Today in History

Today is Wednesday, March 9, the 68th day of 2022. There are 297 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

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:

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

In 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.

In 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.

In 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.

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

In 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.

In 1976, a cable car in the Italian ski resort of Cavalese fell some 700 feet to the ground when a supporting line snapped, killing 43 people.

In 1987, Chrysler Corp. announced it had agreed to buy the financially ailing American Motors Corp.

In 1989, the Senate rejected President George H.W. Bush's nomination of John Tower to be defense secretary by a vote of 53-47. (The next day, Bush tapped Wyoming Rep. Dick Cheney, who went on to win unanimous Senate approval.)

In 1997, gangsta rapper The Notorious B.I.G. (Christopher Wallace) was killed in a still-unsolved drive-by shooting in Los Angeles; he was 24.

In 2000, John McCain suspended his presidential campaign, conceding the Republican nomination to George W. Bush. Bill Bradley ended his presidential bid, conceding the Democratic nomination to Vice President Al Gore.

In 2020, global stock markets and oil prices plunged, reflecting mounting alarm over the impact of the coronavirus. An alarmingly sharp slide at the opening bell on Wall Street triggered the first automatic halt in trading in more than two decades; the Dow industrials finished nearly 8% lower.

Ten years ago: A high-profile international mission to end the Syrian crisis stumbled before it began as the opposition rejected calls by U.N. envoy Kofi Annan for dialogue with President Bashar Assad as pointless and out of touch after a year of violence. Lindsey Vonn of the United States won the World Cup giant slalom race in Are, Sweden to clinch her fourth overall title.

Five years ago: Human rights lawyer Amal Clooney urged Iraq and the world's nations not to let the Islamic State extremist group "get away with genocide," telling a U.N. meeting that what was "shocking" was not just the group's brutality but the "passive" response by the world's nations.

One year ago: Buckingham Palace said allegations of racism made earlier in the week by Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, were "concerning" and would be addressed privately by the royal family. Longtime NBC and CBS correspondent and television anchor Roger Mudd died at his Virginia home at the age of 93.

Today's Birthdays: Former Sen. James L. Buckley, Conservative-N.Y., is 99. Actor Joyce Van Patten is 88. Country singer Mickey Gilley is 86. Actor Trish Van Devere is 81. Singer-musician John Cale (The Velvet Underground) is 80. Singer Mark Lindsay (Paul Revere and the Raiders) is 80. Former ABC anchorman Charles Gibson is 79. Rock musician Robin Trower is 77. Singer Jeffrey Osborne is 74. Country musician Jimmie Fadden (The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band) is 74. Actor Jaime Lyn Bauer is 73. Magazine editor Michael Kinsley is 71. TV newscaster Faith Daniels is 65. Actor Linda Fiorentino is 64. Actor Tom Amandes is 63. Actor-director Lonny Price is 63. Country musician Rusty Hendrix (Confederate Railroad) is 62. Actor Juliette Binoche is 58. Rock musician Robert Sledge (Ben Folds Five) is 54. Rock musician Shannon Leto (30 Seconds to Mars) is 52. Rapper C-Murder (AKA C-Miller) is 51. Actor Emmanuel Lewis is 51. Actor Jean Louisa Kelly is 50. Actor Kerr Smith is 50. Actor Oscar Isaac is 43. Comedian Jordan Klepper (TV: "The Daily Show") is 43. Rapper Chingy is 42. Actor Matthew Gray Gubler is 42. Rock musician Chad Gilbert (New Found Glory) is 41. NHL defenseman Brent Burns is 37. Actor Brittany Snow is 36. Rapper Bow Wow is 35. Rapper YG is 32. Actor Cierra Ramirez is 27. U.S. Olympic gold-medal-winning gymnast Sunisa Lee is 19.