On this Day in History: March 8

A closer look at the key events on March 8 in history:

International women’s day is celebrated

On March 8 each year, people from around the world celebrate the “social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women” and work to increase gender equality. The first International Women’s Day occurred in 1911 on March 19th and was supported by over a million people in Austria-Hungary, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland. March 8th was designated as the day of celebration in 1917 after Russian women protested for “bread and peace” during a war-time strike.

In 2014, Malaysia Airlines flight 370 disappears en route to Beijing

Malaysia airlines flight 370 took off from from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for a schedule flight to Beijing, China at 12:41 AM local time. At 2:22 AM, however, Malaysian radar lost contact with the plane as it was cruising over the Andaman Sea. The last known signal of the plane’s location occurred at 8:11 AM that placed it over the Indian Ocean. After that, the plane, which carried 227 passengers and 12 crew members, completely disappeared. A massive search stretching from the Indian Ocean west of Australia to Central Asia was carried out. Debris started washing ashore a year later, with a total of 27 pieces recovered, some positively identified as being part of the wreckage and suggesting that the plane broke apart. The official search was called off in 2017 and the plane’s disappearance remains a mystery to this day.

Map of the flight path of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, Andrew Heneen.

In 1817, The New York Stock Exchange is formally created

The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is the largest stock exchange by market capitalization in the world. The earliest recorded securities trading (mostly of war bonds) in the US dates back to 1792, when 24 brokers signed the Buttonwood Agreement. However, the group reorganized in 1817, forming official organs of government and renting out an official space for trading as opposed to the coffee house the brokers used to meet in before. The offices changed frequently from 1817 to 1865, when the present location was adopted, in Lower Manhattan, New York City, which was designated a National Historical Landmark in 1978.

The floor of the NYSE, secretly shot with a hidden camera. 1907, Library of Congress.

In 1702, Queen Anne ascended the British throne

Anne was the last of the Stuart Monarchs and became queen after William II’s death in 1702. Her ill health prevented her from ruling independently and she relied heavily on her ministers. Because she did not birth a successor, the crown passed on to Hanoverian descendants of James I upon her death.