Old clock in sand with the words: It Happend in March

View Historical Events by Day: What Happened Today in History: March 9

Explore the historical events that shaped our world on March 9th. From major milestones to cultural achievements, see what happened on this day in history. Dates for earlier events may be approximate.

Mar. 8 Mar. 10

49 BCE, March 9

Julius Caesar crosses the Rubicon River with his army, initiating a civil war in Rome.

1142 CE, March 9

Pierre Abélard, a French philosopher, dies.

1181 CE, March 9

Emperor Takakura of Japan abdicates the throne in favor of his son, Emperor Antoku.

1420 CE, March 9

The Council of Basel is convened to address reforms within the Catholic Church.

1531 CE, March 9

Henry VIII recognized as Supreme Head of the Church of England.

1945 CE, March 9

More than three hundred American bombers drop incendiary bombs on Tokyo during a three-hour raid A firestorm greater than that in Dresden erupts, killing 130,000 and displacing a million people. The raid was one of over a hundred such raids that eventually laid waste to sixty percent of the city's total area. More

2009 CE, March 9

The Kepler space observatory, designed to discover Earth-like planets orbiting other stars, is launched by NASA.

2012 CE, March 9

"The Hunger Games" film adaptation, based on Suzanne Collins' novel, is released in theaters, becoming a box office success.

Mar. 8 Mar. 10

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