March 8 in Pop Culture History

1618 – Johannes Kepler formulated his Third Law of Planetary Motion.

1669 – Mount Etna, on the island of Sicily, began erupting and, over the next several weeks, killed over 20,000 people.

1755 – Thomas Paine published African Slavery in America – the first article in the American colonies calling for the emancipation of slaves and the abolition of slavery.

1817 – The New York Stock Exchange was founded.

1950 – The ‘Volkswagen Type 2’, known as the VW Bus, was produced for the first time.

1961 – Mary, Mary (Broadway Play) Opened on March 8, 1961, and closed on December 12, 1964

1968 – Bill Graham’s Fillmore East opened in New York City.

1971 – Muhammad Ali lost to Heavyweight Champion Joe Frazier in the “Fight of the Century” at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Frank Sinatra wasn’t able to get ringside seats for the Fight, so he arranged to take photos for Life magazine so that he could be close to the action.

1975 – #1 Hit March 8, 1975 – March 14, 1975: Olivia Newton-John – Have You Never Been Mellow

1978 – The first radio episode of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams, was broadcast.

1983 – President Ronald Reagan labels the Soviet Union an ‘evil empire.’

1991 – American Ninja 4: The Annihilation, La Femme Nikita, and New Jack City were released in theaters.

1993- Beavis and Butt-Head premiered on MTV.

2003 – #1 Hit March 8, 2003 – May 9, 2003: 50 Cent – In Da Club

2006 – Top Chef debuted on Bravo.

2013 – Oz The Great and Powerful debuted in theaters.

2014 – #1 Hit March 8, 2014 – May 16, 2014: Pharrell Williams – Happy