Today in history, the Northern Irish people voted on whether to stay in the Union or not. Here are other events and birthdays that happened on March 9.
1841: Amistad Mutiny Case Ruled on By Supreme Court
The U.S. Supreme Court brought an end to the Amistad mutiny case. Only one disagreed with the others that the African slaves accused of committing mutiny had been forced into slavery. Under American law, they were now free men. The case had heard how Sengbe Pieh had managed to free himself and others, planned a mutiny and killed the Amistad captain. Men were thrown overboard, and the remaining members were forced to turn the boat around and sail back to Africa. During the night, the crew members turned the boat north and entered United States waters. More than a dozen Africans perished while the ship remained at sea for two months before being spotted by Americans.
1959: Barbie Stepped Out for the First Time
Now a common toy little girls especially, Barbie made her debut on this day in history. She stood at 11in in height, and has since become a controversial toy, with many saying she supports an unrealistic view of women. Ruth Handler had created the doll after watching her daughter choose to play dress-up with adult women dolls rather than play with baby dollies. She saw the market and jumped into it with both hands.
1973: Northern Ireland Voted On the Union
The Northern Irish people were given the chance of a referendum to decide whether to stay in the Union with the rest of Great Britain or not. Fifty-seven percent of people voted to stay, with a 59 percent turnout. Less than 1 percent of the Catholic population voted, with many of them boycotting. The vote happened while eight men and two women had been arrested over connections to bomb attacks in London the day before.
1981: Japanese Power Plant Disaster
It’s not uncommon for power plant disasters, but this would needlessly endangered lives. Tsuruga’s Japan Atomic Power Company suffered a nuclear accident, after a worker failed to shut a valve and caused the sludge tank to overflow with radioactive waste. The officials didn’t report it quickly enough, meaning that all those nearby in Wakasa Bay were put at risk of radiation poisoning. Trying to keep it quiet, 56 workers were sent to mop up the waste, exposing them to the radiation levels. In the end, 16 tons of the radioactive waste ended up in Wakasa Bay.
Famous Birthdays on March 9
Emperor Go-Nijō of Japan–1285
Tsar Alexis I of Russia–1629
First surgeon to use ether, George Hayward–1791
Stanford University founder Leland Stanford—1824
Former Prime Minister of the Soviet Union Vyacheslay Molotov—1890
Adagio for Strings composer Samuel Barber—1910
Kiss Me Deadly writer Frank Morrison Spillane (Mickey Spillane)—1918
First man to orbit the Earth Yuri Gagarin—1934
The Bone People author Keri Hulme—1947
Former England rugby captain and manager Martin Johnson—1970
Criminal Minds actor Matthew Gray Gubler—1980
John Tucker Must Die actress Brittany Snow—1986
Birthdays from OnThisDay.com, FamousBirthdays.com and HistoryNet.com
Featured image from Deposit Photos
Barbie logo in the public domain: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbie#/media/File:Barbie_Logo.png
Image of Leland Stanford in the public domain: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leland_Stanford#/media/File:Leland_Stanford_c1870s.jpg
Share with your friendsFollow Us