer
Nick Searcy – 67 years old (1959) – Actor
Joe Carter – 66 years old (1960) – Baseball player
Jim Spivey – 66 years old (1960) – Runner and coach
Mary Beth Evans – 65 years old (1961) – Actress
Taylor Dayne – 64 years old (1962) – Singer-songwriter and actress
Bret Easton Ellis – 62 years old (1964) – Author and screenwriter
Wanda Sykes – 62 years old (1964) – Comedian, actress, and screenwriter
Jeff Feagles – 60 years old (1966) – Football player
Jeff Kent – 58 years old (1968) – Baseball player
Peter Sarsgaard – 55 years old (1971) – Actor
Jay Duplass – 53 years old (1973) – Actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
Jenna Fischer – 52 years old (1974) – Actress
Audrey Marie Anderson – 51 years old (1975) – Actress and model
T. J. Thyne – 51 years old (1975) – Actor
Laura Prepon – 46 years old (1980) – Actress
Steve Burtt Jr. – 42 years old (1984) – American-Ukrainian basketball player
Brandon T. Jackson – 42 years old (1984) – Actor and comedian
Ryan Ciminelli – 40 years old (1986) – Bowler
Jeff Withey – 36 years old (1990) – Basketball player
Ian Clark – 35 years old (1991) – Basketball player
Chase Kalisz – 32 years old (1994) – Swimmer
Jake Layman – 32 years old (1994) – Basketball player
Haley Lu Richardson – 31 years old (1995) – Actress
Amanda Gorman – 28 years old (1998) – Poet and activist
Kiyan Anthony – 19 years old (2007) – Basketball player
DAYS OF THE YEAR FOR MARCH 7:
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For additional information check out websites like: www.on-this-day.com, www.born-today.com, www.famousbirthdays.com, www.daysoftheyear.com, and www.nationaldaycalendar.com.
