March 9, 2012

150 years ago
1862

War
In the U.S. Civil War, the Monitor (Union) and Merrimack (Confederate) fought the first battle between ironclad ships, revolutionizing naval warfare.

80 years ago
1932

On the radio
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, starring Richard Gordon and Leigh Lovell, on NBC
Tonight's episode: Murder in the Waxworks

50 years ago
1962

On television tonight
The Twilight Zone, on CBS
Tonight's episode: The Fugitive, starring J. Pat O'Malley and Nancy Kulp

At the movies
Night of the Eagle, directed by Sidney Hayers, and starring Peter Wyngarde, Janet Blair, and Margaret Johnston, opened in theatres in the United Kingdom. It was retitled Burn, Witch, Burn, and slightly re-edited for release in the United States four months later.



40 years ago
1972

Music
Savoy Brown, Fleetwood Mac, and Willie and the Walkers performed at the Kinsmen Field House in Edmonton. Willie and the Walkers, a group from Edmonton, opened the concert in place of Long John Baldry, who had originally been scheduled to appear. Tickets cost $4 in advance and $5 at the door.

30 years ago
1982

Hit parade
#1 single in Sweden (Topplistan): Oh Julie--Shakin' Stevens

25 years ago
1987

Hit parade
#1 single in Australia (Australian Music Report): I Want to Wake Up with You--Boris Gardiner

Died on this date
Bobby Locke, 69. South African golfer. Mr. Locke won the British Open in 1949, 1950, 1952, and 1957.

Business
Chrysler Corporation agreed to buy American Motors Corporation, purchasing 46% from the French company Renault and the rest directly from AMC, at an estimated cost of $1.5 billion, subject to approval of the Renault and AMC boards of directors, AMC shareholders, and the governments of the U.S.A., Canada, and France. In 1986 AMC had less than 1% of the overall U.S. market.

20 years ago
1992

Died on this date
Menachem Begin, 78. Prime Minister of Israel, 1977-1983. Mr. Begin, an activist with the Israeli terrorist organization Irgun in the 1940s, shared the 1978 Nobel Peace Prize with Egyptian President Anwar Sadat as a result of the signing of the Camp David accord between Israel and Egypt.

Politics and government
U.S. Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa withdrew from the race for the 1992 Democratic party nomination for President of the United States.