Today In History

Today is Thursday, March 9, the 68th day of 2017. There are 297 days left in the year.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT

› 1841: The U.S. Supreme Court, in United States v. The Amistad, ruled in favor of a group of Africans captured by U.S. authorities after they had seized control of a Spanish schooner, La Amistad, that was transporting them to a life of slavery in Cuba; the justices ruled, 7-1, that the Africans had been illegally enslaved, and should be set free.

ON THIS DATE

› 1862: During the Civil War, the ironclads USS Monitor and CSS Virginia (formerly USS Merrimac) clashed for five hours to a draw at Hampton Roads, Virginia.

› 1933: Congress, called into special session by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, began its “hundred days” of enacting New Deal legislation.

› 1945: During World War II, U.S. B-29 bombers began launching incendiary bomb attacks against Tokyo, resulting in an estimated 100,000 deaths.

› 1964: The U.S. Supreme Court, in New York Times Co. v. Sullivan, raised the standard for public officials to prove they’d been libeled in their official capacity by news organizations.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS

Former Sen. James L. Buckley, Conservative-N.Y., is 94. Singer-actress Keely Smith is 89. Actress Trish Van Devere is 76. Singer-musician John Cale (The Velvet Underground) is 75. Singer Mark Lindsay (Paul Revere and the Raiders) is 75. Former ABC anchorman Charles Gibson is 74. Rock musician Robin Trower is 72. Singer Jeffrey Osborne is 69. Magazine editor Michael Kinsley is 66. TV newscaster Faith Daniels is 60. Actress Linda Fiorentino is 59. Actor Tom Amandes is 58. Actor-director Lonny Price is 58. Country musician Rusty Hendrix (Confederate Railroad) is 57. Actress Juliette Binoche is 53. Rapper C-Murder (AKA C-Miller) is 46. Actor Emmanuel Lewis is 46. Actress Jean Louisa Kelly is 45. Actor Kerr Smith is 45. Actor Oscar Isaac is 38. Rapper Chingy is 37. Actor Matthew Gray Gubler is 37. Rock musician Chad Gilbert (New Found Glory) is 36. Roots rock musician Ben Tanner (Alabama Shakes) is 34. Actress Brittany Snow is 31. Rapper Bow Wow is 30. Rapper YG is 27. Actor Luis Armand Garcia is 25. Actress Cierra Ramirez is 22.