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Today March 3rd 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
1284 – Statute of Rhuddlan incorporated the Principality of Wales into England
1575 – Indian Mughal Emperor Akbar defeats Bengali army at the Battle of Tukaroi.
1585 – The Olympic Theatre, designed by Andrea Palladio, is inaugurated in Vicenza.
1791 – The United States Mint is created by the Congress of the United States.
1803 – Colégio Militar is founded in Portugal by Colonel Teixeira Rebello.
1817 – The Alabama Territory is created by splitting the Mississippi Territory.
1820 – The U.S. Congress passes the Missouri Compromise.
1845 – Florida is admitted as the 27th U.S. state.
1845 – For the first time the U.S. Congress passes legislation overriding a presidential veto.
1849 – The United States Department of the Interior is established.
1849 – The U.S. Congress passes the Gold Coinage Act allowing the minting of gold coins.
1857 – Second Opium War: France and the United Kingdom declare war on China.
1861 – Alexander II of Russia signs the Emancipation Manifesto, freeing serfs.
1863 – The Idaho Territory organizes as a political division of the United States.
1865 – The U.S. Congress authorizes the formation of the Freedmen s Bureau.
1865 – Opening of the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, the founding member of the HSBC Group.
1873 – Censorship: The U.S. Congress enacts the Comstock Law, making it illegal to send any obscene, lewd, or lascivious books through the mail.
1875 – Georges Bizet s opera Carmen premieres at the Opéra Comique of Paris.
1875 – The first ever organized indoor game of ice hockey is played in Montreal, Canada as recorded in The Montreal Gazette.
1877 – Rutherford B. Hayes is privately inaugurated as the 19th President of the United States (his public inauguration coming on March 5).
1878 – Bulgaria regains its independence from Ottoman Empire according to the Treaty of San Stefano; shortly after Congress of Berlin stripped its status to an autonomous state of the Ottoman Empire.
1879 – The United States Geological Survey is created.
1885 – The American Telephone and Telegraph Company is incorporated in New York.
1891 – The Penalty Spot Kick rule in Association Football is conceived, but does not come into effect until the next season.
1904 – Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany becomes the first person to make a sound recording of a political document, using Thomas Edison s cylinder.
1905 – Tsar Nicholas II of Russia agrees to create an elected assembly (the Duma).
1910 – Rockefeller Foundation: J.D. Rockefeller Jr. announces his retirement from managing his businesses so that he could devote full time to being a philanthropist.
1913 – Establishment of the first football club in Bulgaria – Ticha, now known as PFC Cherno More.
1915 – NACA, the predecessor of NASA founded.
1918 – Germany, Austria and Russia sign the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk ending Russia s involvement in World War I, and leading to the independence of Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.
1923 – TIME magazine is published for the first time.
1924 – The 1400-year-old Islamic caliphate is abolished when Caliph Abdul Mejid II of the Ottoman Empire is deposed. The last remnant of the old regime gives way to the reformed Turkey of Kemal Atatürk.
1924 – Free State of Fiume is annexed by Kingdom of Italy.
1931 – The United States officially adopts The Star-Spangled Banner as its national anthem.
1938 – Oil is discovered in Saudi Arabia.
1939 – In Mumbai, Mohandas Gandhi begins to fast in protest of the autocratic rule in India.
1940 – Five people are killed in an arson attack on the offices of the communist newspaper Norrskensflamman in Luleå, Sweden.
1942 – World War II: Ten Japanese warplanes raid the town of Broome, Western Australia killing more than 100 people.
1943 – World War II: In London, England, 173 people are killed in a crush while trying to enter an air-raid shelter at Bethnal Green tube station.
1944 – The Order of Nakhimov and Order of Ushakov were instituted in USSR as the highest naval awards.
1945 – World War II: The American and Filipino troops take in Manila the Philippines.
1953 – A Canadian Pacific Airlines De Havilland Comet crashes in Karachi, Pakistan killing 11.
1958 – Nuri as-Said becomes the prime minister of Iraq for the 14th time.
1960 – Elvis Presley returns home from Germany, after being away on duty for 2 years.
1961 – Hassan II becomes King of Morocco.
1969 – Apollo program: NASA launches Apollo 9 to test the lunar module.
1971 – Beginning of Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 and India s official entry to the Bangladesh Liberation War in support of Mukti Bahini.
1972 – Mohawk Airlines Flight 405 crashes in unexplained circumstances.
1974 – Turkish Airlines Flight 981 crashes at Ermenonville near Paris, France killing all 346 aboard.
1974 – Roman Catholic and Lutheran officials reach an agreement for eventual reconciliation into one communion, marking the first agreement between the two churches since the Reformation.
1976 – 5 workers are killed by the police in a demonstration in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain.
1980 – The USS Nautilus is stricken.
1985 – Arthur Scargill declares that the National Union of Mineworkers national executive voted to end the longest-running industrial dispute in Great Britain without any peace deal over pit closures.
1985 – Censorship: Women Against Pornography award their Pig Award to Huggies Diapers, claiming that the television ads had crossed the line between eye-catching and porn.
1991 – An amateur video captures the beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles police officers.
1991 – In two concurring referendums: 74 % of the population of Latvia vote for independence from the Soviet Union, in Estonia – 83 %.
1991 – United Airlines Flight 585 crashes on approach into Colorado Springs, Colorado, killing 25.
1992 – The nation of Bosnia was established.
1997 – The tallest free-standing structure in the Southern Hemisphere, Sky Tower in downtown Auckland, New Zealand, opens after two-and-a-half years of construction.
2002 – Citizens of Switzerland narrowly vote in favor of their country becoming a member of the United Nations.
2004 – Belgian brewer Interbrew and Brazilian rival AmBev agreed to merge in a $11.2 billion deal that formed InBev, the world s largest brewer.
2005 – Mayerthorpe Incident: James Roszko murders four Royal Canadian Mounted Police constables during a drug bust at his property in Rochfort Bridge, Alberta, then commits suicide. It is the deadliest peace-time incident for the RCMP since 1885 and the North-West Rebellion.
2005 – Steve Fossett becomes the first person to fly an airplane around the world solo without any stops without refueling – a journey of 40,234 km/25,000 mi completed in 67 hours and 2 minutes.
Births
1455 – King John II of Portugal (d. 1495)
1520 – Matthias Flacius, Croatian Protestant reformer (d. 1575)
1583 – Edward Herbert, 1st Baron Herbert of Cherbury, English diplomat, poet, and philosopher (d. 1648)
1589 – Gisbertus Voetius, Dutch theologian (d. 1676)
1606 – Edmund Waller, British poet (d. 1687)
1652 – Thomas Otway, British dramatist (d. 1685)
1678 – Madeleine de Verchères, French Canadian heroine (d. 1747)
1778 – Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Queen of Hanover (d. 1841)
1793 – William Charles Macready, English actor (d. 1873)
1800 – Heinrich Georg Bronn, German geologist (d. 1862)
1805 – Jonas Furrer, first President of the Swiss Confederation (d. 1861)
1831 – George Pullman, American inventor and industrialist (d. 1897)
1839 – Jamsetji Tata, Indian industrialist (d. 1904)
1845 – Georg Cantor, German mathematician (d. 1918)
1847 – Alexander Graham Bell, Scottish inventor (d. 1922)
1848 – Adelaide Neilson, English Actress (d. 1880)
1851 – Alexandros Papadiamantis, Greek author (d. 1911)
1860 – John Montgomery Ward, American baseball player (d. 1925)
1863 – Arthur Machen, Welsh-born author (d. 1947)
1866 – Fred A. Busse, Mayor of Chicago (d. 1914)
1871 – Maurice Garin, French cyclist (d. 1957)
1873 – William Green, American labor union leader (d. 1952)
1880 – Florence Auer, American actress (d. 1962)
1880 – Yosuke Matsuoka, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan (d. 1946)
1883 – Cyril Burt, educational psychologist (d. 1971)
1886 – Tore Ørjasæter, Norwegian poet (d. 1968)
1890 – Norman Bethune, Canadian doctor and humanitarian (d. 1939)
1893 – Beatrice Wood, American artist and ceramicist (d. 1998)
1895 – Ragnar Anton Kittil Frisch, Norwegian economist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1973)
1895 – Matthew Ridgway, Supreme Allied Commander of NATO, U.S. Army Chief of Staff (d. 1993)
1910 – Kittens Reichert, American silent screen child actor (d. 1990)
1911 – Jean Harlow, American actress (d. 1937)
1911 – Hugues Lapointe, Canadian politician and Lieutenant governor of Quebec (d. 1982)
1917 – Sameera Moussa, Egyptian nuclear scientist (d. 1952)
1918 – Dr. Arthur Kornberg, American Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2007)
1918 – Fritz Thiedemann, German equestrian (d. 2000)
1920 – Julius Boros, American golfer (d. 1994)
1920 – James Doohan, Canadian-born actor (d. 2005)
1920 – Ronald Searle, British illustrator
1922 – Nándor Hidegkuti, Hungarian footballer (d. 2002)
1923 – Barney Martin, American actor (d. 2005)
1923 – Doc Watson, American musician
1924 – Tomiichi Murayama, former Prime Minister of Japan
1924 – Ali Faik Zaghloul, Egyptian radio presenter
1924 – Lilian Velez, Filipno actress (d. 1948)
1926 – Lys Assia, Swiss singer
1926 – Joseph Anthony Ferrario, American Catholic prelate (d. 2003)
1926 – James Merrill, American poet (d. 1995)
1927 – Pierre Aubert, member of the Swiss Federal Council
1930 – Heiner Geißler, German politician
1930 – Ion Iliescu, President of Romania
1933 – Marco Antonio Muñiz, Mexican singer (Los Tres Aces)
1933 – Margaret Fink, Australian film producer
1933 – Lee Radziwill, American fashion executive
1933 – Alfredo Landa, Spanish actor
1937 – Bobby Driscoll, American actor (d. 1968)
1940 – Germán Castro Caycedo, Colombian writer and journalist
1940 – Perry Ellis, fashion designer (d. 1986)
1940 – Owen Spencer-Thomas, English broadcaster, journalist and Anglican clergyman
1942 – Mike Pender, English singer and guitarist (The Searchers)
1945 – George Miller, Australian film director
1946 – John Virgo, English snooker player
1947 – Jennifer Warnes, American singer and songwriter
1947 – Otto Stuppacher, Austrian racing driver (d. 2001)
1947 – Clifton Snider, American poet and writer
1948 – Snowy White, British guitarist (Thin Lizzy, Pink Floyd)
1949 – Jüri Allik, Estonian psychologist
1949 – Gloria Hendry, American actress
1949 – Jesse Jefferson, American baseball player
1950 – Tim Kazurinsky, American actor and comedian
1951 – Lindsay Cooper, English musician and composer (Henry Cow, News from Babel)
1952 – Dermot Morgan, Irish actor and comedian (d. 1998)
1953 – Robyn Hitchcock, British musician
1953 – Zico, Brazilian footballer
1954 – Édouard Lock, Canadian dance choreographer (La La La Human Steps)
1955 – Andy Breckman, American comedian and radio personality
1956 – Zbigniew Boniek, Polish footballer
1958 – Miranda Richardson, British actress
1958 – Marc Silvestri, American comic book artist and publisher (Top Cow Productions)
1959 – Ira Glass, American radio host
1960 – Neal Heaton, American baseball player
1960 – Colin Wells, English cricketer
1961 – Perry McCarthy, English racing driver
1961 – Mary Page Keller, American actress
1961 – Knut Nærum, Norwegian comedian
1961 – Fatima Whitbread, English javelin thrower
1962 – Jackie Joyner-Kersee, American athlete
1962 – Glen E. Friedman, American photographer and artist
1962 – Herschel Walker, American football player
1963 – Sophia Aliberti, Greek actress and TV presenter
1964 – Raúl Alcalá, Mexican cyclist
1964 – Laura Harring, Mexican-born American actress
1964 – Duncan Phillips, Australian drummer (Newsboys)
1966 – Fernando Colunga, Mexican actor
1966 – Timo Tolkki, Finnish musician (Stratovarius)
1966 – Tone Loc, American rapper and actor
1968 – Brian Leetch, American ice hockey player
1969 – Simon Whitlock, Australian Darts Player
1970 – Julie Bowen, American actress
1970 – Inzamam-ul-Haq, Pakistani cricketer
1971 – Tyler Florence, chef, Food Network personality, & cookbook author
1972 – Darren Anderton, English footballer
1973 – Romans Vainšteins, Latvian cyclist
1973 – Matthew Marsden, English actor and singer
1973 – Victoria Zdrok, Ukrainian model
1974 – David Faustino, American actor
1974 – Paula Malai Ali,Malaysian-Bruneian TV Presenter and Actress
1976 – Fraser Gehrig, Australian rules footballer
1977 – Ronan Keating, Irish singer
1977 – Stéphane Robidas, Canadian ice hockey player
1978 – Matt Diaz, American baseball player
1978 – Seomoon Tak, Korean singer
1979 – Patrick Renna, American actor
1979 – Alex Zane, English comedian
1980 – Mason Unck, American football player
1981 – Dusty Dvoracek, American football player
1981 – Kim Yoo-Jin (Eugene), South Korean singer and actress
1981 – Lil Flip, American rapper
1981 – Emmanuel Pappoe, Ghanaian footballer
1981 – Sung Yu Ri, South Korean singer and actress
1982 – Jessica Biel, American actress
1982 – Colton Orr, Canadian ice hockey player
1983 – Ashley Hansen, Australian rules footballerer
1984 – Alexander Semin, Russian ice hockey player
1984 – Xavier Aquino Velasco, Filipino College Instructor
1985 – Sam Morrow, Northern Irish footballer
1986 – Stacie Orrico, American singer
1989 – Erica Morningstar, Canadian Swimmer, and record holder.
Deaths
1111 – Bohemund I, Prince of Antioch
1239 – Vladimir III Rurikovich, Grand Prince of Kiev (b. 1187)
1459 – Ausiàs March, Catalan poet (b. 1397)
1554 – John Frederick, Elector of Saxony (b. 1503)
1703 – Robert Hooke, English scientist (b. 1635)
1706 – Johann Pachelbel, German composer (b. 1653)
1707 – Aurangzeb, Mughal Emperor of India (b. 1618)
1717 – Pierre Allix, French Protestant pastor (b. 1641)
1744 – Jean Barbeyrac, French jurist
1765 – William Stukeley, English archaeologist (b. 1687)
1768 – Nicola Porpora, Italian composer (b. 1686)
1792 – Robert Adam, Scottish architect (b. 1728)
1850 – Oliver Cowdery, American religious leader (b. 1806)
1894 – Ned Williamson, American baseball player (b. 1857)
1899 – William P. Sprague, American politician from Ohio (b. 1827)
1920 – Theodor Philipsen, Danish painter (b. 1840)
1927 – Mikhail Artsybashev, Russian writer (b. 1878)
1927 – J.G. Parry-Thomas, Welsh motor-racing driver (b. 1884)
1932 – Eugen d Albert, German composer (b. 1864)
1943 – George Thompson, English cricketer (b. 1877)
1953 – James J. Jeffries, American heavyweight boxer (b. 1875)
1959 – Lou Costello, American actor and comedian (b. 1906)
1961 – Paul Wittgenstein, Austrian-born pianist (b. 1887)
1966 – William Frawley, American actor (b. 1887)
1966 – Alice Pearce, American actress (b. 1917)
1982 – Georges Perec, French writer (b. 1936)
1983 – Hergé, Belgian comics creator (b. 1907)
1983 – Arthur Koestler, Austrian writer (b. 1905)
1987 – Danny Kaye, American actor, singer, and comedian (b. 1913)
1988 – Sewall Wright, American biologist (b. 1889)
1990 – Gérard Blitz, Belgian waterpoloist and entrepreneur (b. 1912)
1991 – Arthur Murray, American dancer and dance instructor (b. 1895)
1993 – Carlos Marcello, Tunisian-born gangster (b. 1910)
1993 – Carlos Montoya, flamenco guitarist (b. 1903)
1993 – Albert Sabin, Polish-born medical researcher (b. 1906)
1995 – Howard W. Hunter, president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (b. 1907)
1996 – Marguerite Duras, French writer (b. 1914)
1996 – John Cardinal Krol, American Catholic clergyman (b. 1910)
1998 – Fred Friendly, American broadcast executive (b. 1915)
1999 – Gerhard Herzberg, German-born chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1904)
2000 – Toni Ortelli, Italian composer and alpinist (b. 1904)
2001 – Louis Edmonds, American actor (b. 1923)
2002 – Harlan Howard, American musician (b. 1927)
2003 – Horst Buchholz, German actor (b. 1933)
2003 – Luis Marden, American photojournalist (b. 1913)
2003 – Goffredo Petrassi, Italian composer (b. 1904)
2003 – Peter Smithson, English architect (b. 1923)
2004 – Cecily Adams, American actress and casting director (b. 1958)
2005 – Max M. Fisher, American philanthropist (b. 1928)
2006 – Ivor Cutler, Scottish poet (b. 1923)
2006 – William Herskovic, Holocaust hero and philanthropist (b. 1914)
2007 – Osvaldo Cavandoli, Italian cartoonist, creator of La Linea.
2008 – Giuseppe Di Stefano, Italian operatic tenor.
Holidays and observances
Hinamatsuri (Girl s Day) – Japanese celebration day for girls.
Bulgaria – Liberation Day.
March 3 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Australia – Labour Day.
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