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On this day in history - March 8

What Happened On This Day – March 8

  • 1979 The compact disc is presented to the public

    The CD was developed by Philips and Sony. The companies later collaborated to produce a standard format and CD players.

  • 1978 The first episode of the radio comedy The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is broadcast

    Douglas Adams' radio play was a major success with BBC Radio 4 listeners. The book version consisting of five novels - A Trilogy in Five Parts - became a worldwide success.

  • 1971 In the Fight of the Century, Joe Frazier triumphs over Muhammad Ali

    Ali had been stripped of his World Heavyweight Champion title in 1967 for refusing to serve in the armed forces. As he was still undefeated, Frazier had to beat him to be recognized as the world champion.

  • 1910 Raymonde de Laroche becomes the first woman with a pilot's license

    The French aviatrix was also the first woman to fly solo. She died at the age of 36 when her experimental plane crashed at Le Crotoy airfield in northern France.

  • 1817 The New York Stock Exchange is founded

    The NYSE at 11 Wall Street in New York City is the world's largest stock exchange.

Illustration of stork, signifying birth

Births On This Day,
March 8

  • 1990 Petra Kvitová

    Czech tennis player

  • 1952 George Allen

    American politician, 67th Governor of Virginia

  • 1907 Konstantinos Karamanlis

    Greek politician, 3rd President of Greece

  • 1879 Otto Hahn

    German chemist, Nobel Prize laureate

  • 1841 Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.

    American jurist

Illustration of tombstone, signifying death

Deaths On This Day,
March 8

  • 1999 Joe DiMaggio

    American baseball player

  • 1942 José Raúl Capablanca

    Cuban chess player

  • 1930 William Howard Taft

    American politician, 27th President of the United States

  • 1917 Ferdinand von Zeppelin

    German general, businessman

  • 1869 Hector Berlioz

    French composer