March 10

Events

• 241 BC - First Punic War: Battle of the Aegates: The Romans sink the Carthaginian fleet bringing the First Punic War to an end.
• 298 - Roman Emperor Maximian concludes his campaign in North Africa and makes a triumphal entry into Carthage.
• 947 - The Later Han is founded by Liu Zhiyuan. He declares himself emperor.
• 1607 - Susenyos I defeats the combined armies of Yaqob and Abuna Petros II at the Battle of Gol in Gojjam, making him Emperor of Ethiopia.
• 1629 - Charles I dissolves the Parliament of England, beginning the eleven-year period known as the Personal Rule.
• 1735 - An agreement between Nader Shah and Russia is signed near Ganja, Azerbaijan and Russian troops are withdrawn from occupied territories.
• 1762 - French Huguenot Jean Calas, who had been wrongly convicted of killing his son, dies after being tortured by authorities; the event inspired Voltaire to begin a campaign for religious tolerance and legal reform.
• 1814 - Emperor Napoleon I is defeated at the Battle of Laon in France.
• 1830 - The Royal Netherlands East Indies Army is created.
• 1848 - The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is ratified by the United States Senate, ending the Mexican–American War.
• 1861 - El Hadj Umar Tall seizes the city of Ségou, destroying the Bamana Empire of Mali.
• 1873 - The first Azerbaijani play "The Adventures of the Vizier of the Khan of Lenkaran" prepared by Akhundov was performed by Hassan-bey Zardabi and dramatist and Najaf-bey Vezirov.
• 1876 - The first successful test of a telephone is made by Alexander Graham Bell.
• 1891 - Almon Strowger patents the Strowger switch, a device which led to the automation of telephone circuit switching.
• 1906 - The Courrières mine disaster, Europe's worst ever, kills 1099 miners in northern France.
• 1909 - By signing the Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909, Thailand relinquishes its sovereignty over the Malay states of Kedah, Kelantan, Perlis and Terengganu, which become British protectorates.
• 1922 - Mahatma Gandhi is arrested in India, tried for sedition, and sentenced to six years in prison, only to be released after nearly two years for an appendicitis operation.
• 1933 - The Long Beach earthquake affects the Greater Los Angeles Area leaving around 108 people dead.
• 1944 - Greek Civil War: The Political Committee of National Liberation is established in Greece by the National Liberation Front.
• 1945 - World War II: The U.S. Army Air Force firebombs Tokyo, and the resulting conflagration kills more than 100,000 people, mostly civilians.
• 1949 - Mildred Gillars is convicted of treason.
• 1952 - Fulgencio Batista leads a successful coup in Cuba.
• 1959 - Tibetan uprising: Fearing an abduction attempt by China, thousands of Tibetans surround the Dalai Lama's palace to prevent his removal.
• 1966 - Military Prime Minister of South Vietnam Nguyễn Cao Kỳ sacked rival General Nguyễn Chánh Thi, precipitating large-scale civil and military dissension in parts of the nation.
• 1969 - In Memphis, Tennessee, James Earl Ray pleads guilty to assassinating Martin Luther King, Jr. He later unsuccessfully attempts to recant.
• 1970 - Vietnam War: Captain Ernest Medina is charged by the U.S. military with My Lai war crimes.
• 1975 - Vietnam War: Ho Chi Minh Campaign: North Vietnamese troops attack Ban Mê Thuột in the South on their way to capturing Saigon in the final push for victory over South Vietnam.
• 1977 - Astronomers discover the rings of Uranus.
• 1990 - In Haiti, Prosper Avril is ousted 18 months after seizing power in a coup.
• 2006 - The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter arrives at Mars.
• 2017 - The impeachment of President Park Geun-hye of South Korea in response to a major political scandal is unanimously upheld by the country's Constitutional Court, ending her presidency.
• 2019 - Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, a Boeing 737 MAX, crashes, leading to all 737 MAX aircraft being grounded worldwide.

  Births

• 1452 - Ferdinand II, king of Castile and León
• 1503 - Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor
• 1536 - Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk, English politician, Earl Marshal of the United Kingdom
• 1604 - Johann Rudolf Glauber, German-Dutch alchemist and chemist
• 1628 - François Girardon, French sculptor
• 1628 - Marcello Malpighi, Italian physician and biologist
• 1653 - John Benbow, Royal Navy admiral
• 1656 - Giacomo Serpotta, Italian Rococo sculptor
• 1709 - Georg Wilhelm Steller, German botanist, zoologist, physician, and explorer
• 1749 - Lorenzo Da Ponte, Italian-American priest and poet
• 1769 - Joseph Williamson, English businessman and philanthropist
• 1772 - Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel, German poet and critic
• 1777 - Louis Hersent, French painter
• 1787 - Francisco de Paula Martínez de la Rosa y Berdejo, Spanish playwright and politician, Prime Minister of Spain
• 1787 - William Etty, English painter and academic
• 1788 - Joseph Freiherr von Eichendorff, German author, poet, playwright, and critic
• 1788 - Edward Hodges Baily, English sculptor
• 1789 - Manuel de la Peña y Peña, Mexican lawyer and 20th President
• 1795 - Joseph Légaré, Canadian painter and glazier, artist, seigneur and political figure
• 1810 - Samuel Ferguson, Irish poet and lawyer
• 1844 - Pablo de Sarasate, Spanish violinist and composer
• 1844 - Marie Euphrosyne Spartali, British Pre-Raphaelite painter
• 1845 - Alexander III of Russia
• 1846 - Edward Baker Lincoln, American son of Abraham Lincoln
• 1849 - Hallie Quinn Brown, African-American educator, writer and activist
• 1850 - Spencer Gore, English tennis player and cricketer
• 1853 - Thomas Mackenzie, Scottish-New Zealand cartographer and politician, 18th Prime Minister of New Zealand
• 1867 - Hector Guimard, French-American architect
• 1867 - Lillian Wald, American nurse, humanitarian, and author, founded the Henry Street Settlement
• 1870 - David Riazanov, Russian theorist and politician
• 1873 - Jakob Wassermann, German-Austrian soldier and author
• 1876 - Anna Hyatt Huntington, American sculptor
• 1877 - Pascual Ortiz Rubio, Mexican diplomat and president
• 1881 - Jessie Boswell, English painter
• 1888 - Barry Fitzgerald, Irish actor
• 1890 - Albert Ogilvie, Australian politician, 28th Premier of Tasmania
• 1892 - Arthur Honegger, French composer and educator
• 1892 - Gregory La Cava, American director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1896 - Frederick Coulton Waugh, British cartoonist, painter, teacher and author
• 1900 - Violet Brown, Jamaican supercentenarian, oldest Jamaican ever
• 1900 - Pandelis Pouliopoulos, Greek lawyer and politician
• 1901 - Michel Seuphor, Belgian painter
• 1903 - Bix Beiderbecke, American cornet player, pianist, and composer
• 1903 - Edward Bawden, British artist and illustrator
• 1903 - Clare Boothe Luce, American playwright, journalist, and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Italy
• 1915 - Harry Bertoia, Italian-American sculptor and furniture designer
• 1915 - Joža Horvat, Croatian writer
• 1917 - David Hare, American Surrealist artist, sculptor, photographer and painter
• 1918 - Günther Rall, German general and pilot
• 1920 - Alfred Peet, Dutch-American businessman, founded Peet's Coffee & Tea
• 1923 - Val Logsdon Fitch, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1924 - Judith Jones, American literary and cookbook editor
• 1925 - Bob Lanier, American lawyer, banker, and politician, Mayor of Houston
• 1926 - Marques Haynes, American basketball player
• 1927 - Claude Laydu, Belgian-French actor, producer, and screenwriter
• 1928 - Sara Montiel, Spanish actress
• 1928 - James Earl Ray, American criminal; assassin of Martin Luther King Jr.
• 1929 - Sam Steiger, American journalist and politician
• 1930 - Sándor Iharos, Hungarian runner
• 1931 - Georges Dor, Canadian author, playwright, and composer
• 1932 - Marcia Falkender, Baroness Falkender, English politician
• 1934 - Gergely Kulcsár, Hungarian javelin thrower
• 1935 - Graham Farmer, Australian footballer and coach
• 1936 - Sepp Blatter, Swiss businessman
• 1938 - Norman Blake, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1939 - Asghar Ali Engineer, Indian activist and author
• 1939 - Irina Press, Ukrainian-Russian hurdler and pentathlete
• 1940 - Chuck Norris, American actor, producer, and martial artist
• 1940 - David Rabe, American playwright and screenwriter
• 1943 - Peter Berresford Ellis, English historian and author
• 1945 - Katharine Houghton, American actress and playwright
• 1945 - Madhavrao Scindia, Indian politician, Indian Minister of Railways
• 1946 - Gérard Garouste, French contemporary artist
• 1946 - Jim Valvano, American basketball player and coach
• 1947 - Kim Campbell, Canadian lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of Canada
• 1947 - Tom Scholz, American rock musician
• 1948 - Austin Carr, American basketball player
• 1952 - Morgan Tsvangirai, Zimbabwean politician, Prime Minister of Zimbabwe
• 1953 - Paul Haggis, Canadian director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1955 - Toshio Suzuki, Japanese race car driver
• 1956 - Robert Llewellyn, English actor, producer, and screenwriter
• 1956 - Larry Myricks, American long jumper and sprinter
• 1957 - Osama bin Laden, Saudi Arabian terrorist, founded al-Qaeda
• 1958 - Garth Crooks, English footballer forward and sportscaster
• 1958 - Steve Howe, American baseball player
• 1958 - Sharon Stone, American actress and producer
• 1961 - Laurel Clark, American captain, physician, and astronaut
• 1962 - Jasmine Guy, American actress, singer, and director
• 1962 - Seiko Matsuda, Japanese singer-songwriter
• 1963 - Jeff Ament, American bass player and songwriter
• 1963 - Rick Rubin, American record producer
• 1964 - Neneh Cherry, Swedish singer-songwriter
• 1964 - Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex
• 1965 - Jillian Richardson, Canadian sprinter
• 1965 - Rod Woodson, American football player, coach, and sportscaster
• 1966 - Mike Timlin, American baseball player
• 1968 - Pavel Srníček, Czech footballer and coach
• 1971 - Jon Hamm, American actor and director
• 1972 - Timbaland, American rapper and producer
• 1973 - Jason Croker, Australian rugby league player and coach
• 1973 - Chris Sutton, English footballer
• 1973 - Mauricio Taricco, Argentinian footballer, full back and assistant manager
• 1976 - Barbara Schett, Austrian tennis player
• 1978 - Camille, French singer-songwriter and actress
• 1978 - Benjamin Burnley, American musician
• 1981 - Samuel Eto'o, Cameroonian footballer
• 1981 - Steven Reid, English-Irish footballer
• 1982 - Kwame Brown, American basketball player
• 1983 - Étienne Boulay, Canadian football player
• 1983 - Rafe Spall, English actor
• 1983 - Janet Mock, American journalist, author, and activist
• 1983 - Carrie Underwood, American singer-songwriter and actress
• 1984 - Ben May, English footballer
• 1987 - Martellus Bennett, American football player
• 1987 - Greg Eastwood, New Zealand rugby league player
• 1987 - Māris Štrombergs, Latvian BMX racer
• 1988 - Josh Hoffman, Australian-New Zealand rugby league player
• 1988 - Ivan Rakitić, Croatian football player
• 1992 - Neeskens Kebano, French-born Congolese international footballer
• 1993 - Jack Butland, English footballer
• 1995 - DaeSean Hamilton, American football player
• 1995 - Zach LaVine, American basketball player
• 1995 - Sergey Mozgov, Russian ice dancer
• 1997 - Belinda Bencic, Swiss tennis player

  Deaths

• 483 - Pope Simplicius
• 948 - Liu Zhiyuan, Shatuo founder of the Later Han dynasty
• 1291 - Arghun, Mongol ruler in Persia
• 1315 - Agnes Blannbekin, Austrian mystic
• 1513 - John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford, English commander and politician, Lord High Constable of England
• 1528 - Balthasar Hübmaier, German/Moravian Anabaptist leader
• 1572 - William Paulet, 1st Marquess of Winchester
• 1585 - Rembert Dodoens, Flemish physician and botanist
• 1682 - Jacob van Ruisdael, Dutch painter and etcher
• 1724 - Urban Hjärne, Swedish chemist, geologist, and physician
• 1776 - Élie Catherine Fréron, French author and critic
• 1792 - John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute, Scottish politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
• 1826 - John Pinkerton, Scottish antiquarian, cartographer, author, numismatist and historian
• 1832 - Muzio Clementi, Italian pianist, composer, and conductor
• 1861 - Taras Shevchenko, Ukrainian poet, playwright, and ethnographer
• 1872 - Giuseppe Mazzini, Italian journalist and politician
• 1895 - Charles Frederick Worth, English-French fashion designer
• 1897 - Savitribai Phule, Indian poet and activist
• 1898 - Marie-Eugénie de Jésus, French nun and saint, founded the Religious of the Assumption
• 1910 - Karl Lueger, Austrian lawyer and politician Mayor of Vienna
• 1910 - Carl Reinecke, German pianist, composer, and conductor
• 1913 - Harriet Tubman, American nurse and activist
• 1925 - Myer Prinstein, Polish-American jumper
• 1937 - Yevgeny Zamyatin, Russian journalist and author
• 1940 - Mikhail Bulgakov, Russian novelist and playwright
• 1942 - Wilbur Scoville, American pharmacist and chemist
• 1948 - Zelda Fitzgerald, American author, poet, and dancer
• 1948 - Jan Masaryk, Czech soldier and politician
• 1951 - Kijūrō Shidehara, Japanese lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of Japan
• 1966 - Frits Zernike, Dutch physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1966 - Frank O'Connor, Irish short story writer, novelist, and poet
• 1977 - E. Power Biggs, English-American organist and composer
• 1985 - Konstantin Chernenko, Russian soldier and politician, Head of State of The Soviet Union
• 1985 - Bob Nieman, American baseball player
• 1986 - Ray Milland, Welsh-American actor and director
• 1988 - Andy Gibb, Australian singer-songwriter and actor
• 1992 - Giorgos Zampetas, Greek bouzouki player and composer
• 1996 - Ross Hunter, American film producer
• 1997 - LaVern Baker, American singer and actress
• 1998 - Lloyd Bridges, American actor and director
• 1999 - Oswaldo Guayasamín, Ecuadorian painter and sculptor
• 2005 - Dave Allen, Irish-English comedian, actor, and screenwriter
• 2006 - Anna Moffo, American soprano
• 2007 - Ernie Ladd, American football player and wrestler
• 2010 - Muhammad Sayyid Tantawy, Egyptian scholar and academic
• 2010 - Corey Haim, Canadian actor
• 2011 - Bill Blackbeard, American author and illustrator
• 2012 - Jean Giraud, French author and illustrator
• 2012 - Frank Sherwood Rowland, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
• 2015 - Richard Glatzer, American director, producer, and screenwriter
• 2016 - Ken Adam, German-English production designer and art director
• 2016 - Roberto Perfumo, Argentinian footballer and sportscaster
• 2016 - Jovito Salonga, Filipino lawyer and politician, 14th President of the Senate of the Philippines
• 2016 - Anita Brookner, English novelist and art historian

  Holidays and observances

• Christian feast day
• *Attala
• *Harriet Tubman
• *John Ogilvie
• *Macarius of Jerusalem
• *Marie-Eugénie de Jésus
• *Pope Simplicius
• *Sojourner Truth
• *March 10
• Harriet Tubman Day
• Holocaust Remembrance Day
• National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
• Tibetan Uprising Day