Throughout history, March 8th has witnessed numerous pivotal events that have left their marks on mankind. From wars and sports to business and scientific discoveries, the moments of the past have lasting impacts today.
In this collection of photos and stories, we will see ten different events that all have one thing in common – they all took place on March 8. Let’s look at this day in history, March 8.
1799 – Napoleon Captures Jaffa
After a five-day battle, General Napoleon Bonaparte and his forces took control of the city of Jaffa, a strategic port city located south of present-day Tel Aviv. At the time, the city was part of the Ottoman Empire. The ambitious Napoleon had already seized Cairo and Alexandria. Jaffa would be one more point by which he could secure total control of the Mediterranean Sea.
In the days following Napoleon’s victory in Jaffa, however, many of the French soldiers fell ill as a plague swept through the ranks. Napoleon’s response to the plague earned him sharp criticism. On his orders, the sickened French soldiers were murdered by poison to prevent the disease from spreading. The “Jaffa Poisoning” was a stain on Napoleon’s military record.
1817 – The Founding of the New York Stock Exchange
Just sixteen years after the United States became a country, a group of two dozen stockbrokers met informally under a buttonwood tree along New York City’s Wall Street to trade stocks. Within a few years, the group – which had grown in number – moved their meetings into nearby coffeehouses. It soon became clear that an official stock exchange organization was needed.
The New York Stock & Exchange Board was officially established on March 8, 1817, and its operating constitution was formally adopted. From there, the NYSE has evolved into one of the largest securities and investment trading marketplaces in the world.
1862 – The Confederate Navy Launches the Merrimack
Stephen R. Mallory was tapped to serve as the Confederate Secretary of the Navy at the outbreak of the American Civil War. Mallory had long been an advocate of armored ships, so he ordered a ship, later known as the Merrimack, to be retrofitted with impenetrable iron plates. Via their spy network, the Union officials heard about this and made their own ironclad ship, the Monitor.
It was fated, of course, that these two ironclads would face off in battle. That opportunity came on March 8, 1862, during the Battle of Hampton Roads. Both ships performed well in battle, proving the superiority of ironclad ships over wooden ones. Which ship won the battle? That’s hard to say. Both sides claimed victory so the first ever battle between ironclad ships ended in a tactical stalemate.
1884 – Susan B. Anthony Addresses the House of Representatives
“We appear before you this morning…to ask that you will, at your earliest convenience, report to the House in favor of … Amendment to the Legislatures of the several States, that shall prohibit the disfranchisement of citizens of the United States on account of sex,” said women’s suffragist Susan B. Anthony when she addressed the Judiciary Committee of the House of Representatives on March 8, 1884.
A proposal for a Constitutional amendment was introduced to Congress by Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and the National Woman’s Suffrage Association sixteen years earlier. It would be another 36 years, however, before the 19th Amendment was ratified, giving women the right to vote.
1887 – Everett Horton Shows Us a Better Way to Fish
As the saying goes, “If you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.” Everett Horton, a mechanic from Bristol, Connecticut, gave us all a better way to fish when he patented his unique design for a new kind of fishing rod on March 8, 1887.
Horton’s fishing pole was made from telescoping steel tubes. The tubes kept the fishing line from getting snagged or snarled. The rod was lightweight and easy to carry to wherever the fish were biting. Horton’s fishing pole was so popular that he later founded the Horton Manufacturing Company and released a complete line of fishing gear.
1930 – Babe Ruth Signs Record-Breaking Contract with the Yankees
Arguably one of the greatest players in baseball history, Babe Ruth had already proven his worth ahead of his much-publicized salary negotiations ahead of the 1930 season. Ruth had asked for a salary equal to that of the President of the United States … $85,000. He settled for slightly less. His two-year, $160,000 contract with the New York Yankees made him the highest paid man in baseball.
In fact, Ruth’s salary was 2.4 times higher than the player with the next highest salary. The Yankees general manager, Ed Barrow, quipped, “No one will ever be paid more than Ruth.” In a world where MLB players demand million-dollar contracts, Barrow’s prediction didn’t age well.
1934 – Edwin Hubble’s Photo Proves the Existence of Billions of Galaxies
Folks have been staring at the night skies for centuries, wondering about the infiniteness of space. Astronomer Edwin Hubble, the namesake of the space telescope, showed the world just how vast the universe really is. And he did it with just one photo.
This photo, taken in 1934, shows that there are as many galaxies in the universe as there are stars in the Milky Way. Some scientists at this time thought that the universe only included the Milky Way Galaxy. Hubble’s photograph showed that there is much more beyond our own galaxy and billions upon billions of distant galaxies.
1936 – Daytona Beach Hosts the First Stock Car Race
Daytona Beach is still a mecca for stock car racing, thanks to an event that was held on the beach on March 8, 1936. This race was organized by Bill France, Sr., the founder of NASCAR, and Sig Haugdahl, a Daytona Beach mechanic and local racer, as a way to promote the area.
The early stock car racers were held on the beach, but as you can imagine, that was not only dangerous; it was destructive. A permanent racetrack was built in 1953. At this first stock car race, Milt Marion was named the winner, with Ben Shaw and Tommy Elmore coming in second and third.
1999 – Timothy McVeigh’s Murder Conviction is Upheld
On April 19, 1995, Timothy McVeigh, a veteran of the Gulf War, set off a bomb at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City in the worst incident of domestic terrorism in American history. The bomb he detonated killed 168 people, including 19 children, and injured an additional 680 people.
Federal agents tracked down and arrested McVeigh. He was found guilty on all charges against him on June 2, 1997, and given the death penalty. He filed an appeal which went before the U.S. Supreme Court. On March 8, 1999, the highest court in the land upheld his convictions, paving the way for his execution by lethal injection on June 11, 2001.
2014 – Malaysia Air Flight MH370 Disappears
Malaysia Air Flight MH370 took off from Kuala Lumpur International Airport on March 8, 2014, with 239 on board. The Boeing 777 was bound for Beijing Capital International Airport, but just an hour into the flight, the plane disappeared from radar and air traffic controllers could not raise the pilot on radio.
The disappearance of the plane kicked off one of the most widespread searches in aviation history. Still, the whereabouts of the plane is unknown, and investigators do not know what brought the plane down – mechanical failure, onboard bomb, hijacking, or something else.
