Today is Monday, March 8, the 67th day of 2010. There are 298 days left in the year.
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT
On March 8, 1862, during the Civil War, the ironclad CSS Virginia (formerly USS Merrimack) rammed and sank the USS Cumberland and heavily damaged the USS Congress, both frigates, off Newport News, Va.
ON THIS DATE
In 1702, England’s Queen Anne acceded to the throne upon the death of King William III.
In 1782, the Gnadenhutten massacre took place as more than 90 Indians were slain by militiamen in Ohio in retaliation for raids carried out by other Indians.
In 1854, U.S. Commodore Matthew Perry made his second landing in Japan.
In 1917, Russia’s “February Revolution” (so called because of the Old Style calendar being used by Russians at the time) began with rioting and strikes in Petrograd.
In 1944, two days after an initial strike, U.S. heavy bombers resumed raiding Berlin during World War II.
In 1965, the United States landed its first combat troops in South Vietnam as 3,500 Marines were brought in to defend the U.S. air base at Da Nang.
In 1988, 17 soldiers were killed when two Army helicopters from Fort Campbell, Ky., collided in midflight.
In 2009, a pastor was gunned down during a Sunday sermon in a southwestern Illinois church; a judge later ruled the suspect in the shooting, Terry Sedlacek, was mentally unfit to stand trial in the killing of the Rev. Fred Winters at the First Baptist Church of Maryville.
Associated Press
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.