On this day: 4th of March | Spectroom

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2018

The 90th Academy Awards are held

The 90th Oscars took place at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, LA, CA. Jimmy Kimmel hosted for the second consecutive year. The Shape of Water won a leading four awards, including Best Picture. Dunkirk won three awards. Blade Runner 2049, Coco, Darkest Hour, and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri won two awards each. I, Tonya, Get Out, Call Me by Your Name, A Fantastic Woman, Icarus, Phantom Thread, Heaven Is a Traffic Jam on the 405, The Silent Child, and Dear Basketball received one award each.

2018

Poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal

A former Russian military officer and UK intelligence services double agent Sergei Skripal was poisoned along his daughter Yulia in Salisbury, England. They had been found slipping in and out of consciousness on a public bench. UK government said their research determined the Novichok nerve agent was used for poisoning.

2015

Zasyadko mine disaster

A mining accident occurred at the Zasyadko coal mine in rebel-held Eastern Ukraine. It is suspected to have been caused by a gas explosion. Twenty-three people were confirmed dead. There were 230 people in the mine at the time of the explosion. The Speaker of the Ukrainian parliament, Volodymyr Groysman, called for a minute's silence for 32 fatalities, but later retracted that figure to say that one had died and 30 others' status was unknown.

2015

Politics & Business

Toyota adopts the first foreigner to its top management

Toyota Motor in March 2015 appointed a Frenchman Didier Leroy to the position of executive vice president, the most senior job at the carmaker after the president and the chairman, and the highest rank to which a non-Japanese has risen in its history. It also appointed a woman to a senior executive role of managing officer for the first time.

2014

NCIS celebrates its 250th episode

NCIS is an American action police procedural television series, revolving around a fictional team of special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, which investigates crimes involving the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. The concept and characters were initially introduced in two episodes of the CBS series JAG.

2014

The Chanel Shopping Center

The Chanel show, led by fashion designer Karel Lagerfeld on Paris fashion week, was created as a giant supermarket. The shelves were stacked with more than a hundred thousand items. The labels of at least five hundred everyday products had been re-coded in Chanelspeak.

2013

"Broadchurch" is released on ITV

The first series of the British crime drama Broadchurch originally aired on the ITV broadcast network in the UK in 2013. The 8-episode series began with the murder of an 11-year-old boy in the close-knit coastal town of Broadchurch in Dorset, UK. The series depicted the impact that suspicion and media attention have on the community.

2012

Brazzaville arms dump blasts

A series of blasts occurred at an army arms dump in Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of the Congo. At least 250 people were killed by the explosions. Additional bodies were said to be "unfindable." Among the dead were six Chinese workers from a Beijing Construction Engineering Group work site close to the armoury.

2012

Politics & Business

Vladimir Putin wins presidential election

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin received 63.64% of the vote with almost 100% of the votes counted. Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe observers assessed the voting on the election day positively overall, but assessed the vote count negatively in almost one-third of polling stations due to procedural irregularities.

2012

Politics & Business

Bloomberg Billionaires Index is launched

The Bloomberg Billionaires Index is a daily ranking of the world's richest people. The index debuted in March 2012 and tracks the net worth of the 500 wealthiest people on the planet. It features a profile of each billionaire and includes a tool that allows users to compare the fortunes of multiple billionaires.

2007

Take That are at #1 on the UK singles chart with "Shine"

"Shine" is the second single taken from Take That's comeback album, Beautiful World. It reached number 1 in March 2007, staying 2 weeks at the top. During its 1st week at the top of the UK Singles Chart, the single rose from number 20 to 2 on the Irish Singles Chart. The single has been certified Gold in the UK with sales of 493,000.

2004

"Mamma Mia!" celebrates its 1,000th performance

As of 2018, the show has productions in London's West End, where it is the seventh longest-running show in West End history, as well as various international productions. Its Broadway incarnation closed in 2015 after a 14-year run, making it the ninth longest-running show in Broadway history.

2002

Opening night for "Metamorphoses"

Metamorphoses is a play by the American playwright and director Mary Zimmerman, adapted from the classic Ovid poem Metamorphoses. The play premiered in 1996 as Six Myths at Northwestern University and later the Lookingglass Theatre Company in Chicago. The play transferred to Broadway in 2002 at the Circle in the Square Theatre.

2001

Hintze Ribeiro disaster

Bridge made of steel and concrete collapsed in Entre-os-Rios, in Portugal. People in a bus and cars crossing the bridge over Douro river died there, making it a total of 59. Storm combined with strong current made it unable to rescue the people. Bodies were carried downstream to the Atlantic ocean.

1999

Revival of "Annie Get Your Gun" opens on Broadway

This revival starred Bernadette Peters as Annie and Tom Wopat as Frank, and Ron Holgate as Buffalo Bill, with direction by Graciela Daniele, choreographey by Jeff Calhoun, and music arrangements by John McDaniel. Peters won the 1999 Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical and the production won the Tony for Best Revival of a Musical.

1995

Manchester United score the biggest win in Premier League history

The two teams went into the match at opposite ends of the table, although Ipswich had beaten United earlier in the season 3–2 at Portman Road. Andy Cole scored a Premier League record five goals in the game to set up a 9–0 win for Manchester United, another Premier League scoring record.

1994

Actor John Candy dies at 43

John Franklin Candy was a Canadian comedy actor known mainly for his work in Hollywood films. While filming the Western parody Wagons East!, Candy died of a heart attack in Durango, Mexico, in March 1994, aged 43. His final two films, Wagons East! and Canadian Bacon, are dedicated to his memory.

1993

"The Goodbye Girl" opens at Broadway's Marquis Theatre

The musical, directed by Michael Kidd and choreographed by Graciela Daniele, opened on Broadway at the Marquis Theatre in 1993 and closed after 188 performances and 23 previews. The opening cast included Bernadette Peters as Paula McFadden and Martin Short as Elliot Garfield, with Carol Woods as Mrs. Crosby and Susann Fletcher as Donna Douglas.

1990

Hank Gathers collapses and dies during a game

Hank Gathers collapsed at the West Coast Conference tournament semifinal game against the Portland Pilots. Moments later, he stopped breathing. He was then pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. Gathers suffered from a heart-muscle disorder, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. He died aged 23.

1989

Purley rail crash

Train collision occurred north of Purley Railway station in the London Borough of Croydon after a driver of one of the trains passed a signal at danger. Train from Horsham to London Victoria was struck from behind by the following train from Littlehampton. The collision resulted in deaths of 5 people and injured 88 others.

1989

Politics & Business

Time and Warner Communications announce plans to merge

The merger of Time Inc. and Warner Communications was announced in March 1989. During the summer of that same year, Paramount Communications, formerly Gulf+Western, launched a $12.2 billion hostile bid to acquire Time, Inc. in an attempt to end a stock-swap merger deal between Time and Warner Communications.

1977

Cray supercomputer in Los Alamos

The first Cray-1 system was installed at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Later, over 100 Cray-1's were sold, making it one of the most successful supercomputers in history. The Cray-1 supercomputer was capable of 80 million operations per second. It was operated by the special Cray Operating System.

1977

Vrancea Earthquake

The 1977 Vrancea earthquake occurred at 21:22 local time, and was felt throughout the Balkans. It had a magnitude of 7.2, making it the second most powerful earthquake recorded in Romania in the 20th century. The epicenter was situated in the Vrancea Mountains, the most seismically active part of Romania, at a depth of 94 km.

1974

Politics & Business

People magazine debuts in USA

People is an American weekly magazine of celebrity and human-interest stories, published by Time Inc. People's first publisher was Richard J. Durrell, a Time Inc. veteran. The premier edition of March 1974, featured actress Mia Farrow, then starring in the film The Great Gatsby, on the cover.

1973

The 15th Grammy Awards are held

The 15th Annual Grammy Awards were held in March 1973 and were the first to be broadcast live on CBS, after the first two ceremonies were on ABC. CBS has been the TV home for the Grammy Awards ever since. The awards recognized accomplishments by musicians from the year 1972. The ceremony was held in Nashville, Tennessee.

1968

Joe Frazier TKOs Buster Mathis

To fill the vacancy, the New York State Athletic Commission held between Frazier and Buster Mathis, both undefeated going into the match, with the winner to be recognized as "World Champion" by the state of New York. Frazier won by a knockout in the 11th round and staked a claim to the Heavyweight Championship.

1963

Metallica bass guitarist Jason Newsted is born

Jason Curtis Newsted is an American metal musician, known for being the 3rd recording bass guitarist with the band Metallica from 1986 until his departure in 2001, as well as being a part of Voivod and Flotsam and Jetsam. After leaving Metallica he continued with his project Echobrain, played with Ozzy Osbourne and joined heavy metal band Voivod.

1962

Nuclear power in Antarctica

American Atomic Energy Commission announced that the McMurdo polar station in Antarctica runs on nuclear power. The prefabricated plant was assembled by a team of contractors and military technicians. The reactor generated 1.8 MW of electrical power and replaced the need for 5,700 l of oil daily. It was decommissioned in 1972.

1957

Politics & Business

The S&P 500 stock market index is introduced

The Standard & Poor's 500 is an American stock market index based on the market capitalizations of 500 large companies having common stock listed on the NYSE or NASDAQ. The "Composite Index", as the S&P 500 was first called when it introduced its first stock index in 1923, began tracking a small number of stocks, and by 1957 it had its current 500.

1952

Ronald Reagan marries Nancy Davis

Reagan met actress Nancy Davis in 1949 after she contacted him in his capacity as president of the Screen Actors Guild. They were engaged at Chasen's restaurant in Los Angeles and were married in 1952, at the Little Brown Church in the Valley, San Fernando Valley. They had two children: Patti and Ronald "Ron" Jr.

1945

Politics & Business

Princess Elizabeth joins the British Auxiliary Transport Service as a driver

Elizabeth II was appointed as an honorary second subaltern in the Auxiliary Territorial Service with the service number of 230873. She trained as a driver and mechanic and was given the rank of honorary junior commander five months later.

1943

The 15th Academy Awards are held

The 15th Academy Awards was held in the Cocoanut Grove at The Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles honoring the films of 1942. Best Picture honors went to the film Mrs. Miniver. The ceremony is most famous for the speech by the film’s Oscar-winning actress Greer Garson, whose acceptance speech as Best Actress ran nearly 6 minutes.

1937

The 9th Academy Awards are held

The 9th Academy Awards were held in March 1937, at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles. They were hosted by George Jessel; music was provided by the Victor Young Orchestra, which at the time featured Spike Jones on drums. This ceremony marked the 1st time in which the categories of Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress were awarded.

1936

British Formula One racing driver Jim Clark is born

James Clark, Jr OBE, known as Jim Clark, was a British Formula One racing driver from Scotland, who won two World Championships, in 1963 and 1965. Clark was a versatile driver who competed in sports cars, touring cars and in the Indianapolis 500, which he won in 1965. He was particularly associated with the Lotus marque.

1933

Politics & Business

Presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt begins

Roosevelt assumed the presidency in the midst of the Great Depression. His program for relief, recovery, and reform, known as the New Deal, involved a great expansion of the role of the federal government in the economy. He won a record four presidential terms and became a central figure in world affairs during World War II.

1929

Politics & Business

Presidency of Herbert Hoover begins

Hoover, a Republican, took office after a landslide victory in the presidential election over Democrat Al Smith of New York. At the time of his election, he was the nation's Secretary of Commerce. Hoover, the 31st United States president, was defeated when he ran for re-election against Franklin D. Roosevelt.

1922

The first vampire film "Nosferatu" is released in Germany

Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens, translated as Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror, is a 1922 German Expressionist horror film, directed by F. W. Murnau, starring Max Schreck as the vampire Count Orlok. The film, shot in 1921 and released in 1922, was an unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula from 1897.

1921

Politics & Business

Presidency of Warren G. Harding begins

Harding, the 29th United States president, presided over the country in the aftermath of World War I. A member of the Republican Party, Harding held office during a period in American political history that was generally dominated by his party. He died of cerebral hemorrhage and was succeeded by Vice President Calvin Coolidge.

1913

Politics & Business

Presidency of Woodrow Wilson begins

Wilson, a Democrat, took office as the 28th United States president after winning the presidential election, gaining a large majority in the Electoral College and a 42 percent plurality of the popular vote in a four–candidate field. Four years later, Wilson defeated Republican Charles Evans Hughes by a fairly a narrow margin.

1909

Politics & Business

Presidency of William Howard Taft begins

Taft, a Republican, was the 27th United States president. The protégé and chosen successor of incumbent President Theodore Roosevelt, he took office after easily defeating Democrat William Jennings Bryan. In foreign affairs, Taft focused on East Asia and repeatedly intervened to prop up or remove Latin American governments.

1908

Collinwood school fire

The Collinwood school fire erupted in Collinwood, Ohio, killing 172 students, two teachers and one rescuer in one of the deadliest school disasters in United States history. The origin of the fire remains uncertain, though explanations proliferated. Newspapers circulated many possibilities, sometimes blaming the building's janitor.

1897

Politics & Business

Presidency of William McKinley begins

The presidency of William McKinley is best known for leading the nation to victory in the Spanish–American War, taking ownership of Hawaii, purchasing the Philippines, Guam and Puerto Rico, restoring prosperity, and promoting pluralism among all groups. Rapid economic growth and a decline in labor conflict also marked the presidency.

1890

Scotland's iconic Forth Bridge is opened

Forth Bridge is located west of Edinburgh City Centre. Prince of Wales opened the bridge when he drove in the last rivet. It was gold plated and inscribed. Several new railway connections were built that would use the bridge. By the time of opening, it had the longest single cantilever bridge span in the world.

1889

Politics & Business

Presidency of Benjamin Harrison begins

Harrison, a Republican, took office as the 23rd United States president after defeating Democratic incumbent President Grover Cleveland. Harrison and the Republican-controlled 51st Congress enacted the most ambitious domestic agenda of the late-nineteenth century.

1885

Politics & Business

Presidency of Grover Cleveland begins

The first Democrat elected after the Civil War, Grover Cleveland is the only President of the United States to leave office after one term and later return for a second term. Cleveland was the leader of the pro-business Bourbon Democrats who opposed high tariffs, Free Silver, inflation, imperialism, and subsidies to business, farmers, or veterans.

1881

Politics & Business

Presidency of James A. Garfield begins

Garfield had served nine terms in the House of Representatives, and had been elected to the Senate before his candidacy for the White House, though he declined the Senate seat once he was elected President. He is the only sitting House member to be elected president.

1877

Politics & Business

Presidency of Rutherford B. Hayes begins

Hayes, the 19th United States president, took office after winning the closely contested presidential election. He attempted to reconcile the divisions left over from the Civil War and Reconstruction while protecting the civil rights of African-Americans, but largely failed in the latter pursuit.

1869

Politics & Business

Presidency of Ulysses Grant begins

Grant took office in the aftermath of the Civil War, and he presided over much of the Reconstruction Era. A Republican, Grant became president after defeating Democrat Horatio Seymour. He was succeeded as president by Republican Rutherford B. Hayes after the presidential election.

1861

Politics & Business

Presidency of Abraham Lincoln begins

Lincoln was the first member of the recently-established Republican Party elected to the presidency. He was succeeded by Vice President Andrew Johnson. Lincoln presided over the Union victory in the American Civil War, which dominated his presidency.

1845

Politics & Business

Presidency of James K. Polk begins

Polk is often considered the last strong pre-Civil War president, having met during his four years in office every major domestic and foreign policy goal set during his campaign and the transition to his administration. Polk's presidency was influential in U.S. foreign policy, and it saw the last major expansions of the Contiguous United States.

1837

Politics & Business

Chicago becomes incorporated as a city

Chicago is the third-most populous city in the United States. With over 2.7 million residents, it is also the most populous city in both the state of Illinois and the Midwestern United States. Chicago was incorporated as a city near a portage between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River watershed and grew rapidly in the mid-nineteenth century.

1837

Politics & Business

Presidency of Martin Van Buren begins

Van Buren, the incumbent Vice President and chosen successor of President Andrew Jackson, took office as the eighth United States president after winning the presidential election. A Democrat, he garnered 170 electoral votes to 124 for William Henry Harrison and 3 other Whig Party candidates.

1829

Politics & Business

Presidency of Andrew Jackson begins

Jackson, the seventh United States president, took office after defeating incumbent President John Quincy Adams in the bitterly-contested presidential election. During the presidential campaign, Jackson founded a political force that became the Democratic Party. He was succeeded by Vice President Martin Van Buren.

1825

Politics & Business

Presidency of John Quincy Adams begins

Upon taking office, Adams articulated an ambitious domestic agenda. He envisioned a national marketplace in which North and South, town and country, were tied together by trade and exchange. A supporter of Henry Clay's proposed American System, he proposed major investments in internal improvements.

1809

Politics & Business

Presidency of James Madison begins

Madison, the fourth United States president, took office after defeating Charles Cotesworth Pinckney decisively in the presidential election. His presidency was dominated by the War of 1812 with the United Kingdom. Madison was succeeded by Secretary of State James Monroe, a fellow member of the Democratic-Republican Party.

1801

Politics & Business

Presidency of Thomas Jefferson begins

Jefferson assumed the office after defeating incumbent President John Adams in the presidential election. The election was a realigning election in which the Democratic-Republican Party swept the Federalist Party out of power, ushering in a generation of Democratic-Republican dominance in American politics.

1797

Politics & Business

Presidency of John Adams begins

Adams, who had served as vice president under George Washington, took office as president after winning the presidential election. He was succeeded by Thomas Jefferson of the Democratic-Republican Party. He was the only member of the Federalist Party to ever serve as president.

1793

Politics & Business

Washington's second inauguration as US President

Washington's second inauguration took place in the Senate Chamber of Congress Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The presidential oath of office was administered by Supreme Court associate justice William Cushing. Washington's inaugural address was just 135 words, the shortest ever.

1791

Politics & Business

Vermont is admitted as 14th state

A convention in Vermont voted 105–4 to petition Congress to become a state in the federal union. Congress acted to admit Vermont to the Union as the 14th state. Vermont became the first to enter the Union after the original 13 states.

1789

Politics & Business

The first US Congress meets and declares constitution in effect

The United States Constitution is the supreme law of the United States. The Constitution, originally comprising seven articles, delineates the national frame of government. Since the Constitution came into force, it has been amended 27 times to meet the changing needs of a nation now profoundly different from the eighteenth-century world.

1678

Composer Antonio Vivaldi is born

Vivaldi was born in Venice. He was baptized by the midwife immediately after his birth. He amassed extensive musical knowledge in his early years and used it to start composing, after being given few lessons. He became one of the greatest Baroque composers with influence widespread across Europe.

1394

Portuguese prince Henry the Navigator is born

He is considered an initiator of the age of discoveries. He sponsored voyages, collecting a 20% tax on the profits made by naval expeditions. The explorers financed by Henry used small caravels rigged with lateen sails. They discovered Porto Santo, Madeira, Ras ben Sakka, Senegambia, and Cap-Vert.

Anniversaries of famous

died 1994

John Candy

born 1954

Catherine O'Hara

born 1973

Len Wiseman

born 1993

Bobbi Kristina Brown