March 1969
Appearance
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The following events occurred inMarch 1969:
- Jim Morrison,the lead singer forThe Doors,performed a controversial rock concert (and other alleged acts) before 12,000 fans at theDinner Key AuditoriuminMiami.[3]Three days later, a Miami court would issue warrants for his arrest on a felony charge ofindecent exposureand five misdemeanor charges,[4]although by that time, he was no longer in Miami. Morrison would return to Miami to be arraigned on the criminal charges on November 9 and remain free after posting bond.[5]Following 16 days of testimony, Morrison would be found guilty of the indecent exposure charge on September 20, 1970,[6]and would be sentenced to six months in jail and a $500 fine, but would post bail while the case was on appeal.[7]Morrison would die of heart failure on July 3, 1971, during the time that the appeal was in progress.[8]
- Clay Shaw,the only person ever indicted for conspiracy in theassassination of John F. Kennedy,was acquitted of all charges by a jury inNew Orleans.Rejecting the argument by district attorneyJim Garrisonthat a conviction would "restore justice and truth and freedom in this country", the jury deliberated for only 55 minutes and concluded that Garrison had not proven his case.[9]
- Born:Javier Bardem,Spanish film actor and Academy Award winner; inLas Palmas,Canary Islands
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8b/%E4%BB%8E%E9%AB%98%E5%A4%84%E4%BF%AF%E8%A7%86%E7%8F%8D%E5%AE%9D%E5%B2%9B_-_panoramio.jpg/150px-%E4%BB%8E%E9%AB%98%E5%A4%84%E4%BF%AF%E8%A7%86%E7%8F%8D%E5%AE%9D%E5%B2%9B_-_panoramio.jpg)
- Soviet and Chinese forcesfought a battle onan island claimed by both nations(called Zhenbao by the Chinese and Damansky by the Russians) in the middle of theUssuri Riverthat separated the countries.[11][12]The extent of Chinese losses was unknown, but the Soviet Union disclosed later that 31 Red Army soldiers had been killed and 14 others wounded in the initial battle.[13]
- Jack "Murph the Surf" Murphy was sentenced to life imprisonment following his conviction on first degree murder in the deaths of two people inFort Lauderdale,Florida.His co-defendant, Jack Griffith, was found guilty of second degree murder and given a 45-year prison sentence. Under Florida law at that time, Murphy would be eligible for parole after seven years despite the life sentence, while Griffith would not be eligible for 15 years.[14]
- Eleven spectators at adragstriptrack were killed, and more than 40 others injured, when one of the race cars went out of control at a speed of 180 miles (290 km) per hour. The car, a 1969 Chevrolet Camaro, crashed through a chain link fence at the Yellow River Drag Racing Strip inCovington, Georgia.[15]
- InToulouse,Franceconducted the firstConcordetest flight. Chief test pilotAndré Turcatraced down the runway at Toulouse-Blagnac Airport, attaining a speed of 225 miles per hour (362 km/h) after 2,000 yards (1,800 m) and took the supersonic jet skyward for 27 minutes before returning to Toulouse.[16]
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/14/Apollo-9-Lancering.jpg/170px-Apollo-9-Lancering.jpg)
- At 11:00 in the morning local time (1600 UTC), the United States launchedApollo 9,with astronautsJames McDivitt,David ScottandRusty Schweickart,in a test of theApollo Lunar Module's ability to undock from, and then redock with, the lunar orbiter.Associated Pressreporter Paul Recer described the mission as "a flight that will put America on the moon's threshold or slam the door indefinitely".[17]
- Sirhan Sirhantook the witness stand to testify in his own defense at his trial for the murder of Bobby Kennedy, and, in questioning by defense attorney Grant Cooper, answer that he had shot Kennedy and that he recognized incriminating handwriting as his own, but denied that he remembered the shooting.[18]
- TheUnited States Navyestablished theNavy Fighter Weapons School(profiled in the 1986 filmTop Gun) atNaval Air Station Miramar.[19]
- Died:
- Fred Alexander,88, American tennis player and winner of six Grand Slam doubles events
- Ali Jawdat al-Aiyubi,82, three-timePrime Minister of Iraq
- The formative event for theUnion of Concerned Scientiststook place at theMassachusetts Institute of Technology(MIT), when scientists who were working on military projects conducted a work stoppage to protest "against misdirected scientific research and the abuse of scientific technology"; researchers at 30 other American universities soon conducted their own temporary strikes.[20]PhysicistKurt Gottfriedwrote the UCS mission statement, "Beyond March 4", to be distributed to the MIT participants and then to scientists on other campuses, writing that "the Stone Age may return on the gleaming wings of Science, and what might now shower immeasurable material blessings upon mankind, may even bring about its total destruction. Beware, I say; time may be short."[21]
- Between March 4 and 22, a series ofApollo Telescope Mount(ATM)extravehicular activityneutral buoyancy testswere performed atMarshall Space Flight Center(MSFC).Astronautsparticipated in bothscuba gearand pressurizedspace suits.The purpose of the tests was to evaluate the performance and procedures for moving film cassettes to the two ATM work stations and to perform some of the tasks required at these stations. Recommendations were made for the improvement of most of the features evaluated. As a result of the tests, equipment and procedures modifications were made.[22]
- Born:
- Chaz Bono,American transgender activist, musician and filmmaker; as Chastity Bono inLos Angeles,to entertainersSonny BonoandCher
- Patrick Roach,Canadian TV and film actor; inHalifax, Nova Scotia
- Died:Nicholas Schenck,88, Russian-born American theater chain and film studio executive
- Gustav Heinemannwas narrowly electedPresident of West Germanyon the third round of balloting by the 1,023 members of the federal and state legislatures, conducted inWest Berlindespite protests from the government ofEast Germany.The final round came down to Heinemann, the nation's Justice Minister, and Defense MinisterGerhard Schroeder,after no candidate had been able to get the absolute majority of votes on the first two rounds. When the number of candidates was reduced to two, Heinemann won the largely ceremonial head of state post by a margin of 512 to 506.[23]
- Serial killerTony Costawas arrested inBostonan hour after police discovered the dismembered bodies of two 23-year-old women who were last seen on January 24. The women had had the misfortune of renting a room at a boardinghouse inProvincetown,where Costa had also been staying, and had vanished minutes after the house proprietor had introduced them. At the time of Costa's arrest, police had found four bodies buried in the sand dunes ofCape CodnearTruro, Massachusetts.[24]
- South Vietnam's Prime Minister,Tran Van Huong,narrowly escaped an assassination attempt that came as he was being driven to his home at 1:00 in the afternoon inSaigon.Huong's car was attacked by four members of aViet Congassassination team, all of whom were wearing stolen uniforms of the ARVN Rangers; fortunately for Huong, the attempt took place in the presence of Saigon police and ARVN troops who opened fire and gave the driver time to accelerate and escape.[25]
- Switzerland's President, Ludwig von Moos, announced to the lower house of parliament inBernthat the seven-man executive council planned to present a constitutional amendment to grant women full power to vote and to be elected to political office, breaking with one of the Alpine nation's oldest traditions.[26]
- All 17 passengers and both crewmembers onPrinair Flight 277were killed when the propeller-drivende Havilland Heroncrashed into a mountain as it was making its approach toSan Juan, Puerto Ricoon its flight fromSt. Thomas, Virgin Islands.[27][28]
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- The "Moon suit"(officially the" Extravehicular Mobility Unit "), to be worn by Apollo mission astronauts on the Moon was successfully tested in the vacuum of outer space for the first time.[29]Apollo 9astronautRussell L. Schweickartdonned the cumbersome pressurized garment (with a greater than previously-required oxygen supply and more powerful radio equipment) and performed aspacewalkfor 37 minutes, proving that the suit would be effective for theApollo 11astronauts to wear for an extended period on theMoon.
- For the first time during theVietnam War,a serviceman in the U.S. military was convicted after a court-martial for desertion toSweden.Setting an example for others, the court-martial tribunal sentenced U.S. Army Spec. 4 Edwin C. Arnett, a cook, to four years imprisonment at hard labor and given a dishonorable discharge, after his trial atFort Dix, New Jersey.[30]At the time, there were 53,357 men who had been classified as deserters from the armed services as of the last figures (for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1968). A study by a special U.S. Senate subcommittee also found that less than one percent of classified deserters were convicted of desertion, with a rate of 0.35% in the U.S. Army and 0.48% in the U.S. Navy.[31]
- The number of Americans killed in action in the Vietnam War was reported by the U.S. Department of Defense to have been 32,376 as of the week that ended on March 1, soon to surpass the 33,629 U.S. deaths in theKorean War.[32](According to the Coffelt Database of Vietnam Casualties, 1,318 servicemen would die in the 20 days that followed; the 75 deaths on March 26 would the bring the number to 33,994).[33]
- Born:Tsering Wangmo Dhompa,Indian-born Tibetan poet; inChennai,Tamil Nadu[34]
- Died:
- Óscar Osorio,58, formerPresident of El Salvador
- Keisai Aoki,75, Japanese Okinawan missionary
- TheApollo 9astronauts completed the most critical part of the mission, successfully testing the maneuvers needed for a crewed spacecraft to turn around, dock with the lunar module (LEM) carried from a separately orbiting section of the rocket, allow two members of the crew to safely climb into it, undock it (for a future descent to the Moon, and then to return, reconnect to the orbiter and transfer back.[35]After the docking, astronauts McDivitt and Schweickart climbed into the LEM (designated asSpider), fired rockets to ascend 10 miles (16 km) above the command module (Gumdrop,crewed by Scott) to an altitude of 156 miles (251 km) and, because of the longer time to make a circuit of the Earth, "gradually fell behind, reaching a maximum trailing distance" of 113 miles (182 km) from the command module.[36]At that point, "Spider" fired the descent engine, jettisoned the lower half of the LEM to its original altitude and then flew back. After locatingGumdropand redocking with it, McDivitt and Schweickart crossed back into the command module, then jettisoned the LEM (part of which would orbit for 12 years).[37]
- InMoscow,an angry mob of thousands of Russians were brought by buses to the city center, marched to the embassy of thePeople's Republic of Chinaand, over the next three hours, broke more than 100 windows and pelted the walls with hurled ink bottles. The demonstrations were made in response to the killing of Soviet troops during the border clash less than a week earlier, and got out of hand despite coordination by the Soviet government.[38]
- With a crew of three, a U.S. Army helicopter rescued 124South Koreansfrom a fire in a 13-story tall apartment building inSeoul.The copter made nine trips, including one where a crewmember rescued a woman who was hanging from her 12th-floor apartment.[39]
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- GeneralAbdul Munim Riad,Chief of Staff of the Egyptian Armed Forces, was fatally wounded while touring the front line during an exchange of artillery between the Egyptians and the Israelis at the Suez Canal. An artillery shell landed inside thetrenchnearIsmailiawhere General Riad had been walking, killed by what would later be described as a "million-to-one shot". General Riad died the next day.[40]
- TheCarabineros,the national police force in the South American nation ofChile,shot and killed nine peopleand wounded another 70.[41]The group had taken up occupation of Pampa Irigoin, a portion of land in the city ofPuerto Montt.Robinson Montiel, a nine-month-old boy, died from the effects oftear gas.Outrage followed against the government of Chile's PresidentEduardo Frei Montalva,and in 1970, MarxistSalvador Allendewould be elected president.
- The Shaggs,sisters Helen, Betty and Dot Wiggin ofFremont, New Hampshire,made a studio recording of what would become the cult classic record album,Philosophy of the Worldand earned a place in pop music history as "the world's worst rock band".[42]
- After a failed coup against his government, PresidentFrancisco Macias NguemaofEquatorial Guineaannounced the suspension of the constitution in the western African nation and assumed dictatorial power.
- Died:
- Charles Brackett,76, three-time Academy Award-winning screenwriter
- Richard Crane,50, American TV actor known; from a heart attack
- TheRoyal Canadian Mounted Policeconducted their last everdog sledpatrol, with two Mounties and a team of huskies setting off fromOld Crowin theYukon Territoryfor a one-month patrol that covered 800 miles (1,300 km). The RCMP had announced earlier that, starting with the 1969–70 winter, its patrols would be limited to motorized sleds and airplanes.[43]
- InMemphis, Tennessee,James Earl Raypleaded guilty to theassassination of Martin Luther King Jr.on April 4, 1968. A jury (of ten white and two black members) determined the sentence without the option of capital punishment and recommended a 99-year jail sentence.[44]
- Mario Puzo's novelThe Godfather,was first distributed to booksellers by the publisherG. P. Putnam's Sons.[45]
- Born:Paget Brewster,American TV actress; inConcord, Massachusetts
- During anApollo Applications Program(AAP) briefing atManned Spacecraft Center(MSC), Deputy Director of Apollo ApplicationsJohn H. Dishersaid "...we are in manned flight today, in a position roughly comparable to that in 1910 for airplanes... and in 1910, or in 1909, it was the well-known physicist of his day,Simon Newcomb,...who saidanyone who thinks that the airplane will sometime replace the train is out of his mind.... "[22][a]
- NASAhad scheduledEdwin "Buzz" Aldrinto be the first person to walk on the Moon, according to a statement to reporters in Houston by Dr.John W. Small,Director of Lunar Surface Projects, who confirmed that "That's the present plan." Dr. Small added, however, that plans could still be changed and that another pilot on the Apollo 11 mission,Neil Armstrong,might be given the honor.[48]
- Born:
- Soraya(Lamilla Cuevas), American-born Latino music star and winner of two Latin Grammy awards; inPoint Pleasant, New Jersey(died of cancer, 2006)
- Terrence Howard,American film and TV actor; inChicago[49]
- Died:John Wyndham,65, English science fiction writer known forThe Day of the Triffids
- Paul McCartneybecame the last member ofThe Beatlesto get married, as he and American photographerLinda Eastmanparticipated in a morning civil ceremony at the registrar's office in London's Marylebone district; later the same day, fellow BeatleGeorge Harrisonand Harrison's wife Patti were arrested in a raid on their home atEsher,Surrey,on charges of possession of marijuana; the Harrisons posted bond and were released.[50][51]
- Born:
- Jake Tapper,American journalist andCNNanchor and commentator; inNew York City
- Graham Coxon,English rock guitarist and founder ofBlur;inRinteln,West Germany
- The U.S. Senate voted, 83 to 15, to ratify theTreaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons,which had been signed inGenevaon July 1, 1968, by the United States, the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom. The 15 U.S. Senators voting against the treaty were seven Southern Democrats and eight Republicans, while 49 Democrats and 34 Republicans voted in favor.[52]
- All 15 crewmen aboard the Soviet fishing trawlerNR-4553died when their ship collided with a larger Panamanian-registered oil tanker and sank off of the coast of the United States. A search of the area, located 31 miles (50 km) northeast ofKitty Hawk, North Carolina,found no survivors.[53]
- Apollo 9splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean after its 10-day mission and was recovered by theUSSGuadalcanalat 1:01 in the afternoonAtlantic Time(1601 UTC).[54]
- Born:Susanna Mälkki,Finnish orchestra conductor; inHelsinki
- U.S. President Nixon announced that he had approved the implementation of theSafeguard Program,ananti-ballistic missiledefense system that would protect American missile bases against a direct attack by theSoviet Union,give "defense of the American people against the kind of nuclear attack whichCommunist Chinais likely to be able to mount within the decade "and to protect against" the possibility of accidental attacks from any source. "At the same time, the President announced the discontinuation of further work on theSentinel programpreviously approved by former President Lyndon Johnson, and rejected a plan for deployment of missiles around American cities. "Although every instinct motivates me to provide the American people with complete protection against a major nuclear attack," Nixon said, "it is not now within our power to do so." He conceded that deployment of missiles to protect major cities "still could not prevent a catastrophic level of U.S. fatalities from a deliberate all-out Soviet attack" and added that it might appear to be "the prelude to an offensive strategy" against the USSR.[55][56]
- Died:Ben Shahn,70, Lithuanian-born artist in the social realism movement
- President Nixon extended the area of American operations in theVietnam Warbeyond North Vietnam and South Vietnam, and authorized the U.S. Department of Defenseto begin aerial bombingof the neighboring Kingdom ofCambodia,keeping the move a secret not only from the press, but from the United States Congress as well.[57]The secret bombing, which would start on March 18, would be exposed by theNew York Timesless than two months later, on May 9.[58]
- The Soviet Union made a counterattack against Chinese forces on Zhenbao/Damansky island as a followup to the March 2 incident initiated by the Chinese. While the number of deaths on both sides was not publicized, the USSR's Red Army defeated China'sPeople's Liberation Army(PLA) with superior force and "a PLA infantry regiment was decimated by a single salvo from six SovietBM-21 Gradmultiple launch rocket systems. "[59][60][61]
- Uruguay's President,Jorge Pacheco Areco,ended thestate of emergencythat had been declared in the South American nation on June 13, 1968. By then, the organized revolution against the government in response to the emergency had become so widespread that the emergency would be reinstated three months later, on June 24.[62][63]
- TheDenver University Pioneerswon theNCAA Ice Hockey championship,defeatingCornell University's Big Red,4–3, in nearbyColorado Springs.[64]
- Born:Yutaka Take,Japanese horse racing jockey and 2005 Japanese Triple Crown winner; inKyoto,Kyoto Prefecture
- All 84 people on boardVIASA Airlines Flight 742were killed, along with 71 residents of theVenezuelancity ofMaracaibo,after the DC-9 jet plunged into a neighborhood moments after takeoff. The jet crash that claimed the lives of 155 people altogether was carrying passengers toMiami.[65][66]
- TheTony Award-winning musical1776opened onBroadway,beginning the first of 1,217 performances. Starring a cast led byWilliam DanielsasJohn Adams,andHoward Da SilvaasBenjamin Franklin,the production had music and lyrics bySherman Edwards.
- Eightvolunteer lifeboat rescuersfor theScottishseaside village ofLonghopein theOrkney Islandswere killed while responding to a distress call during a Force 9 gale. The men had set off into thePentland Firthafter the Liberian-registered freighterIrenesent out amaydaycall.[67][68]The capsized boat was located the next day, with seven of the eight crew inside the water-filled cabin; the eighth had been swept overboard.[69]
- Golda Meirwas sworn in as the first femalePrime Minister of Israelafter winning an 84 to 12vote of confidencein theKnesset.[70]
- Born:Alexander McQueen,British fashion designer; inLewisham(committed suicide, 2010)
- AmericanaquanautsEd Clifton, Conrad Mahnken, Richard Waller and John VanDerwalker established a new record for longest time spent by a team underwater, observing their 28th consecutive day since February 18 in the undersea laboratory and habitatTektite Ioff of theU.S. Virgin Islandsin asaturation divingenvironment.[71]They stayed inTektite Ifour more weeks, returning to the surface on April 15 after 58 days undersea.[72]
- Alarge annular solar eclipsewas visible in south Indian, Indonesia, Pacific, and covered 99.545% of the Sun. The moon's apparent diameter was larger, occurring only 5.1 days after perigee.
- Operation Breakfast,the covert bombing ofCambodiaby U.S. planes, began.
- Born:
- Vassily Ivanchuk,Ukrainian chess grandmaster and fast chess world champion on two occasions; inKopychyntsi,Ukrainian SSR,Soviet Union
- Jimmy Morales,50thPresident of Guatemalafrom 2016 to 2020 and former comedian and actor; inGuatemala City
- Died:Barbara Bates,43, American film and TV actress; by carbon monoxide suicide
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/94/Flag_of_Anguilla_%281967%E2%80%931969%29.svg/150px-Flag_of_Anguilla_%281967%E2%80%931969%29.svg.png)
- The brief (40 days) existence of the "Republic of Anguilla"came to a peaceful end as a force of 135 British paratroopers from the Red Devil parachute regiment, along with British Marines and Scotland Yard detectives landed on the Caribbean island.Ronald Webster,who had declared himself President of Anguilla when the island issued its declaration of independence following a referendum, appeared at the British command headquarters and arranged for a meeting the next morning, then left again. Diplomat Anthony Lee was then installed as the resident British Commissioner.[73]
- TheChicago Seven(then known as the Chicago Eight) were indicted by a grand jury on the charge of causing the riots at the1968 Democratic National Convention.
- Born:Connor Trinneer,American TV actor best known forStar Trek: EnterpriseandStargate Atlantis;inWalla Walla, Washington
- Metal detection deviceswere first used in American airports, the day after theFederal Aviation Administrationdemonstrated the device for news reporters.[74]The detectors, which were originally silent and made so that passengers would be unaware that they were scanned as they walked through a gate, were tested in severalEastern Airlinesterminals at airports later identified asJohn F. Kennedy International Airportin New York,Washington National Airport,Hartsfield International Airportin Atlanta,Miami International Airport,andLambert Fieldin St. Louis.[75]
- Thecrash of a United Arab Airlines flightat theAswanairport in Egypt killed 93 of the 98 passengers on board, and all seven of the crew. Most of the dead were returning to Egypt after completing the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca. As the Ilyushin-18 turboprop attempted a landing during a sandstorm, one of the plane's wings scraped the ground and the plane exploded and burned.[76]
- Eight days after Paul McCartney's wedding,John LennonandYoko Onowere married inGibraltar,then proceeded to their honeymoon inAmsterdam,where, starting on March 25, they performed what they called a "Bed-in for Peace"for the duration of their stay.[77]
- "A sum total of 10 voyages to the surface of the Moon" was announced byNASAAdministratorThomas O. Paine,who told reporters that if theApollo 11mission came off as planned in July, it would be followed by nine more lunar landings, with Apollo 12, 13 and 14 set for leaving equipment to measure lunar disturbances, and the six later landings to be set up in "areas of the most significant interest" with the possibility of "overland exploration". "We're talking here really about man's conquest of the seventh continent," Paine noted.[78]
- The UCLA Bruins defeated the Purdue Boilermakers, 92 to 72, to win their third consecutiveNCAA basketball championship.UCLA's Lew Alcindor (who would later change his name toKareem Abdul-Jabbar) scored 37 points in his final college game. The game was played at 2:00 in the afternoon at Freedom Hall inLouisville, Kentucky,and was only close for the first four minutes, when Purdue enjoyed a brief 4 to 2 lead. High scorer for Purdue, with 28 points, wasRick Mount.[79]
- Born:
- Tony Fadell,American engineer, designer, entrepreneur and inventor (Nest Labs,Apple Inc.); inDetroit[80]
- Ali Daei,Iranian soccer football forward and national team member in 149 matches; inArdabil
- Charles Mansonmade an unexpected visit to10050 Cielo Drive,the California home rented by film directorRoman Polanskiand his wife, actressSharon Tate.Manson was searching for the previous resident, record producerTerry Melcher,from whom he had tried to obtain a musical recording contract. On August 8, not knowing Melcher's new location but having learned that the house atBenedict Canyonwas occupied by celebrities, Manson would direct a group of his followers to travel to the house andmurder everyone there.While Polanski would be away in Europe at the time, Tate and four other people would be killed. Confirmation that Manson had been at the house before the crime would be revealed at Manson's murder trial on October 21, 1970.[81]
- In a reaction to the earlier controversy overJim Morrison's conduct during the earlier concert byThe Doors,a group of 30,000 people gathered at theOrange Bowl StadiuminMiamifor a "Rally for Decency" organized by teenagers. Celebrity guests includedJackie Gleason,Anita Bryantand the pop rock groupThe Lettermen.[82]
- The bottom half of theApollo 9lunar moduleSpider,jettisoned by the crew before they returned to Earth, re-entered the Earth's atmosphere and burned up over theIndian Oceaneast of Africa; the top half of the first lunar module in space would not return until 12 years later, on October 23, 1981.[35]
- Officials atNASAannounced that the upcomingApollo 10mission would continue its original mission to orbit theMoonand to have the lunar module descend to about 50,000 feet (15,000 m) above the lunar surface to scout landing sites. After the successful testing of the lunar module duringApollo 9,questions had been raised about whether "NASA might skip the Apollo 10 flight May 18 and move directly to the Apollo 11 lunar landing mission in July"[83]or even "a possible moon landing by Apollo 10",[84]with mission commanderThomas P. StaffordandEugene A. Cernan(who would become, in 1972, the last person to walk on the Moon) touching down on the lunar surface on May 22.[85]
- At the request ofKing Hussein,Bahjat Talhouniresigned asPrime Minister of Jordanalong with the rest of his cabinet of ministers and was replaced by Foreign MinisterAbdelmunim Al-Rifai.The move came only two weeks before the King was preparing to travel to Washington to speak with U.S. President Nixon.[86]
- Born:Stephan Eberharter,Austrian alpine ski racer and 2002 and 2003 World Cup gold medalist; inBrixlegg
- Died:Joseph Kasavubu,53, first President of theRepublic of the Congofrom 1960 to 1965
- Pakistan's PresidentMohammed Ayub Khanannounced his resignation in a nationwide TV and radio address. He departed after more than ten years of military rule, and in the wake of four months of strikes and riots that had killed more than 700 people. "This is the last time that I am addressing you as president of Pakistan," he told listeners. "The situation in the country is fast deteriorating... the economy of the country has been crippled, factories are closing down, and production is dwindling every day.... It is impossible for me to preside over the destruction of our country." Ayub Khan was succeeded by the commander of the Pakistan Army, GeneralAgha Muhammad Yahya Khan,who declared martial law, banned all further strikes, demonstrations and political meetings, and provided for military courts to put any violators on trial.[87]
- Died:
- Max Eastman,86, American political activist who co-founded the leftist periodicalThe Liberator,then changed views and published the bookReflections on the Failure of Socialism.
- Alan Mowbray,72, English-born film and TV actor and co-founder of theScreen Actors Guild
- Billy Cotton,69, English bandleader, race car driver and film actor
- Frustrated by the rejections from publishers,John Kennedy Toolekilled himself at the age of 31 without knowing that his novelA Confederacy of Dunceswould be printed 11 years later and would become a bestseller and aPulitzer Prize for Fictionwinner. Toole drove toBiloxi, Mississippi,parked his car, and connected a garden hose to the exhaust pipe for a death bycarbon monoxide poisoning.[88][89][90]
- Dick Smothers,co-producer of the popular but controversialCBSshow,The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour,was sent atelegramby CBS PresidentRobert Wood,warning that action would be taken if Dick andTommy Smotherscontinued to avoid network attempts to review advance videotapes of the episodes prior to broadcast. Wood, who would announce the show's cancellation eight days later, wrote "You are not free to use The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour as a device to 'push for new standards.' If you cannot comply with our standards— whether or not you approve of them— The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour cannot appear on CBS." A copy of the telegram would be released to the press in conjunction with the April 4 cancellation announcement.[91]
- Mariner 7,the second U.S. probe to the planetMarsin two months, was sent into space at 5:22 p.m. local time fromCape Kennedy.The payload included two television cameras that had the highest resolution at that time, capable of capturing images as small as 900 feet (270 m) wide from an altitude of 2,000 miles (3,200 km). The flyby mission was scheduled to make its closest approach to the south pole of Mars on August 5.[92]
- Born:
- Pauley Perrette,American TV actress best known as forensic scientistAbby SciutoonNCIS;inNew Orleans
- Kevin Corrigan,American TV actor known forGrounded for Life;inThe Bronx
- Mariah Carey,American singer and actress; inHuntington, New York
- Pope Paul VIincreased the size of theRoman Catholic Church'sSacred College of Cardinalsby more than one-third, creating 33 newcardinalsto raise the total number in the world from 101 to 134.[93]
- Born:
- Rodney Atkins,American country music singer; inKnoxville, Tennessee
- Laurie Brett,Scottish TV actress; inHamilton, South Lanarkshire
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/63/Dwight_D._Eisenhower%2C_official_photo_portrait%2C_May_29%2C_1959.jpg/100px-Dwight_D._Eisenhower%2C_official_photo_portrait%2C_May_29%2C_1959.jpg)
- Died:Dwight D. Eisenhower,78, 34thPresident of the United Statesfrom 1953 to 1961 and U.S. Army General who commanded theSupreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary ForceduringWorld War II;at 12:25 in the afternoon at theWalter Reed Army HospitalinWashington, D.C.[94]
- Ronald Ridenhouralerted U.S. military and government officials to theMy Lai Massacrethat had happened a year earlier inSouth Vietnam.Ridenhour, who had recently completed his tour of duty as a U.S. Army helicopter gunner and had confirmed stories from some of the soldiers who had been witnesses, wrote a four-page letter to 30 different members of Congress, to President Nixon and Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird, and General Earle Wheeler, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and sent copies to each byregistered mail.One of the recipients, Arizona CongressmanMorris Udallread the letter and circulated it to members of the House Armed Services Committee, and General Wheeler forwarded a copy to Army Chief of StaffWilliam C. Westmorelandand an investigation began.[95]
- TheNew People's Army(Bagong Hukbong Bayan) was formed by theCommunist Party of the Philippinesto wage a war against the Filipino government.Bernabe Buscayno,who went by the alias "Commander Dante", and Communist Party founderJose Maria Sison.[96]The group, originally based in the city ofCapasonLuzonisland, began with 60 soldiers and 35 rifles and would have as many as 25,200 people within twenty years. It would launch its first terrorist attack on August 21, 1971, wounding over 100 people (nine fatally) during a political rally, and has continued to wage a guerrilla war ever since.
- TheUnited Kingdomwith "Boom Bang-a-Bang"byLulu,Spainwith "Vivo cantando"bySalomé,theNetherlandswith "De troubadour"byLenny Kuhr,andFrancewith "Un jour, un enfant"byFrida Boccara,all won theEurovision Song Contest 1969respectively. It was the first time in the history of the contest that a tie for first place had occurred, and as there was no tiebreaker rule in place at the time, all four countries were declared joint winner.[97][98]
- The bodies of sixty-eight civilians executed by theViet Congin the previous year'sTet Offensivewere uncovered in a shallow grave near the city ofHuế.[99]
- Born:Chiaki Ishikawa,Japanese singer and lead vocalist for the duoSee-Saw;as Ishikawa Chiaki inTokyo
- The Allman Brothers Band,formed by brothersDuane AllmanandGregg Allman,along with Dickey Betts, Berry Oakley, Butch Trucks, and "Jaimoe" Johanson, played their very first concert, making their debut at the Jacksonville Armory in Florida.[100]Duane Allman would be killed in a motorcycle accident less than three years later, on October 29, 1971.[101]
- Two days after his death, the body of former President Eisenhower was brought bycaissonto the United States Capitol to lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda.
- A methane gas explosion killed 153 coal minersat an underground mine at the town of Barroterán in Mexico'sCoahuilastate.[102][103]
- Kurt Vonnegut's novelSlaughterhouse-Fivewas first published byDelacorte Press.[104]
- Died:George de la Warr,64, English alternative medicine proponent who marketed devices and treatments using what he calledradionics
Notes
[edit]- ^Newcomb's most famous comments about flying machines appeared in the October 22, 1903, issue ofThe Independent.[46][47]
References
[edit]- ^attribution André Cros
- ^attribution: Dutch National Archives
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- ^"Trio of Best-Sellers?",Books Happeningcolumn byGene Shalit,Los Angeles Times,February 23, 1969, "Calendar" section, p46
- ^Newcomb, Simon(22 October 1903)."The Outlook for the Flying Machine".The Independent.Vol. LV, no. 2864. pp. 2509–2510.Retrieved10 October2021– via Google Books.
- ^"What Did Newcomb Say?".The Independent.Vol. 103, no. 3738. 25 September 1920. p. 374.Retrieved10 October2021– via Google Books.
- ^"Aldrin May Be First American on Moon".Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.March 12, 1969. p. 1.
- ^Sweet Home Cook County(PDF).Cook County Clerk.p. 10. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 28 May 2016.Retrieved31 May2023.
- ^"Beatle McCartney Marries Divorcee",Honolulu Advertiser,March 13, 1969, p2
- ^"Beatle charged",The Guardian(London), March 13, 1969, p1
- ^"Nuclear Treaty Is Ratified In Senate, 83-15",Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,March 14, 1969, p1
- ^"22 on Soviet Boat Missing Off U.S.",Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,March 14, 1969, p1
- ^"Trio Ends 10-Day Perfect Flight— Apollo 9's Success Takes U.S. Much Closer to Moon",Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,March 14, 1969, p1
- ^"Nixon Okays Modified ABM— 'Safeguard' To Protect U.S. Deterrent Power",Pittsburgh Press,March 14, 1969, p1
- ^"Statement on Deployment of the Antiballistic Missile System", March 14, 1969,UCSB American Presidency Project
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- ^"Chinese, Russian Warfare Erupts On Siberian Border",Cincinnati Enquirer,March 16, 1969, p1
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- ^"State Of Emergency Is Ended In Uruguay",Fort Lauderdale (FL) News,March 16, 1969, p16A
- ^"DU Icers Nip Cornell, 4-3, for Title",Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph,March 16, 1969, p1-B
- ^"150 Killed in Air Disaster— 47 Americans Die In Miami-Bound Jet From Venezuela ",Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,March 17, 1969, p1
- ^"Air Crash Toll Rises To 155 in Venezuela",Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,March 18, 1969, p1
- ^"Cargo ship goes aground in gale off Orkney",Glasgow Herald,March 18, 1969, p1
- ^"Seven in Lifeboat Missing Off Scotland",Boston Globe,March 18, 1969, p17
- ^"SEVEN FOUND DEAD IN CAPSIZED LIFEBOAT— Seaman joined crew at last minute ",Glasgow Herald,March 19, 1969, p1
- ^"Golda Meir Sworn In After Confidence Vote",Daily Herald(Provo UT), March 17, 1969, p1
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- ^"British Invade Island, Install Commissioner",Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,March 20, 1969, p1
- ^"FAA Introduces 'Hijack Nabber'",Tallahassee (FL) Democrat,March 20, 1969, p14
- ^"Detection of Skyjackers Now Improving Rapidly",Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,June 25, 1969, p4
- ^"96 Killed in Crash Of Cairo Plane",Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,March 21, 1969, p1
- ^"Beatle Lennon, Bride Stay In Bed For Peace",Miami News,March 25, 1969, p1
- ^"9 Moon Trips to Follow First Success in Landing",Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,March 22, 1969, p3
- ^"It's Tic, Tac, Toe— 3 in a Row for UCLA!",Courier-Journal & Times(Louisville, KY), March 23, 1969, pC-1
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- ^"NASA Rejects Plan to Hasten Moon Landing"Baltimore Sun,March 25, 1969, p1
- ^"Apollo 10 Won't Land on Moon",Des Moines (IA) Register,March 25, 1969, p11
- ^"'Somewhere Important to Go': The Need for Apollo 10",by Ben Evans, AmericaSpace.com, May 16, 2014
- ^"Hussein Picks New Premier",Baltimore Sun,March 25, 1969, p1
- ^"Ayub Khan Resigns; Army Controls Pakistan",Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,March 26, 1969, p2
- ^"Book succeeds 11 years after author's death",Green Bay (WI) Press-Gazette,August 31, 1980, pB-11
- ^"Man who committed suicide wins Pulitzer",Hattiesburg (MS) American,April 14, 1981, p5
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- ^"Brothers Smothered By CBS-TV— Network Charges Dick and Tommy Didn't Cooperate",Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,April 5, 1969, p3
- ^"Photographic Craft Zooms Toward Mars",Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,March 28, 1969, p4
- ^"Bishops Wright And Dearden Are Named Cardinals— Pope Paul's Selections Are Regarded As Shift in Power to the Grass Roots; 4 Americans Among 33 Appointed",Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,March 29, 1969, p1
- ^"Ex-President Eisenhower Dies",Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,March 29, 1969, p1
- ^William Thomas Allison,My Lai: An American Atrocity in the Vietnam War(Johns Hopkins University Press, 2012) p xlvii
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