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Today March 24th 2009 this day in history Read more below to view events, deaths, births, Holidays observances and video clips. Last database updated: Jan 17th, 2009
Events
1401 – Mongol emperor Timur sacks Damascus.
1603 – James VI of Scotland also becomes James I King of England.
1731 – Naturalization of Hieronimus de Salis Parliamentary Act is passed.
1765 – American Revolutionary War: The Kingdom of Great Britain passes the Quartering Act that requires the Thirteen Colonies to house British troops.
1832 – In Hiram, Ohio a group of men beat, tar and feather Mormon leader Joseph Smith, Jr..
1837 – Canada gives African men the right to vote.
1868 – Metropolitan Life Insurance Company is formed.
1878 – The British frigate HMS Eurydice sinks, killing more than 300.
1882 – Robert Koch announces the discovery of the bacterium responsible for tuberculosis (mycobacterium tuberculosis).
1900 – New York City Mayor Robert Anderson Van Wyck breaks ground for a new underground Rapid Transit Railroad that would link Manhattan and Brooklyn.
1907 – The first issue of the Georgian Bolshevik newspaper Dro is published.
1923 – Greece becomes a republic.
1934 – U.S. Congress passes the Tydings-McDuffie Act.
1936 – The longest game in NHL history was played between Detroit and Montreal. Detroit scored at 16:30 of the sixth overtime and won the game 1-0.
1944 – Ardeatine Massacre: German troops kill 335 Italian civilians in Rome.
1944 – World War II: In an event later dramatized in the movie The Great Escape, 76 prisoners begin breaking out of Stalag Luft III.
1958 – Elvis Presley is officially inducted into the U.S.Army.
1959 – The Party of the African Federation (PFA) is launched by Léopold Sédar Senghor and Modibo Keita.
1965 – NASA spacecraft Ranger 9, equipped to convert its signals into a form suitable for showing on domestic television, brings images of the Moon into ordinary homes before crash landing.
1972 – The United Kingdom imposes Direct Rule over Northern Ireland.
1973 – Kenyan track runner Kip Keino defeats Jim Ryun at the first-ever professional track meet in Los Angeles, California.
1976 – Argentina s military forces depose president Isabel Perón and start the National Reorganization Process.
1980 – Archbishop Óscar Romero is killed by right-wing terrorists while celebrating Mass in San Salvador.
1989 – Exxon Valdez oil spill: In Prince William Sound in Alaska, the Exxon Valdez spills 240,000 barrels (42,000 m³) of petroleum after running aground.
1998 – Jonesboro massacre: Two students, ages 11 and 13, fire upon teachers and students at Westside Middle School in Jonesboro, Arkansas; five people are dead and ten are wounded.
1998 – A tornado sweeps through Dantan in India killing 250 people and injuring 3000 others.
1999 – Kosovo War: NATO commences air bombardment against Yugoslavia, marking the first time NATO has attacked a sovereign country.
1999 – Mont Blanc Tunnel Fire: 39 people die when a Belgian transport truck carrying flour and margarine caught fire in the Mont Blanc Tunnel.
2003 – The Arab League votes 21-1 in favor of a resolution demanding the immediate and unconditional removal of U.S. and British soldiers from Iraq.
2006 – Long-term protests in Belarus are broken by police.
2006 – Pope Benedict XVI adds 15 men to the College of Cardinals, in the first consistory of his Pontificate.
2007 – The Australian Labor Party is reinstated after the New South Wales state elections.
2008 – Bhutan officially becomes a democracy, with its first ever general election.
Births
1494 – Georg Agricola, German scientist (d. 1555)
1607 – Michiel Adriaenszoon de Ruyter, Dutch admiral (d. 1667)
1628 – Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg, queen of Denmark and Norway (d. 1685)
1657 – Arai Hakuseki, Japanese writer and politician (d. 1725)
1693 – John Harrison, British clockmaker (d. 1776)
1725 – Samuel Ashe, Governor of North Carolina (d. 1813)
1725 – Thomas Cushing, American Continental Congressman and acting Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1788)
1755 – Rufus King, American politician (d. 1827)
1782 – Orest Kiprensky, Russian painter (d. 1836)
1796 – John Corry Wilson Daly, Canadian politician (d. 1878)
1808 – Maria Malibran, Spanish-French singer (d. 1836)
1809 – Mariano José de Larra, Spanish journalist and writer (d. 1837)
1809 – Joseph Liouville, French mathematician (d. 1882)
1820 – A. E. Becquerel, French physicist (d. 1891)
1820 – Fanny Crosby, American hymnist (d. 1915)
1828 – Horace Gray, Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (d. 1902)
1829 – George Francis Train, American businessman (d. 1904)
1829 – Ignacio Zaragoza, Mexican general (d. 1862)
1830 – Robert Hamerling, Austrian poet (d. 1889)
1834 – William Morris, English writer and designer (d. 1896)
1834 – John Wesley Powell, American explorer and environmentalist (d. 1902)
1835 – Jožef Stefan, Slovenian physicist (d. 1893)
1848 – Honoré Beaugrand, Quebec journalist and newspaper publisher (La Patrie) (d. 1906)
1850 – Silas Hocking, British novelist and preacher (d. 1935)
1855 – Andrew Mellon, American financier (d. 1937)
1855 – Olive Schreiner, South African writer (d. 1920)
1874 – Harry Houdini, (Weisz Erik), Hungarian-born magician (d. 1926)
1884 – Peter Debye, Dutch chemist, Nobel laureate (d. 1966)
1884 – Eugène Cardinal Tisserant, French Cardinal and Dean of the Sacred College of Cardinals
1886 – Athenagoras I, Greek Patriarch of Constantinople (d. 1972)
1886 – Edward Weston, American photographer (d. 1958)
1887 – Roscoe Arbuckle, American actor (d. 1933)
1888 – Viktor Kingissepp, Estonian Bolshevik politician (d. 1922)
1889 – Albert Hill, British athlete (d. 1969)
1891 – Sergey Ivanovich Vavilov, Soviet physicist (d. 1951)
1893 – George Sisler, American baseball player (d. 1973)
1893 – Walter Baade, German astronomer (d. 1960)
1897 – Wilhelm Reich, Austrian-born psychotherapist (d. 1957)
1901 – Ub Iwerks, American cartoonist (d. 1971)
1902 – Thomas Dewey, American politician (d. 1971)
1903 – Adolf Butenandt, German chemist, Nobel laureate (d. 1995)
1903 – Malcolm Muggeridge, British author and scholar (d. 1990)
1905 – Pura Santillan-Castrence, Filipino writer and diplomat (d. 2007)
1906 – Klavdiya Shulzhenko, Soviet singer (d. 1984)
1907 – Paul Sauvé, Quebec politician (d. 1960)
1909 – Clyde Barrow, American crime figure (d. 1934)
1910 – Richard Conte, American actor (d. 1975)
1911 – Joseph Barbera, American cartoonist (d. 2006)
1915 – Gorgeous George, American professional wrestler (d. 1963)
1916 – Donald Hamilton, Swedish-American novelist (d. 2006)
1917 – John Kendrew, British molecular biologist, Nobel laureate (d. 1997)
1917 – Constantine Andreou, Greek-Brazilian artist (d. 2007)
1919 – Lawrence Ferlinghetti, American author and publisher
1919 – Robert Heilbroner, American economist (d. 2005)
1920 – Gene Nelson, American actor (d. 1996)
1921 – Vasily Smyslov, Russian chess player
1922 – Onna White, Canadian choreographer (d. 2005)
1923 – Murray Hamilton, American actor (d. 1986)
1924 – Norman Fell, American actor (d. 1998)
1925 – Puig Aubert, French rugby league footballer (d. 1994)
1926 – Dario Fo, Italian writer, Nobel laureate
1926 – Desmond Cardinal Connell, Cardinal Archbishop Emeritus of Dublin
1927 – Martin Walser, German author
1928 – Byron Janis, American pianist
1930 – David Dacko, 1st President of the Central African Republic (d. 2003)
1930 – Agustín González, Spanish actor (d. 2005)
1930 – Steve McQueen, American actor (d. 1980)
1934 – William Smith, American actor
1935 – Peter Bichsel, Swiss writer
1936 – David Suzuki, Canadian scientist and environmentalist
1937 – Billy Stewart, American singer (d. 1970)
1938 – Holger Czukay, German musician (Can)
1938 – David Irving, British historian
1940 – Bob Mackie, American fashion designer
1940 – Don Jardine, Canadian professional wrestler (d. 2006)
1944 – R. Lee Ermey, American actor
1944 – Vojislav Koštunica, Serbian Prime Minister
1945 – Robert T. Bakker, American paleontologist
1945 – Curtis Hanson, American film director
1946 – Klaus Dinger, German musician (Neu!, Kraftwerk)
1947 – Christine Gregoire, American politician, current governor of Washington
1947 – Meiko Kaji, Japanese singer and actress
1947 – Alan Sugar, English businessman
1948 – Jerzy Kukuczka, Polish mountaineer, second person to climb all fourteen eight-thousanders (d. 1989)
1949 – Nick Lowe, British musician
1951 – Pat Bradley, American golfer
1951 – Tommy Hilfiger, American fashion designer
1951 – Dougie Thomson, British bassist (Supertramp)
1954 – Robert Carradine, American actor
1954 – Donna Pescow, American actress
1955 – Doug Jarvis, Canadian ice hockey player
1957 – Pierre Harvey, Canadian cyclist and cross-country skier
1958 – Mike Woodson, American basketball player and head coach
1960 – Kelly LeBrock, American actress
1960 – Barry Horowitz, American professional wrestler
1960 – Nena, German pop singer
1960 – Scott Pruett, American race car driver
1961 – Dean Jones, Australian cricketer
1962 – Star Jones Reynolds, American television personality
1962 – Angèle Dubeau, Canadian violinist
1964 – Annabella Sciorra, American actress
1965 – Peter Jacobson, American actor
1965 – Gurmit Singh, Singaporean actor
1965 – The Undertaker, American professional wrestler
1969 – Houston, American pornographic actress
1970 – Lara Flynn Boyle, American actress
1970 – Sharon Corr, Irish musician (The Corrs)
1970 – Judith Draxler, Austrian swimmer
1970 – Mike Vanderjagt, Canadian football player
1971 – Megyn Price, American actress
1972 – Steve Karsay, American baseball player
1973 – Jacek Bak, Polish footballer
1973 – Philippe Boucher, Canadian ice hockey player
1973 – Steve Corica, Australian soccer player
1974 – Chad Butler, American drummer (Switchfoot)
1974 – Alyson Hannigan, American actress
1975 – Thomas Johansson, Swedish tennis player
1975 – Krisdayanti, Indonesian singer, actress and diva
1976 – Aaron Brooks, American football player
1976 – Aliou Cissé, Senegalese footballer
1976 – Athanasios Kostoulas, Greek footballer
1976 – Peyton Manning, American football player
1977 – Corneille, Canadian-Rwandan singer
1977 – Darren Lockyer, Australian rugby league footballer
1978 – Michael Braun, Australian rules footballer
1979 – Lake Bell, American actress
1979 – Emraan Hashmi, Indian actor
1979 – Norris Hopper, American baseball player
1979 – Periklis Iakovakis, Greek athlete
1979 – Graeme Swann, English cricketer
1980 – Tassos Venetis, Greek footballer
1981 – Ron Hainsey, American ice hockey player
1982 – Corey Hart, American baseball player
1982 – Dustin McGowan, American baseball player
1982 – Nivea, American singer
1983 – T. J. Ford, American basketball player
1984 – Chris Bosh, American basketball player
1984 – Adrian D Souza, Indian Field Hockey player
1985 – Haruka Ayase, Japanese actress and model
1986 – Kohei Hirate, Japanese racing driver
1986 – Anthony McMahon, English footballer
1988 – Ryan Higgins, Zimbabwean cricketer
1990 – Keisha Castle-Hughes, Australian-born New Zealand actress
Deaths
809 – Harun al-Rashid, Abbasid caliph (b. 763)
1284 – King Hugh III of Cyprus
1381 – Saint Catharine of Sweden, Swedish saint
1396 – Walter Hilton, English mystic
1455 – Pope Nicholas V (b. 1397)
1558 – Anna of Egmond, Countess of Egmond and Buren (b. 1533)
1563 – Hosokawa Harumoto, Japanese military leader (b. 1514)
1575 – Yosef Karo, Spanish-born rabbi (b. 1488)
1603 – Queen Elizabeth I of England (b. 1533)
1653 – Samuel Scheidt, German composer (b. 1587)
1773 – Philip Dormer Stanhope, English statesman (b. 1694)
1776 – John Harrison, English clockmaker (b. 1693)
1869 – Antoine-Henri Jomini, French general (b. 1779)
1881 – Joseph Delesse, French geologist (b. 1817)
1882 – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, American author (b. 1807)
1887 – Ivan Kramskoi, Russian painter and art critic (b. 1837)
1888 – Vsevolod Garshin, Russian author (b. 1855)
1905 – Jules Verne, French author (b. 1828)
1909 – John Millington Synge, Irish playwright (b. 1871)
1915 – Karol Olszewski, Polish scientist (b. 1846)
1916 – Enrique Granados, Spanish composer (b. 1867)
1921 – Larry McLean, Canadian baseball player (b. 1881)
1944 – Orde Wingate, British soldier (b. 1903)
1946 – Alexander Alekhine, Russian chess player (b. 1892)
1948 – Sigrid Hjertén, Swedish modernist painter (b. 1885)
1950 – James Rudolph Garfield, American politician (b. 1865)
1953 – Mary of Teck, queen consort to George V of the United Kingdom (b. 1867)
1962 – Jean Goldkette, Greek-born musician (b. 1899)
1962 – Auguste Piccard, Swiss physicist and explorer (b. 1884)
1968 – Alice Guy-Blaché, American film director (b. 1873)
1976 – Bernard Montgomery, British field marshal (b. 1887)
1980 – Óscar Romero, Salvadoran Catholic archbishop (b. 1917)
1984 – Sam Jaffe, American actor (b. 1891)
1990 – Ray Goulding, American comedian (b. 1922)
1990 – An Wang, Chinese-born computer engineer (b. 1920)
1991 – Sir John Kerr, Australian politician (b. 1914)
1993 – John Hersey, American author (b. 1914)
1995 – Joseph Needham, British academic and sinologist (b. 1900)
1997 – Martin Caidin, American aviation writer (b. 1927)
1997 – Harold Melvin, American singer (Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes) (b. 1939)
1999 – Gertrud Scholtz-Klink, German women s activist (b. 1902)
1999 – Birdie Tebbetts, American baseball player and manager (b. 1912)
2001 – Muriel Young, English TV entertainer (b. 1928)
2002 – César Milstein, Argentine scientist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1927)
2003 – Hans Hermann Groër, Austrian Catholic archbishop (b. 1919)
2006 – Lynne Perrie, English actress (b. 1931)
2008 – Chalmers Spanky Alford?, American guitarist (b. 1955)
2008 – Neil Aspinall, British record producer (b. 1941)
2008 – Richard Widmark, American actor (b. 1914)
2008 – Hal Riney, American advertising executive (b. 1932)
Holidays and observances
Ancient Latvia – Kazimiras Diena observed.
World Tuberculosis Day.
Labour Day Melbourne, Australia
Saint Macartan
Saint Simeon (d. 1475)
Saint Catharine of Sweden (d. 1381)
Day of Memory for Truth and Justice in Argentina
Dyngus Day in Poland
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