[SAMWolf]

Naval history was made on March 8, 1862, when the first Confederate ironclad steamed down the Elizabeth River into Hampton Roads to attack the woodensided U.S. blockading fleet anchored there. Built on the hull of the U.S.S. Merrimac (which had been scuttled and burned when the Federals abandoned the Gosport Navy Yard in April, 1861), the new warship had been christened C.S.S. Virginia, but in common usage retained its original name. After ramming and sinking the twenty-four-gun woodenhulled steam-sailing sloop Cumberland, the Merrimac headed for the fifty-gun frigate Congress. An awestruck Union officer watched the one-sided fight as the Merrimac fired "shot and shell into her with terrific effect, while the shot from the Congress glanced from her iron-plated sloping sides, without doing any apparent injury."



The results of the first day's fighting at Hampton Roads proved the superiority of iron over wood, but on the next day iron was pitted against iron as the U.S.S. Monitor arrived on the scene. It was just in time to challenge the Merrimac, which was returning to finish off the U.S. blockading squadron. The Confederate ironclad carried more guns than the Union Monitor, but it was slow, clumsy, and prone to engine trouble. The Union prototype, as designed by John Ericsson, was the faster and more maneuverable ironclad, but it lacked the Rebel vessel's brutish size and power. The Merrimac's officers had heard rumors about a Union ironclad, yet, according to Lieutenant Wood: "She could not possibly have made her appearance at a more inopportune time for us...... Lieutenant S. Dana Greene, an officer aboard the Monitor, described the first exchange of gunfire: "The turrets and other parts of the ship were heavily struck, but the shots did not penetrate; the tower was intact, and it continued to revolve. A look of confidence passed over the men's faces, and we believed the Merrimac would not repeat the work she had accomplished the day before." Neither ironclad seriously damaged the other in their one day of fighting, March 9, 1862 though the Merrimac was indeed prevented from attacking any more of the Union's wooden ships. A new age of naval warfare had dawned.

[SAMWolf]

Statistics Of The C.S.S. Virginia

Acquisition.--Seized by the Confederates in 1861 at Gosport Navy Yard and converted into an ironclad.

Description.--Screw ironclad ram.
Tonnage.--3,200 tons.
Dimensions.--Length 275'; beam, 38' 6"; depth, 27½'.
Draft.--Loaded, 22'; without coal or ballast, 19½'.
Speed.--About 9 knots
Engines.--Horizontal, back acting; two cylinders, 72" in diameter, 3' stroke.
Boilers.--4 Martin type boilers; average steam pressure, 18 lbs.
Battery.--March 11, 1862, 10 guns;
May, 1862, 2 7-inch rifle pivots, 2 6-inch rifles and 6 9-inch Dahlgrens in broadside, 2 12-pounder howitzers on deck.

Crew Size: According to the personnel roster of the Virginia, she was manned by 160 Navy, and 28 Marines.

Disposition.--Run on shore near Craney Island and set on fire after being abandoned; she blew up at 4.58 a.m., May 11, 1862.

Remarks.--Formerly she was the U. S. S. Merrimack. March 8, 1862, she engaged and sunk the U. S. S. Cumberland by ramming and destroyed the Congress by fire. March 9, 1862, engaged the U. S. vessels Monitor, Minnesota, and St. Lawrence.

Statistics Of The U.S.S. Monitor

Acquisition:--Built by contract with John Ericsson at Green Point, L. I. Launched January 30, 1862.

Cost:--$275,000 or $280,000.



Description.--screw steamer; iron and wood; single turret.
Class: Monitor
Rate, rig, etc.: Original type of turreted vessel.
Tonnage.--776 (987).
Dimensions.--Length, 172'; beam, 41' 6"; depth, 11' 4".
Draft.--Just after being launched; forward, 7' 8"; aft, 8' 1" (10' 6").
Engines.--Double trunk, cylinders (2 in 1 casting); 36" diameter, 27" stroke.
Boilers.--Two; return tube "box" boilers.
Battery.--2 XI-inch guns in turret.

Disposition.--Foundered off Hatteras, December 31, 1862, Commander J.P. Bankhead in command.

Remarks.--Cost of articles furnished to her was $560.35. Had famous engagement with C. S. S. Merrimack in Hampton Roads, March 9, 1862. First engagement of ironclads.

Crew Size:

Report of Lieutenant Worden, U. S. Navy, regarding the complement of officers and crew for the U. S. S. Monitor.
NAVY YARD, NEW YORK, January 27, 1862.

Hon. GIDEON WELLES,
Secretary of the Navy.
SIR: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your communication of the 24th instant, in relation to the complement of officers and crew for Ericsson's ironclad battery.

In estimating the number of her crew, I allowed 15 men and a quarter gunner for the two guns, 11 men for the powder division, and 1 for the wheel, which I deem ample for the efficient working of her guns in action. That would leave 12 men (including those available in the engineer's department) to supply deficiencies at the guns, caused by sickness or casualties. I propose to use a portion of the petty officers at the guns, and in naming the number of that class I thought I would be enabled to obtain a better class of men for that purpose.

It is believed that 17 men and 2 officers in the turret would be as many as could work there with advantage; a greater number would be in each other's way and cause embarrassment.

The limited accommodations of the battery and the insufficiency of ventilation renders it important that as few as is consistent with her efficiency in action should be put in her.

In relation to masters mates, one might be ordered; more would overcrowd her accommodations and seems to be unnecessary.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
JOHN L. WORDEN,
Lieutenant, Commanding.

[aomagrat]

Great thread, great job!

[Jen]

FALL IN to the FReeper Foxhole!

To be removed from this list, please send me a blank private reply with "REMOVE" in the subject line! Thanks! Jen

[jwfiv]

Good morning, Mr. SAM...thank you for an excellent and beautiful thread...I keep finding gems whenever I jump into the FReeper Foxhole..)

Wishing you a fine day.

[Non-Sequitur]

Here's my favorite picture of C.S.S. Virginia.

[Valin]

On This Day In History


Birthdates which occurred on March 09:
1454 Amerigo Vespucci explorer, This could be Vespucciland
1564 David Fabricius Essen Germany, astronomer (discovered variable star)
1568 Aloysius "Luigi" van Gonzaga Italian prince/Jesuit/saint
1697 Friederike C Neuber German actress/author (Allerkostbarste Schatz)
1735 August Bernhard Valentin Herbing composer
1737 Josef Myslivecek composer
1753 Jean-Baptiste Kléber French General/architect (Mainz, Fleurus)
1758 Franz Joseph Gall German/French physician (frenology)
1777 Alexander Orlowski Polish painter/cartoonist/graphic artist
1791 George Hayward US, surgeon, 1st to use ether
1810 Jean-Georges Kastner composer
1812 Jakob Eduard Schmolzer composer
1814 Taras Shevchenko Ukraine, national poet/painter/professor of Kiev
1824 Leland Stanford (Governor/Senator)/found Stanford University
1826 Jean Joseph Bott German violinist/composer
1839 Felix Huston Robertson Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1928
1839 Modest P Mussorgsky Russian composer (Boris Godunov)
1848 Martin Pierre Joseph Marsick composer
1850 Alexandre Luigini composer
1859 Richard Engländer [Peter Altenberg], Austria, author (Lebensabend)
1865 Margaret Murray Washington wife of Booker T/head (NACW 1896..1918)
1874 Johann Richard Ohlsson composer
1875 Martin Fallas Shaw composer
1877 Emil Abderhalden Swiss physiologist/bio-chemist
1881 Enver Pasja Turkish General/politician
1881 Ernest Bevin British minister of Labour/Foreign affairs
1883 Umberto Saba writer
1885 Ringgold "Ring" Lardner baseball player
1887 Phil Mead cricketer (strong batsman for England pre- & post-WWI)
1890 Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Molotov Soviet foreign minister (UN)
1892 David Garnett England, novelist/editor (Lady into Fox)
1892 Frank Puglia Sicily Italy, actor (Black Orchid, Jungle Book)
1892 Joseph Weinheber Austria poet/writer (Adel und Untergang)
1892 Vita Sackville-West England, novelist/poet (The Land)
1893 Edgar Scauflaire Belgian muralist/decorator
1893 Hans Munch composer
19-- Bradley Lockerman Milford CT, actor (Shep-General Hospital)
19-- Finn Carter actress (As the World Turns)
19-- George Jenesky Los Angeles CA, actor (Nick-Days of Our Life)
19-- Gregory Hex rocker (Kik Tracee-Field Trip)
19-- Iris Chacón Puerto Rico, Spanish personality (Iris Chacon Show)
19-- Lauren Koslow Boston MA, actress (Margo-Bold & Beautiful)
19-- Walter Mercado Ponce PR, astrologer (Walter Mercado Show)
1900 Aimone duke of Spoleta/Aosta Italian king of Croatia (1941-43)
1902 Edward Durell Stone US, architect (US Embassy, New Delhi)
1902 Will Greer Frankfort IN, actor (Grandpa Walton-The Waltons)
1905 Félix Labisse French painter (libidoscaphes)
1905 Grigori Kozintsev Kiev Ukraine, director (Hamlet, King Lear)
1905 Peter C Quennell English biographer/critic (Byron in Italy)
1905 Rex Warner English poet/writer (Wild Goose Chase)
1907 Henry Leland Clarke composer
1908 Luiz Cosme composer
1910 Ed[uard] Hoornik Dutch writer/poet (Survivor)
1910 Samuel Barber West Chester PA, composer (School for Scandal)
1911 Ramon Campbell Batista composer
1912 Alan David Melville polymath
1913 Ger[ar]da Brautigam journalist/Dutch 2nd Chamber (PvdA)
1914 Fred Clark Lincoln CA, actor (Burns & Allen, Auntie Mame, Hazard)
1915 Pete Gray one-armed outfielder (St Louis Browns)
1917 Dante B Fascell (Representative-Democrat-FL, 1955- )
1918 Marguerite Chapman Chatham NY, actress (Spy Smasher, Flight to Mars)
1918 Mickey [Frank Morrison] Spillane Brooklyn NY, mystery writer (I the Jury)
1920 Carl Betz Pittsburgh PA, actor (Alex Stone-Donna Reed Show)
1922 Herbert P Douglas Jr Pittsburgh PA, long jumper (Olympics-bronze-1948)
1923 André Courréges France, fashion designer (introduced the miniskirt)
1923 James Buckley (Senator-Republican-NY)
1924 Konstantin Iliev composer
1926 Celso Garrido Lecca composer
1926 Gerrit A Kooy Dutch sociologist (Apartheid & work in South Africa)
1926 Irene Papas Corinth Greece, actress (Moses The Lawgiver)
1927 Hans Ludwig Schilling composer
1927 Jack Jensen baseball player (American League MVP 1958)
1927 John Beckwith composer
1929 Hugh Desmond Hoyte president (Guyana, 1985-92)
1929 Marie Cardinal writer
1930 Harrie J B Aarts Dutch 2nd chamber member (CDA)
1930 Thomas Schippers Kalamazoo MI, conductor (Amahl & Night Visitors)
1931 Taina Elg Helsinki Finland, actress (Hercules in New York, Les Girls)
1932 Heere Heeresma Dutch writer (Han de Wit goes in development aid)
1933 Lloyd Price Kenner LA, singer (Lawdy Miss Clawdy, Misty, Just Because, Come to Me)
1933 William Francis McBeth composer
1934 Joyce Van Patten Queens NY, actress (Good Guys, Don Rickles Show)
1934 Yuri Gagarin Russia, cosmonaut, 1st man into space (aboard Vostok 1)
1935 Joe Gallison Houston TX, actor (PT-109, Neil-Days of our Lives)
1935 Keely Smith Norfolk VA, singer (Mrs Louis Prima)
1935 Sister Bernard Ncube South African nun
1936 [Aino] Elina Salo Sipoo Finland, actress (Hamlet Goes Business)
1936 Glenda Jackson Birkenhead Cheshire England, actress (Hopscotch, Touch of Class)
1936 Marty Ingels Brooklyn NY, comedian (I'm Dickens He's Fenster)
1936 Mickey Gilley Ferriday LA, country singer (Urban Cowboy)
1937 Grahame Chevalier cricketer (one Test for South Africa 1970, 0 & 0, 5-100)
1938 Charles Siebert Kenosha WI, actor (One Day at A Time, Trapper John)
1940 Raul Julia San Juan Puerto Rico, actor (Addams Family, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Eyes of Laura Mars)
1941 Ger van Each sculptor
1941 Jim Colbert Elizabeth NJ, PGA golfer (1969 Monsanto Open)
1942 Bert Campaneris shortstop (Oakland A's)
1942 John Cale Welsh/US bassist/violinist/singer (Velvet Underground)
1942 Mark Lindsay Eugene OR, rocker (Paul Revere & the Raiders)
1943 Bobby Fischer US, world chess champion (1972-75)
1943 Trish Van Devere [Patricia Dressel] Englewood Cliffs NJ, actress (Changeling, Movie Movie, Hearse)
1944 Geoff Arnold cricketer (England medium-pacer in 34 Tests 1967-75)
1944 Lee Irvine cricketer (South African batsman, only Tests in 1970)
1944 Trevor Burton rocker (Move)
1945 Laura Lee [Rundless] singer (Dirty Man, Women's Love Rights)
1945 Ray Royer rocker (Procol Harum-Whiter Shade of Pale)
1945 Robin Trower London England, rocker (Procol Harum-Whiter Shade of Pale)
1946 Gherman Semyonovich Arzamazov Russian cosmonaut (backup TM-6)
1948 Jamie Lyn Bauer Phoenix AZ, actress (Young & Restless, Centerfold Girls)
1948 Jeffrey Osborne Providence RI, rock vocalist (On the Wings of Love)
1948 Jimmy Fadden Long Beach CA, singer (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band)
1949 Kalevi Aho composer
1950 Danny Sullivan Indy-car racer (over 10 wins)
1952 Iuliana Semenova USSR, basketball (Olympics-gold-1976)
1952 William Kirby Cullen Santa Ana CA, actor (How the West Was Won)
1953 Henriëtte J Toll actress (Soldier of Orange)
1954 Charmain Elaine Sylvers rocker
1954 Keven Wade Chappaqua NY, screen writer (Working Girls)
1955 Fernando Bujones Miami FL, ballet dancer
1955 Ornella Muti Rome Italy, actress (Flash Gordon, Most Beautiful Wife)
1955 Teo Fabi formula-1 Indy-car racer (rookie of year-1983)
1957 Faith Daniels news anchor (CBS-TV)
1957 Jeff Senior Melbourne VIC, Australasia golfer
1957 Jon Engen Oslo Norway, US biathlete (Olympics-1994)
1958 Martin Fry rock vocalist (ABC-All of My Heart)
1959 Barbie doll (Mattel)
1959 Kato [Brian] Kaelin actor (Beach Fever)/OJ houseguest/witness
1959 Lonny Price New York NY, actor (Muppets Take Manhattan)
1960 Linda Fiorentino Philadelphia PA, actress (Jade, Last Seduction, Moderns)
1960 Mike Leach Minneapolis MN, tennis star
1962 Brian Green Columbus IN, actor (Brian Bodine-All My Children, Sam Fowler-Another World)
1963 Kent Ferguson Cedar Rapids IA, diver (Olympics-92, 96)
1963 Terry Mulholland Uniontown PA, pitcher (Philadelphia Phillies)
1964 Phil Housley St Paul MN, NHL defenseman (New Jersey Devils, Team USA Olympics-98)
1965 Benito Santiago Ponce PR, catcher (Philadelphia Phillies)
1965 Brian Bosworth NFL quarterback (Seattle)
1965 Juliette Binoche Paris France, actress (English Patient, Unbearable Lightness of Being)
1966 Louis Oliver NFL safety (Miami Dolphins)
1967 Curt Schreiner Albany NY, biathlete (Olympics-1994)
1967 Eric Flaim Pembroke MA, short track skater (Olympics-1994)
1967 Michael Kiselak CFL corner (Toronto Argonauts)
1969 Bryce Burnett NFL/WLAF tight end (Broncos, Barcelona Dragons)
1969 George Nimako CFL safety (Toronto Argonauts)
1969 Mahmoud Abdul Rauf NBA guard (Sacramento Kings, Denver Nuggets)
1970 Melissa Rathburn-Nealy US soldier (Iraqi POW)
1971 Bev Oden Millington TN, volleyball middle blocker (Olympics-96)
1971 Emmanuel Lewis Brooklyn NY, actor (Webster)
1971 Jiro Nihei hockey goaltender (Team Japan 1998)
1971 Lou Benfatti NFL defensive tackle (New York Jets)
1971 Sean Holcomb NFL linebacker (New England Patriots)
1972 Marcia M Griffith Washington DC, Miss Maryland-America (1995)
1972 Sara Nicole Williams Miss Washington-USA (1997)
1973 David Prinosil Olmutz Czechoslovakia, tennis star (1995 ATP Newport)
1973 Josh LaRocca WLAF quarterback (Rhein Fire)
1973 Troy Bailey WLAF defensive end (Scotland Claymores)
1974 Mark Harrity cricketer (promising South Australia left-arm fast bowler)
1975 Adonal Foyle NBA center (San Francisco Warriors)
1975 Roy Makaay Dutch soccer player (Vitesse)
1977 Radek Dvorak Tabor Czechoslovakia, NHL left wing (Florida Panthers)

---

Deaths which occurred on March 09:
1566 David Riccio Italian singer/secretary of Mary Stuart, murdered
1620 Aegidius Albertinus German writer (Lucifer's Kingdom), dies at 59
1661 Jules Cardinal Mazarin chief minister of France, dies
1688 Claude Mellan French engraver/cartoonist/painter, dies at 89
1693 Antonio Caraffa Italian General (Eperieser Bloedgericht), dies at 46?
1706 Johann Pachelbel German organist/composer, dies at 52
1747 Jacob Campo Weyerman South Netherlands adventurer/painter/writer, dies at 69
1800 Dominique Della-Maria composer, dies at 30
1819 Janos Fusz composer, dies at 41
1824 Jacobus J Cramer priest of Holland/Zealand/Friesland, dies at 79
1827 Franz Xaver Gerl composer, dies at 62
1831 Friedrich M Klinger German (stage)author (Plimplamplasko), dies at 79
1870 Theodore Labarre composer, dies at 65
1877 Mark Prager Lindo English/Dutch author (Netherlands Spectator), dies at 58
1895 Leopold von Sacher-Masoch Austrian writer (Masochism), dies at 59
1913 Eberhard Nestle German biblical scholar, dies at 61
1916 Ken Hutchings cricketer (exciting England batsman, WWI), dies
1918 [Benjamin] Franc[lin] Wedekind German writer/press secretary, dies at 53
1931 Ida B Wells-Barnett famous black, dies in Chicago at 78
1938 Sydney Baynes composer, dies at 59
1941 Carlos Pedrell composer, dies at 62
1943 Oskar Hêks Czechoslovakian marathon runner/antifascist, dies in Auschwitz
1947 Stanley Jackson cricketer (20 Tests for England 1893-1905), dies
1955 Matthew A Henson met Peary on 6/4/1909 at North Pole, dies at 88
1962 Dr Howard Engstrom Boston MA, a designer of Univac computer dies at 59
1962 Howard Engstrom Boston MA, a designer of Univac computer, dies at 59
1964 Johanna W "Mina" Bakker Dutch actress (Boefje), dies at 87
1964 Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck Prussian General/politician, dies at 93
1965 Anthon van der Horst Dutch organist/composer, dies at 65
1965 Kazys Boruta writer, dies
1969 Riad chief of staff (Egyptian army), dies
1969 Richard Crane actor (Surfside 6), dies at 50
1971 Jean-Pierre Guezek composer, dies at 36
1974 Earl W Sutherland Jr US pharmacologist (Nobel 1971), dies at 58
1975 Joseph Dunninger New York NY, mentalist (Amazing Dunninger), dies at 82
1975 Shirley Ross actress (Night Vision, Mindkiller), dies at 62
1979 Barbara Mullen actress (Talk of a Million), dies at 64
1980 Olga Chekova actress (Moulin Rouge, Pawns of Possession), dies at 82
1981 Max Delbrück German/US biologist (Nobel 1969), dies at 74
1982 Alan Badel actor (Shogun), dies of a heart attack at 58
1982 Rex Marshall TV announcer (Circuit Rider, Herman Hickman Show), dies
1982 Richard A Butler England, minister of Finance, dies at 79
1983 Faye Emerson actress (I've Got a Secret), dies of cancer at 65
1985 Edward Andrews actor (Broadside, Harry-Supertrain), dies at 70
1986 Ned Calmer TV host (In the First Person), dies at 78
1988 Kurt Georg Kiesinger West German chancellor (1966-69), dies at 83
1989 Robert Mapplethorpe US photographer, dies at 42
1992 Felipe Turich actor (Lawless), dies
1992 Jack McEdward assistant director (Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell), dies at 94
1992 James Brooks US mural painter (Flight, La Guardia NY), dies at 85
1992 Menachim Begin Israeli prime minister (1977-1983, Nobel 1979), dies at 79
1993 Ad van Gessel Dutch actor (Everything For Our Soldiers), dies
1993 Bob Crosby swing-era bandleader (Bobcats), dies of cancer at 79
1994 Charles Bukowski author/poet, dies of leukemia at 73
1994 Fernando Rey Spanish actor (French Connection), dies of cancer at 76
1994 John Harrison South African correspondent (BBC), dies at 48
1994 Lawrence E Spivak journalist (Meet the Press), dies at 93
1994 Louis Freeman band leader, dies at 100
1994 Maurice "Moe" Purtill jazz drummer, dies at 77
1995 Ian Ballantine publisher, dies of heart attack at 79
1995 Ruud van den Hende Dutch sports reporter, dies at 63
1996 Alan Hugh Iliffe psychologist, dies at 77
1996 Elman Ali Ahmed peace campaigner, dies at 42
1996 Peter Mansfield writer, dies at 67
1997 Notorius B I G [Biggie Small Chris Walkin], rapper, shot dead at 24
1997 Terry Nation writer (Dr Who, Blake 7) at 66

---

On this day...
1452 Pope Nicolaas I crowns Frederik III Roman Catholic-German emperor
1496 Jews are expelled from Carintha Austria
1497 Nicolaus Copernicus 1st recorded astronomical observation,
1500 Pedro Cabral departs with 13 ships to India
1522 Marten Luther preaches his Invocavit
1551 Emperor Karel appoints son Philip as heir to the throne
1562 Kissing in public banned in Naples (punishable by death)
1617 Sweden & Russia sign Peace of Stolbowa
1640 Pierre Corneilles "Horace" premieres in Paris France
1642 English Queen Henriette Mary arrives in Hellevoetsluis Netherlands
1697 Czar Peter the Great begins tour of West-Europe
1701 France, Cologne & Bavaria sign alliance
1721 English Chancellor Exchequer John Aislabie confined in London Tower
1741 English fleet under Admiral Ogle begins assault on Cartagena
1745 Bells for 1st American carillon shipped from England to Boston
1791 George Hayward, Us, surgeon, 1st to use ether
1796 Napoleon Bonaparte marries Josephine de Beauharnais
1798 Dr George Balfour becomes 1st naval surgeon in the US navy
1820 James Monroe's daughter Maria marries in the White House
1820 Philippines chases out foreigners; about 125 die
1822 Charles M Graham of New York patents artificial teeth
1839 Prussian government limits work week for children to 51 hours
1841 US Supreme Court rules Negroes are free (Amistad Incident)
1842 Giuseppe Verdi's opera "Nabucco" premieres in Milan
1844 Giuseppe Verdi's opera "Hernani" premieres in Venice
1849 Carl Nikolais opera "Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor" premieres
1858 Albert Potts of Philadelphia patents the street mailbox
1860 1st Japanese ambassador arrives in San Francisco en route to Washington DC
1861 Confederate currency authorized-$50, $100, $500, $1,000
1862 "Monitor" (Union) & "Merrimack" (Rebel) battle in Hampton Roads
1864 Ulysses S Grant is appointed commander of Union Army
1868 The opera "Hamlet" premieres in Paris France
1873 Royal Canadian Mounted Police founded
1889 Battle at Gallabat (Metema); Mahdi's beat Abyssinian emperor John IV
1889 Kansas passes 1st general antitrust law in US
1893 Congo cannibals killed 1000s of Arabs
1895 Stanley Cup: Montréal Victorias awarded cup, as Queens University (Kingston Ontario) loses to Montréal AAA, 5-1
1897 Cleveland Spiders sign Louis Sockalexis, full-blooded Penobscot
1897 Indian fans start calling the team Indians (in 1915 becomes official)
1897 Premiere of (parts of) Gustav Mahler's 3rd Symphony (Berlin)
1902 Composer Gustav Mahler marries Alma Schindler in Vienna
1904 Brandon's Lester Patrick becomes 1st hockey defenseman to score a goal
1907 1st involuntary sterilization law enacted, Indiana
1907 Lady Gregory's "Rising of the Moon" premieres in Dublin
1914 Henry Colijn appointed as director of Bataafsche Petroleum Co
1914 US Senator Albert Fall (Teapot Dome) demands "Cubanisation of Mexico"
1916 General Fransisco "Pancho" Villa leads Mexican band raid on Columbus NM (17 killed)
1916 Germany declares war against Portugal
1918 Russian Bolshevik Party becomes the Communist Party
1918 Ukrainian mobs massacre Jews of Seredino Buda
1918 Wageningen Agricultural College Netherlands opens
1922 Eugene O'Neill's "Hairy Ape" premieres in New York NY
1922 KJR-AM in Seattle WA begins radio transmissions
1923 Amsterdam taxi strike ended
1923 Elmer Rice's "Adding Machine" premieres in New York NY
1923 NHL Championship: Montréal Canadiens outscore Ottawa Senators, 3-2, in 2
1924 Italy annexes Fiume
1924 South Slavia aproves Italy's annexation of Fiume (Rijeka)
1926 Bertha Landes elected 1st woman mayor of Seattle
1929 Marcel Pagnol's "Marius" premieres in Paris France
1932 Eamon De Valera becomes President of Ireland
1932 Former Chinese emperor Henry Pu-Yi installed as head of Manchuria
1933 Bulgarian communists Dimitrov, Popov & Vassili arrested in Berlin
1933 Congress is called into special session by FDR, & began its "100 days"
1936 Babe Ruth turns down Reds to make a comeback as a player
1942 Construction of the Alaska Highway began
1943 Delft opposition group-Pahud de Mortanges overthrown
1943 Greek Jews of Salonika are transported to Nazi extermination camps
1945 334 US B-29 Superfortresses attack Tokyo with 120,000 fire bomb
1945 Japanese proclaim the "independence" of Indo-China
1946 Dutch troops land at Batavia/Semarang
1946 Ted Williams is offered $500,000 to play in Mexican League, he refuses
1947 US Ladies Figure Skating Championship won by Gretchen Merrill
1947 US Men's Figure Skating Championship won by Richard Button
1948 Provisionary Indonesian government installed in Batavia
1949 Brigadier General Edwin K Wright, USA, ends term as deputy director of CIA
1949 England beat South Africa by scoring 174 runs in 94 minutes
1950 Willie Sutton robs Manufacturers Bank of $64,000 in New York NY
1952 Heinz Neuhaus wins Europe Heavyweight Boxing title
1953 Josef Stalin buried in Moscow
1954 1st local color TV commercial WNBT-TV (WNBC-TV) New York NY (Castro Decorators)
1954 Edward R Murrow criticizes Senator Joseph McCarthy (See it Now)
1954 WMUR TV channel 9 in Manchester NH (ABC) begins broadcasting
1956 Archbishop Makarios of Cyprus arrested & exiled to Seychelles
1956 Weather forecasting phone line set up in London England
1957 8.1 earthquake shakes Andreanof Islands, Alaska
1958 George Yardley (Pistons) is 1st NBAer to score 2,000 points in season
1959 "Juno" opens at Winter Garden Theater NYC for 16 performances
1959 1st known radar contact is made with Venus
1959 Barbie, the popular girls' doll, debuted, over 800 million sold
1961 1st animal returned from space, dog named Blackie aboard Sputnik 9
1961 Mine cave-in in Japan, kills 72
1961 Sputnik 9 carries Chernushka (dog) into orbit
1961 Supremes release "I Want A Guy" & "Never Again"
1962 Egyptian President Nasser declares Gaza belongs to Palestinians
1962 US advisors in South-Vietnam join the fight
1963 Beatles began 1st British tour, supporting Tommy Roe & Chris Montez
1964 1st Ford Mustang produced
1964 Creighton's Paul Silas grabs Midwest record 27 rebounds against Oklahoma
1964 Supreme Court issues New York Times vs Sullivan decision, public officials must prove malice to claim libel & recover damages
1966 Andrew Brimmer becomes 1st black Governor of Federal Reserve Board
1967 Svetlana Allilueva, Stalin's daughter, defected to the West
1968 10th Grammy Awards: Up Up & Away, Sergeant Pepper win
1971 J M Noreiga takes 9-95 West Indies vs India at Port-of-Spain
1972 Players on White Sox vote 31-0 in favor of a strike, if necessary
1974 Last Japanese soldier, a guerrilla operating in Philippines, surrenders, 29 years after World War II ended
1975 "Lieutenant" opens at Lyceum Theater NYC for 9 performances
1976 1st female cadets accepted to West Point Military Academy
1976 Islander Glenn Resch's 10th shut-out opponent-Blues 4-0
1977 Admiral Stansfield Turner, USN (Ret), becomes 12th director of CIA replacing acting director Knoche
1977 Hanafi Moslems invade 3 buildings in Washington DC, siege ended March 11th
1978 World Ice Dance Championship in Ottawa Canada won by Natalia Linichuk & Gennadi Karponosov (USSR)
1978 World Ice Pairs Figure Skating Championship in Ottawa won by Irina Rodnina & Alexandr Zaitsev (USSR)
1978 World Ladies Figure Skating Championship in Ottawa won by Anett Potzsch (German Democratic Republic)
1978 World Men's Figure Skating Championship in Ottawa won by Charles Tickner (USA)
1979 Bowie Kuhn orders baseball to give equal access to female reporters
1979 France performs nuclear test at Muruora Island
1980 Flemish/Walloon battles in Belgium, 40 injured
1980 Joanne Carner wins LPGA Sunstar '80 Golf Tournament
1981 Dan Rather becomes primary anchorman of CBS-TV News
1983 Caryl Churchill's "Fen" premieres in London
1983 Zimbabwe opposition leader Joshua Nkomo flees to Botswana
1984 Emile Gumbs' Anguilla National Alliance wins elections
1984 John Lennon's "Borrowed Time" is released
1984 Philadelphia 76'ers block 20 Seattle shots tying NBA regulation game record
1984 Tim Witherspoon beats Greg Page in 12 for heavyweight boxing title
1985 Laura Johnson (Falcon Crest) & Harry Hamlin (LA Law) wed
1986 16th Easter Seal Telethon raises $30,100,000
1986 Juli Inkster wins LPGA Women's Kemper Golf Open
1986 NASA announces searchers found remains of Challenger astronauts
1986 Soviet probe Vega 2 flies by Halley's Comet at 8,030 km
1987 Chrysler Corp offered to buy American Motors Corp for $1 billion
1988 President Reagan presides at unveiling of Knute Rockne stamp
1989 Eastern Airlines files for bankruptcy
1989 Roger Kingdom runs world record 60 meter hurdles indoor (7.36 seconds)
1989 Senate rejects Bush's nomination of John Tower as Defense Secretary
1989 Soviet Union officially submits to jurisdiction of the World Court
1989 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1990 Dr Antonia Novello sworn-in as 1st hispanic/female US surgeon general
1991 "Les Miserables" opens at Lyric Theatre, Brisbane
1991 5th American Comedy Awards: Dennis Wolfberg
1991 Joe Dumaars (Detroit MI) begins NBA free throw streak of 62 games
1991 US 70th manned space mission STS 39 (Discovery 12) launches into orbit
1993 19th People's Choice Awards
1993 7th Soul Train Music Awards
1993 Pittsburgh Penguins begin NHL record 17 game winning streak
1993 Rodney King in court says he thinks he heard cops yell racial slurs
1994 IRA launch 1st of 3 mortar attacks on London's Heathrow Airport
1995 Baseball awards a franchise to Tampa Bay Devil Rays
1995 Mexican peso worth 7.55 pesos to a dollar (record)
1995 President Konstantine Karamanlis (88) of Greece, resigns
1996 Javed Miandad's last international in Pakistan's WC QF loss to India
1996 Jayasuriya hammers 82 off 44 balls (13x4 3x6) vs England in WC QF
1996 STS 75 (Columbia 19), lands
1997 Senior Golf Slam
1997 Steve Elkington wins Doral-Ryder Golf Open

---

Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"

Belize : Baron Bliss Day
Ukraine : Taras Shevchenko (Ukrainian poet) Day (1814)
World : Amerigo Vespucci Day (1451)
Memphis TN : Cotton Carnival (held for 5 days) - - - - - ( Tuesday )
New Mexico : Arbor Day - - - - - ( Friday )

---

Religious Observances
Anglican, Roman Catholic : Commemoration of Gregory, bishop of Nyssa
Roman Catholic : Memorial of St Frances of Rome, patron of motorists, housewives

---

Religious History
1839 Birth of Phoebe Palmer Knapp, American Methodist hymnwriter. She published more than 500 hymn tunes during her lifetime; her most famous melody comprises the tune to Fanny Crosby's hymn, "Blessed Assurance."
1843 Scottish clergyman Robert Murray McCheyne wrote in a letter: 'You will never find Jesus so precious as when the world is one vast howling wilderness. Then he is like a rose blooming in the midst of the desolation, a rock rising above the storm.'
1930 Pioneer linguist Frank Laubach wrote in a letter: 'It seems to me...that the very Bible cannot be read as a substitute for meeting God soul to soul and face to face.'
1931 The World Radio Missionary Fellowship (WRMF) was incorporated in Lima, Ohio, by co_founders Clarence W. Jones and Reuben Larson. Today, this interdenominational mission agency broadcasts the Gospel in 15 languages to South America and throughout Europe.
1965 Three white Unitarian ministers, including the Rev. James J. Reeb, were attacked with clubs on the streets of Selma, Alabama, while participating in a civil rights demonstration. Reeb later died in a Birmingham, Alabama hospital.

---

Thought for the day :
" If you always postpone pleasure you will never have it. "

[comwatch]

Dear friends:

A day of prayer is definitely in order...

Let us pray for our troops and their loved one here at home!

We must pray for our Commander in Chief as we watch other nations around the globe turning their back on America.  How many battle fields and lost American lives have they forgotten? Have they forgotten when America and her friends liberated those countries.  How many of us grew up without our fathers because they answered the call.

In the weeks ahead, here on the home front, our humble organization's mission will shift it's focus.  We've been joining with others in sending messages of encouragement and support for our troops.  When they engage the enemy, we must turn our support to their families here at home.  They will need to her from us.

We pray we do not need to wage war on the despot Saddam.  While the word waits, USO Canteen, Operation Military Support and countless others will write our service men and women.  On March 16th, we host a Rally for America here in Sacramento.  Those of you who live in Northern California, please spread the word.  We want our children to experience a sea of veterans being honored for their service.  If you are in a position to help us make that happen, please join our growing family:

It takes one mouse click here to make a difference and to be more involved. We need your help in spreading the word.  When you return to FReeper Foxhole, give some thought to joining the 200,000 Americans who are sending their prayers to President Bush, if you haven't already.

Support our Commander in Chief
Click Here to Send a Message Today

May God Bless you, your family and our nation.

[75thOVI]

A song to go along with the thread;
"The Cumberland Crew"

Shipmates come gather and join in my ditty,
of the terrible battle that happened of late.
Let each Union tar shed a tear of sad pity,
when he thinks of the once gallant Cumberland's fate.
The eighth day of March told a terrible story,
when many a brave tar to this world bid adeu.
Our flag it was wrapped in a mantle of glory,
by the heroic deeds of the Cumberland's crew.

On that ill fated day, about ten in the morning,
the sky it was cloudless and bright shone the Sun.
The drums of the Cumberland sounded a warning,
that told every seaman to stand by his guns.
For an ironclad frigate down on us came bearing,
high up in the air her base rebel flag flew.
An emblem of treason she proudly was wearing,
determined to conquor the Cumberland crew.

Then up spoke our captain with stern resolution,
"Now boys, of this monster do not be afraid."
"We'll swear to maintain our beloved Constitution.
To die for our country we are not afraid."
"We'll fight for our Union, our cause it is glorious,
to the stars and the stripes we shall ever stand true."
"We'll sink at our quarters or conquor victorious!"
He was answered by cheers from the Cumberland crew.

Our noble ship fired, huge guns, dreadful thunder,
our broadsides like hail on the rebel did pour.
But, the people gazed awestruck with terror and wonder,
as our shot struck her side, and glanced harmlessly o'er.
But the pride of our Navy could never be daunted,
though our decks with the dead and the wounded did strew.
Our Star Spangled Banner how proudly it flaunted,
it was nailed to the mast by the Cumberland crew.

We fought them three hours with stern resolution,
till these rebels found cannon could never decide.
For the flag of succession had no power to quell them,
though the blood from our scuppers did crimson the tide.
She struck us amidships, our planks she did sever,
her sharp iron prow pierced our noble ship through.
And they cried at they sank in the dark rolling river,
"We'll die at our guns!" said the Cumberland's crew.

Slowly they sank in the dark rolling waters,
their voices on earth shall be heard nevermore.
They'll be wept by Columbia's brave sons and fair daughters,
may their blood be avenged on Virginia's old shore.
And if there are sailors in battle assembled,
God bless our dear banner, the red, white, and blue.
Beneath it's proud folds we'll cause tyrants to tremble,
or sink at our guns like the Cumberland's crew.

1862

[Sparta]

Another outstanding job by our friends in the Foxhole.

The first ironclad battle ping

If you want on or off the Western Civlization Military History ping list, let me know.

[Sparta]

The tragic thing is that neither ship lasted the year. Virginia was scuttled and Monitor went down in a storm off the coast of North Carolina.

[P8riot]

Until 1997 my wife and I lived on Chesapeake Ave. in Hampton, VA very near the sight of the battle. Gave me goosebumps everytime I thought about it, which was quite often since the historical marker was practically across the street from our house.

[RasterMaster]

Long live the Virginia!