March 7th in History

On this day in history —

  • Sunday becomes the official day of rest in the Roman empire (321)
  • Daniel Webster gives his “Seventh of March” speech (1850)
  • Alexander Graham Bell patents the telephone (1876)
  • Germany reënters the Rhineland, violating the Treaty of Versailles (1936)
  • The Allies capture the Ludendorff Bridge at Remagen (1945)
  • Selma police attack civil rights marchers in what becomes known as “Bloody Sunday” (1965)
  • The supergroup USA for Africa releases “We Are the World” (1985)
  • NASA launches the Kepler Space Telescope (2009)

It’s the birthday of —

  • Bret Easton Ellis, literary Brat Packer (1964)
  • Ivan Lendl, tennis player (1960)
  • Ernie Isley, musical brother (1952)
  • Sir Ranulph Fiennes, “world’s greatest living explorer” (1944)
  • Stanley Schmidt, Analog editor (1944)
  • Michael Eisner, Disney CEO (1942)
  • Tammy Faye Bakker, makeup wearer (1942)
  • Willard Scott, weatherman (1934)
  • Lord Snowdon, photographer (1930)
  • Dollard Ménard, Canadian hero (1913)
  • Reinhard Heydrich, Nazi (1904)
  • Maurice Ravel, composer (1875)
  • Madame Sul-Te-Wan, actress (1873)
  • Piet Mondrian, artist (1872)
  • Luther Burbank, horticulturist (1849)
  • Nicéphore Niépce, inventor and taker of the first photograph (1765)
  • Rob Roy, Scottish folk hero (1671)

Deaths —

  • Gordon Parks, photographer (2006)
  • Paul Winfield, actor (2004)
  • Charles Gray, Bond villain (2000)
  • Pee Wee King, country musician (2000)
  • Stanley Kubrick, director (1999)
  • Cool Papa Bell, baseball player (1991)
  • Divine, drag queen (1988)
  • Alice B. Toklas, brownie baker (1967)
  • Jacob Javits, politician (1986)
  • Paramahansa Yogananda, yogi (1952)
  • Saint Thomas Aquinas, theologian (1274)

Holidays —

  • Teacher’s Day (Albania)
  • Festival of Vejovis (ancient Rome)
  • Feast of Perpetua and Felicitas (Catholicism)