In History, Today on March 9

Nicholas Copernicus recorded his first observations of the planet Jupiter.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the case of United States v. The Amistad, determining that the Africans who had seized control of the ship Amistad had been illegally enslaved and were thus free individuals.

The first documented discovery of gold in California occurred at Rancho San Francisco, six years before the famous California Gold Rush.

The first battle between ironclad warships, the USS Monitor and the CSS Virginia, took place at the Battle of Hampton Roads during the American Civil War.

Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa led a raid on the town of Columbus, New Mexico, prompting the United States to send troops into Mexico in pursuit of Villa.

The United States conducted a massive firebombing raid on Tokyo, Japan, during World War II, resulting in extensive destruction and loss of life.

The Barbie doll made its debut at the American International Toy Fair in New York City, marking the beginning of a cultural phenomenon.

The Soviet spacecraft Sputnik 9 was launched, carrying a dog named Chernushka and other biological specimens, as part of the Soviet space program.

The deadliest cable car accident in history occurred in Cavalese, Italy, when a cable car fell, killing 42 people.

Rapper The Notorious B.I.G. was killed in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles, California, an event that intensified the East Coast-West Coast hip hop rivalry.

The Space Shuttle Discovery completed its final mission, STS-133, and landed at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, which disappeared on March 8, 2014, was officially declared missing, leading to one of the largest search operations in aviation history.

The European Central Bank announced a series of measures to stimulate the Eurozone economy, including cutting interest rates and expanding its quantitative easing program.

Global stock markets experienced a significant crash, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average falling by over 2,000 points, marking the largest single-day point drop in history at that time, due to fears over the COVID-19 pandemic.