This day in history

[March 09, 2010]  (AP)  Today is Tuesday, March 9, the 68th day of 2010. There are 297 days left in the year.

Today's highlight in history:

On March 9, 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, Va.

On this date:

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

In 1910, American composer Samuel Barber, best remembered for his Adagio for Strings, was born in West Chester, Pa.

In 1916, Mexican raiders led by Pancho Villa attacked Columbus, N.M., killing 18 Americans.

In 1932, Eamon de Valera was appointed head of government of the Irish Free State.

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

In 1954, CBS newsman Edward R. Murrow critically reviewed Wisconsin Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy's anti-Communism campaign on "See It Now."

In 1959, Mattel's Barbie doll, created by Ruth Handler, made its public debut at the American International Toy Fair in New York.

In 1964, the Supreme Court, in New York Times Co. v. Sullivan, ruled that public officials who charged they'd been libeled by news reports could not recover damages unless they proved actual malice on the part of the news organization.

In 1977, about a dozen armed Hanafi Muslims invaded three buildings in Washington, D.C., killing one person and taking more than 130 hostages. (The siege ended two days later.)

In 1990, Dr. Antonia Novello was sworn in as surgeon general, becoming the first woman and the first Hispanic to hold the job.

Ten years ago: 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.

Five years ago: Michael Jackson's young accuser took the witness stand, saying he once considered the pop star being tried for allegedly molesting him "the coolest guy in the world." (Jackson was later acquitted.) Dan Rather signed off for the last time as principal anchorman of "The CBS Evening News."

One year ago: President Barack Obama lifted George W. Bush-era limits on using federal dollars for embryonic stem cell research.

Today's birthdays: Former Sen. James L. Buckley (Conservative-N.Y.) is 87. Singer-actress Keely Smith is 78. Singer Lloyd Price is 77. Actress Joyce Van Patten is 76. Actor-comedian Marty Ingels is 74. Country singer Mickey Gilley is 74. Actress Trish Van Devere is 69. Singer Mark Lindsay (Paul Revere and the Raiders) is 68. Former ABC anchorman Charles Gibson is 67. Rock musician Robin Trower is 65. Singer Jeffrey Osborne is 62. Country musician Jimmie Fadden (The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band) is 62. Actress Jaime Lyn Bauer is 61. Magazine editor Michael Kinsley is 59. TV newscaster Faith Daniels is 53. Actor-director Lonny Price is 51. Actress Linda Fiorentino is 50. Country musician Rusty Hendrix (Confederate Railroad) is 50. Actress Juliette Binoche is 46. Rock musician Robert Sledge (Ben Folds Five) is 42. Rapper C-Murder is 39. Actor Emmanuel Lewis is 39. Actress Jean Louisa Kelly is 38. Actor Kerr Smith is 38. Rapper Chingy is 30. Actor Matthew Gray Gubler is 30. Actress Brittany Snow is 24. Rapper Bow Wow is 23. Actor Luis Armand Garcia is 18.

Thought for today: "Delay is the deadliest form of denial." -- C. Northcote Parkinson, British author (1909-1993)

[Associated Press]

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