Today in US history on March 9: Amistad survivors freed, ironclads clash at Hampton roads, Barbie debuts

Several significant moments in American history took place on March 9, ranging from landmark court rulings and Civil War battles to cultural milestones and scientific breakthroughs. On March 9, 1841, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled to free the remaining 35 survivors of the Amistad Mutiny. The decision, delivered in a majority opinion written by Joseph Story, determined that the Africans had been illegally enslaved and had the right to fight for their freedom. Only one of the nine justices dissented. Private donations later helped the freed Africans return safely to Sierra Leone in January 1842.

For context, the 1839 Amistad mutiny was a revolt by 53 Mende captives against their Spanish captors aboard the schooner La Amistad near Cuba. Led by Joseph Cinqué, the captives seized control, demanding return to Africa.

More than two decades later, on March 9, 1862, the USS Monitor and the CSS Virginia fought to a historic draw at the Battle of Hampton Roads off the coast of Hampton Roads. The ironclad warships exchanged cannon fire for hours, but their armored hulls deflected most shots. The battle marked a turning point in naval warfare, signaling the end of wooden warships and the beginning of the era of armored, steam-powered vessels.


Also Read: Today in US History: From Gnadenhutten massacre to Muhammad Ali– Joe Frazier ‘Fight of the Century’, key events on March 8

Other notable events on March 9

• 1745: Bells for the first American carillon were shipped from England to Boston.
• 1856: The fraternity Sigma Alpha Epsilon was founded at the University of Alabama.
• 1860: Japan’s first ambassador arrived in San Francisco en route to Washington, D.C..
• 1889: Kansas passed the first general antitrust law in the United States.
• 1907: Indiana enacted the nation’s first involuntary sterilization law.
• 1922: Eugene O'Neill’s play The Hairy Ape premiered in New York City.
• 1950: Notorious bank robber Willie Sutton stole $64,000 from Manufacturers Bank in New York.
• 1951: Scientists Edward Teller and Stanislaw Ulam proposed a revolutionary design for the hydrogen bomb at Los Alamos National Laboratory.
• 1957: An 8.1 magnitude earthquake struck the Andreanof Islands.
• 1959: The iconic doll Barbie made its debut at the American International Toy Fair in New York.
• 1975: Construction began on the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System, a major project to transport crude oil across Alaska.