Today, March 9, in World History.

On March 9,
1617; The Treaty of Stolbovo ends the occupation of Northern Russia by
Swedish troops.
1788; Connecticut becomes the 5th state
1812; Swedish Pomerania is seized by Napoleon
1841;The rebel slaves who seized a Spanish slave ship, theAmistad, in
1839 are freed by the Supreme Court despite Spanish demands for
extradition.
1911; The funding for five new battleships is added to the British
military defense budget.
1915; The Germans take Grondno on the Eastern Front.
1916; Mexican bandit Pancho Villa leads 1,500 horsemen on a raid of
Columbus, N.M. killing 17 U.S. soldiers and citizens.
1932; Eamon De Valera is elected president of the Irish Free State and
pledges to abolish all loyalty to the British Crown.
1936; The German press warns that all Jews who vote in the upcoming
elections will be arrested.
1939; Czech President Emil Hacha ousts pro-German Joseph Tiso as the
Premier of Slovakia in order to preserve Czech unity.
1940; Britain frees captured Italian coal ships on the eve of German
Foreign Minister, Ribbentrop's visit to Rome.
1956; British authorities arrest and deport Archbishop Makarios from
Cyprus. He is accused of supporting terrorists.
1957; Egyptian leader Nasser bars U.N. plans to share the tolls for
the use of the Suez Canal.
1959; The Barbie doll is unveiled at a toy fair in New York City.
1964; The first Ford Mustang rolls off the Ford assembly line.
1967; Svetlana Alliluyeva, Josef Stalin's daughter defects to the United States.
1968; General William Westmoreland asks for 206,000 more troops in Vietnam.
1975; Iraq launches an offensive against the rebellious Kurds.
1986; Navy divers find the crew compartment of the space
shuttleChallengeralong with the remains of the astronauts.