^B{^#!16!9 March^N! Feast day of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste, St Frances of Rome, St Bosa, St Constantine, St Gregory of Nyssa, St Pacianus, and St Dominic Savio.
^B{1074^B} Pope Gregory VII excommunicated all married priests. ^B{1796^B} French army commander Napoleon Bonaparte married Josephine de Beauharnais. ^B{1831^B} The French Foreign Legion was founded in Algeria; its headquarters moved to France in ^B{1962^B}. ^B{1918 ^B}The Russian capital was transferred from Petrograd (St Petersburg) to Moscow. ^B{1923^B} Lenin retired as Soviet leader after suffering a severe stroke; he died the following year. ^B{1956^B} Archbishop Makarios of Cyprus was deported to the Seychelles to prevent his involvement in terrorist activities. ^B{1961^B} Russian dog Laika was launched into space aboard the spacecraft ^I{Sputnik 9^I}.
^B{^I{^#!14!Born ^N}William Cobbett, author and politician, ^B{1763^B}; Vita Sackville-West, English novelist, ^B{1892^B}; Yuri Gagarin, Soviet astronaut, the first man in space, ^B{1934^B}; Bobby Fischer, US chess champion, ^B{1943^B}; Vyacheslav Molotov, Soviet politician, ^B{1890^B}; Bill Beaumont, English rugby player, ^B{1952^B}.
^B{^I{^#!14!Died ^N}David Rizzio, secretary to Mary Queen of Scots, murdered ^B{1566^B}; Jules Mazarin, French cardinal and politician, ^B{1661^B}; Frank Wedekind, German playwright, ^B{1918^B}; Wilhelm I of Prussia, ^B{1888^B}; Bob Crosby, US bandleader, ^B{1993^B}.
