The Event Registry

1959

Mattel’s “Barbie” doll debuted at the American International Toy Fair in New York on March 9, 1959

Created by Ruth Handler, Barbie was the first mass-produced toy doll in the United States with adult features. Her introduction was a watershed for the toy industry and for American culture, as Barbie became an instant bestseller and an icon, reflecting and sometimes influencing societal views on fashion, career women, and body image. Over the decades, Barbie would evolve with new styles and careers, remaining a subject of both adoration and controversy in the culture.

March 9 General 6

1959

Mattel’s “Barbie” doll debuted at the American International Toy Fair in New York on March 9, 1959

Created by Ruth Handler, Barbie was the first mass-produced toy doll in the United States with adult features. Her introduction was a watershed for the toy industry and for American culture, as Barbie became an instant bestseller and an icon, reflecting and sometimes influencing societal views on fashion, career women, and body image. Over the decades, Barbie would evolve with new styles and careers, remaining a subject of both adoration and controversy in the culture.

March 9 General 5

1916

Pancho Villa, the Mexican revolutionary, led a surprise pre-dawn raid across the border into the United States on March 9, 1916, attacking Columbus, New Mexico

Villa’s raiders burned part of the town and killed 18 Americans. In response, President Woodrow Wilson ordered General John J. Pershing to pursue Villa into Mexico – an expedition that penetrated deep into Mexican territory but failed to capture Villa. The raid and subsequent “Punitive Expedition” brought the U.S. and Mexico to the brink of conflict and marked the last armed foreign invasion of the continental U.S.

March 9 General 0

1916

Pancho Villa, the Mexican revolutionary, led a surprise pre-dawn raid across the border into the United States on March 9, 1916, attacking Columbus, New Mexico

Villa’s raiders burned part of the town and killed 18 Americans. In response, President Woodrow Wilson ordered General John J. Pershing to pursue Villa into Mexico – an expedition that penetrated deep into Mexican territory but failed to capture Villa. The raid and subsequent “Punitive Expedition” brought the U.S. and Mexico to the brink of conflict and marked the last armed foreign invasion of the continental U.S.

March 9 General 0

1891

North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (NC A&T) was founded in Greensboro on March 9, 1891

March 9 General 0

1891

North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (NC A&T) was founded in Greensboro on March 9, 1891

March 9 General 0

1969

James Earl Ray pleaded guilty to the assassination of civil rights leader Dr

Martin Luther King Jr. on March 10, 1969. Ray entered an eleventh-hour guilty plea in a Memphis courtroom, thereby avoiding a jury trial, and was sentenced to 99 years in prison

March 10 General 1

1969

James Earl Ray pleaded guilty to the assassination of civil rights leader Dr

Martin Luther King Jr. on March 10, 1969. Ray entered an eleventh-hour guilty plea in a Memphis courtroom, thereby avoiding a jury trial, and was sentenced to 99 years in prison

March 10 General 2

1948

Zelda Fitzgerald, novelist and wife of author F

Scott Fitzgerald, died tragically on March 10, 1948, in a fire at Highland Hospital in Asheville, North Carolina

March 10 General 1

1948

Zelda Fitzgerald, novelist and wife of author F

Scott Fitzgerald, died tragically on March 10, 1948, in a fire at Highland Hospital in Asheville, North Carolina

March 10 General 1

1945

The deadliest bombing raid of World War II’s Pacific theater devastated Tokyo on the night of March 9–10, 1945

Around 300 American B-29 bombers dropped incendiary bombs that ignited a massive firestorm

March 10 General 1

1945

The deadliest bombing raid of World War II’s Pacific theater devastated Tokyo on the night of March 9–10, 1945

Around 300 American B-29 bombers dropped incendiary bombs that ignited a massive firestorm

March 10 General 2

1876

The first successful telephone call was made by Alexander Graham Bell in Boston

On March 10, 1876, Bell spoke the words, “Mr. Watson, come here – I want to see you,” and his assistant Thomas Watson heard them transmitted over Bell’s experimental telephone

March 10 General 2

1876

The first successful telephone call was made by Alexander Graham Bell in Boston

On March 10, 1876, Bell spoke the words, “Mr. Watson, come here – I want to see you,” and his assistant Thomas Watson heard them transmitted over Bell’s experimental telephone

March 10 General 0

2011

A massive 9.1-magnitude undersea earthquake struck off the coast of Japan’s T?hoku region on March 11, 2011, triggering a towering tsunami

The waves devastated coastal communities in northeastern Japan and caused the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster. Approximately 18,000 people were dead or missing, and the Fukushima meltdowns became the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl

March 11 General 0

2011

A massive 9.1-magnitude undersea earthquake struck off the coast of Japan’s T?hoku region on March 11, 2011, triggering a towering tsunami

The waves devastated coastal communities in northeastern Japan and caused the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster. Approximately 18,000 people were dead or missing, and the Fukushima meltdowns became the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl

March 11 General 0

1990

Lithuania declared its independence from the Soviet Union on March 11, 1990

The Lithuanian parliament’s bold declaration – restoring the sovereignty lost in World War II – made Lithuania the first Soviet republic to secede

March 11 General 2

1990

Lithuania declared its independence from the Soviet Union on March 11, 1990

The Lithuanian parliament’s bold declaration – restoring the sovereignty lost in World War II – made Lithuania the first Soviet republic to secede

March 11 General 3

1942

General Douglas MacArthur departed the Philippines on March 11, 1942, escaping Corregidor by PT boat as Japanese forces closed in

Reaching Australia days later, MacArthur vowed, “I shall return,” expressing determination to liberate the Philippines

March 11 General 0

1942

General Douglas MacArthur departed the Philippines on March 11, 1942, escaping Corregidor by PT boat as Japanese forces closed in

Reaching Australia days later, MacArthur vowed, “I shall return,” expressing determination to liberate the Philippines

March 11 General 0

1918

The first cases of what came to be known as the “Spanish flu” were reported at Camp Funston, Kansas, on March 11, 1918, marking the recognized start of the 1918 influenza pandemic in the U.S.

March 11 General 2

1918

The first cases of what came to be known as the “Spanish flu” were reported at Camp Funston, Kansas, on March 11, 1918, marking the recognized start of the 1918 influenza pandemic in the U.S.

March 11 General 0

1993

A series of deadly bomb blasts rocked the city of Mumbai (Bombay), India on March 12, 1993

Over a dozen coordinated bombs exploded at the stock exchange, hotels, markets, and other landmarks within about two hours, killing 250+ people and injuring hundreds. The attacks, masterminded by criminal figures in retaliation for earlier religious riots, represented one of the first large-scale urban terror bombings. The “Bombay bombings” shocked India, led to crackdowns on underworld networks, and presaged the rise of organized terrorism in South Asia.

March 12 General 1

1993

A series of deadly bomb blasts rocked the city of Mumbai (Bombay), India on March 12, 1993

Over a dozen coordinated bombs exploded at the stock exchange, hotels, markets, and other landmarks within about two hours, killing 250+ people and injuring hundreds. The attacks, masterminded by criminal figures in retaliation for earlier religious riots, represented one of the first large-scale urban terror bombings. The “Bombay bombings” shocked India, led to crackdowns on underworld networks, and presaged the rise of organized terrorism in South Asia.

March 12 General 2

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