Discover what happened on March 9 in history, along with notable celebrity birthdays and fun Days of the Year to celebrate.
What Happened on March 9 in History?
Important events on this day include Mattel introducing the Barbie doll, the first Ford Mustang rolling off the assembly line, U2 releasing The Joshua Tree, and the debut of the Apple Watch.
MARCH 9 – TODAY IN HISTORY:
1793 – Jean Pierre Blanchard made the first balloon flight in North America. The event was witnessed by President George Washington.
1820 – Congress passed the Land Act that paved the way for westward expansion of North America.
1822 – False teeth were patented by Charles M. Graham.
1832 – Abraham Lincoln announced that he would run for a political office for the first time. He was unsuccessful in his run for a seat in the Illinois state legislature.
1859 – The National Association of Baseball Players adopted the rule that limited the size of bats to no more than 2-1/2 inches in diameter.
1897 – A patent was issued to William Spinks and William Hoskins for cue chalk.
1929 – Eric Krenz became the first athlete to toss the discus over 160 feet.
1932 – The Ford Motor Company introduced the production V-8 in its showrooms.
1949 – The first all-electric dining car was placed in service on the Illinois Central Railroad.
1954 – WNBT-TV (now WNBC-TV), in New York, NY, broadcast the first local color television commercials. The ad was for Castro Decorators of New York, NY.
1959 – Mattel introduced the Barbie doll at the annual American International Toy Fair in New York, NY. She originally was available with blonde or brunette hair. She was created by Ruth Handler, the co-founder of Mattel. The doll was named after her own daughter Barbara.
1964 – The first Mustang rolled off the Ford assembly line.
1969 – TV’s “The Smothers Brothers’ Comedy Hour” was canceled by CBS.
1975 – Work began on the Alaskan oil pipeline.
1976 – Hot air balloon flights over Michigan become legal. It had been against the law to sell and use hot air balloons in Michigan since 1931.
1981 – Dan Rather made his debut as anchor of TV’s “The CBS Evening News”. He signed off for the last time on the same date in 2005.
1984 – The film “Children of the Corn”, based upon Stephen King’s 1977 short story of the same name, premiered in theaters.
1985 – “Gone With The Wind” went on sale in video stores across the U.S. for the first time.
1986 – U.S. Navy divers found the Space Shuttle Challenger crew compartment along with the remains of the astronauts.
1987 – U2 released their album “The Joshua Tree”.
1987 – Chrysler Corporation offered to buy American Motors Corporation.
1989 – A strike forced Eastern Airlines into bankruptcy.
1989 – President George H.W. Bush urged for a mandatory death penalty in drug-related killings.
1990 – Dr. Antonia Novello was sworn in as the first female and Hispanic surgeon general.
1993 – In California, Rodney King testified at the federal trial of four Los Angeles police officers accused of violating his civil rights.
1995 – Los Angeles, CA police detective Mark Fuhrman testified in the O.J. Simpson murder trial.
1997 – Christopher “The Notorious B.I.G.” Wallace, 24, was killed in a still unsolved drive-by shooting in Los Angeles, CA.
2004 – John Muhammad was sentenced to death for his role in the 2002 sniper shootings in the Washington, DC area.
2005 – After 24 years, Dan Rather signed off as the anchor of TV’s “CBS Evening News”.
2005 – Dave Matthews Band tour bus driver Stefan Wohl pleaded guilty to charges of reckless conduct and discharging contaminates to cause water pollution. The previous August he had emptied his vehicle’s septic tank while driving across the open grating deck of the Kinzie Street bridge onto a boat on the Chicago River. He was sentenced to 18 months probation and 150 hours of community service.
2011 – After a total of 39 flights, the Space Shuttle Discovery made its final landing.
2015 – The Apple Watch was introduced and went on sale a little over a month later.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS ON MARCH 9:
Joyce Van Patten – 92 years old (1934) – Actress
Andrew Viterbi – 91 years old (1935) – Engineer and businessman, co-founded Qualcomm Inc
Malcolm Bricklin – 87 years old (1939) – Businessman, founded Bricklin and Yugo
Jim Colbert – 85 years old (1941) – Golfer
Trish Van Devere – 85 years old (1941) – Actress
Mark Lindsay – 84 years old (1942) – Singer-songwriter, saxophonist, and producer
Charles Gibson – 83 years old (1943) – Journalist
Dennis Rader – 81 years old (1945) – Serial killer
Eric Fischl – 78 years old (1948) – Painter and sculptor
Jeffrey Osborne – 78 years old (1948) – Singer and drummer
Andy North – 76 years old (1950) – Golfer
Mark Dantonio – 70 years old (1956) – Football player and coach
Linda Fiorentino – 68 years old (1958) – Actress
Tom Amandes – 67 years old (1959) – Actor
Lonny Price – 67 years old (1959) – Actor, director, and screenwriter
Finn Carter – 66 years old (1960) – Actress
Rick Steiner – 65 years old (1961) – Wrestler
Darrell Walker – 65 years old (1961) – Basketball player and coach
Terry Mulholland – 63 years old (1963) – Baseball player
Phil Housley – 62 years old (1964) – Ice hockey player and coach
Brian Bosworth – 61 years old (1965) – Football player and actor
Brendan Canty – 60 years old (1966) – Drummer and songwriter
Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf – 57 years old (1969) – Basketball player
Kimberly Guilfoyle – 57 years old (1969) – Lawyer and journalist
Shannon Leto – 56 years old (1970) – Musician and songwriter
Emmanuel Lewis – 55 years old (1971) – Actor
Jodey Arrington – 54 years old (1972) – Politician
Jean Louisa Kelly – 54 years old (1972) – Actress and singer
Kerr Smith – 54 years old (1972) – Actor
Aaron Boone – 53 years old (1973) – Baseball player and manager
Adonal Foyle – 51 years old (1975) – Vincentian-American basketball player
Oscar Isaac – 47 years old (1979) – Guatemalan-American actor
Jordan Klepper – 47 years old (1979) – Comedian
Matt Barnes – 46 years old (1980) – Basketball player
Chingy – 46 years old (1980) – Rapper
Matthew Gray Gubler – 46 years old (1980) – Actor
Antonio Bryant – 45 years old (1981) – Football player
Chad Gilbert – 45 years old (1981) – Musician, songwriter, and producer
Clay Rapada – 45 years old (1981) – Baseball player
Clint Dempsey – 43 years old (1983) – Soccer player
Wayne Simien – 43 years old (1983) – Basketball player
Julia Mancuso – 42 years old (1984) – Skier
Jesse Litsch – 41 years old (1985) – Baseball player
Brittany Snow – 40 years old (1986) – Actress and producer
Daniel Hudson – 39 years old (1987) – Baseball player
Bow Wow – 39 years old (1987) – Rapper and actor
YG – 36 years old (1990) – Rapper
Cierra Ramirez – 31 years old (1995) – Actress and singer
Chika – 29 years old (1997) – Rapper
Najee Harris – 28 years old (1998) – Football running back
Sunisa Lee – 23 years old (2003) – Gymnast
DAYS OF THE YEAR FOR MARCH 9:
Today's special observances are temporarily unavailable. Please check back soon.
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.
