Today In History

Today is Thursday, March 9, the 68th day of 2023. There are 297 days left in the year.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT

On March 9, 1933, Congress, called into special session by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, began its “hundred days” of enacting New Deal legislation.

ON THIS DATE

› 1796: The future emperor of the French, Napoleon Bonaparte, married Josephine de Beauharnais. (The couple later divorced.)

› 1841: The U.S. Supreme Court, in United States v. The Amistad, ruled 7-1 in favor of a group of illegally enslaved Africans who were captured off the U.S. coast after seizing control of a Spanish schooner, La Amistad; the justices ruled that the Africans should be set free.

› 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.

› 1916: More than 400 Mexican raiders led by Pancho Villa attacked Columbus, New Mexico, killing 18 Americans. During the First World War, Germany declared war on Portugal.

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

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS

Former Sen. James L. Buckley is 100. Actor Joyce Van Patten is 89. Actor Trish Van Devere is 82. Singer-musician John Cale (The Velvet Underground) is 81. Rock musician Robin Trower is 78. Singer Jeffrey Osborne is 75. Country musician Jimmie Fadden (The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band) is 75. Actor Jaime Lyn Bauer is 74. Magazine editor Michael Kinsley is

72. TV newscaster Faith Daniels is 66. Actor Linda Fiorentino is 65. Actor Tom Amandes is 64. Rock musician Shannon Leto (30 Seconds to Mars) is 53. Rapper C-Murder (AKA C-Miller) is 52. Actor Emmanuel Lewis is 52. Actor Jean Louisa Kelly is 51. Actor Kerr Smith is 51. Comedian Jordan Klepper (TV: “The Daily Show”) is

44. Rapper Chingy is

43. Actor Matthew Gray Gubler is 43. Rock musician Chad Gilbert (New Found Glory) is 42. NHL defenseman Brent Burns is 38. Rapper Bow Wow is

36. Rapper YG is 33. Actor Cierra Ramirez is 28. U.S. Olympic gold-medal-winning gymnast Sunisa Lee is 20.