What Happened On
"And that's the way it is"
March 6, 1981
Walter Cronkite anchors his last evening newscast.
Cronkite became known as "the most trusted man in America" after being so named in a public opinion poll.
Manson album (left) and Life cover
Manson album (left) and Life cover
Charles Manson's Music Album
March 6, 1970
The cult leader Charles Manson releases the album LIE: The Love and Terror Cult to help finance his defense for the murders of Sharon Tate and five others committed by his followers. Over the next couple of months only about 300 of the album's 2,000 copies were sold.
The cover was a parody of the December 1969 Life magazine cover, which featured Manson with the headline "The Love and Terror Cult". The two covers were almost identical, with the "F" in "LIFE" omitted to form the word "LIE".
The album consisted of 13 songs recorded in 1967 and 1968.
Dred Scott c1857
Dred Scott c1857
Dred Scott Decision
March 6, 1857
The U.S. Supreme Court rules that a negro, whose ancestors were imported into the U.S., and sold as slaves could not be an American citizen and therefore had no standing to sue in federal court and that the federal government had no power to regulate slavery in the federal territories acquired after the creation of the United States.
Dred Scott was an enslaved negro who had been taken by his owners into free territories, where he attempted to sue for his freedom. The Supreme Court denied his request issuing the landmark decision. The outcry from this decision was one of the factors that led to the American Civil War.
This was the second time that the Supreme Court had ruled an Act of Congress to be unconstitutional.
Scott and his family were eventually given their freedom. He worked as a porter until his death in 1858.
Fall of the Alamo
March 6, 1836
Mexican forces led by Santa Anna defeat the 187 Texans - including Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie - who had declared their independence from Mexico in an effort to establish their own country.
Beginning of the Salem Witch Trials
March 6, 1692
Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne, and a female slave named Tituba are accused of witchcraft. Good and Osborn denied being witches, but Tituba confessed, claiming Good and Osborne were witches acting alongside her in service of the devil.
The daughter and niece of Reverend Samuel Parris claimed to be bewitched by Sarah Good. The young girls asserted they had been bitten, pinched, and otherwise abused. They would have fits in which their bodies would appear to involuntarily convulse, with their eyes rolling into the back of their heads and their mouths hanging open.
The hysteria grew in the following months, with more than two hundred people accused of witchcraft; thirty were found guilty; nineteen of whom were executed by hanging, including Sarah Good; one other man, Giles Corey, was pressed to death for refusing to plead; and at least five people died in jail.
Sarah Osborne died in prison the following May and Tituba was eventually pardoned.
Michelangelo Virus
March 6, 1992
One of the first wide-spread computer viruses begins affecting DOS computers. The virus would remain dormant and only activate on March 6th each year, which happened to coincide with the birthday of Renaissance artist Michelangelo, thus it was given the name Michelangelo Virus. When activated, it could cause data loss by rewriting portions of the computer's hard drive and any floppy disks that were accessed.
Leading up to "V-Day", the virus was hyped in the media as an impending global disaster. John McAfee of McAfee Associates (a seller of antivirus software) gave estimates of 5 million computers infected and the cost of damage would be as high as $60 million. However, only about 10,000 to 20,000 incidents of lost data were reported for March 6, 1992 due to the virus.
First Atomic Bomb
March 6, 1943
The residents of Hanford, Washington are given 30 days notice to vacate. The U.S. government was buying the land to build a production facility for the first atomic bomb.
Great Depression - Bank Crisis
March 6, 1933
Two days after his inauguration, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt orders a four-day bank holiday to give Congress time to act on the national bank closure crisis. Congress passed "The Emergency Banking Act of 1933" on March 9, which worked with the Federal Reserve's commitment to supply unlimited amounts of currency to reopened banks to create 100% deposit insurance. When banks reopened for business, Americans began putting their money back in the banks.
Birthdays
Mary Wilson
Born March 6, 1944 d. 2021
American Rock and Roll Hall of Fame singer. Founding member of the Supremes, the most successful Motown act of the 1960s and the best-charting female group in U.S. history. Music: Where Did Our Love Go (1964, #1) and Stop! In the Name of Love (1965, #1).
Writings: Dreamgirl: My Life as a Supreme (1986).
Osborne 1
Photo Credit: Bilby
Osborne 1Photo Credit: Bilby
Created the "Osborne Effect", Which Bankrupted His Company
Adam Osborne
Born March 6, 1939 d. 2003
Thailand-born British-American personal computer pioneer. He created the first commercially available portable computer, the Osborne 1 (1981). He is also credited with the "Osborne Effect," after announcing the development of his company's new advanced computers. Buyers chose to wait for the new computers, thus killing the sales of the current Osborne 1, bankrupting the company.
First Woman in Space
Valentina Tereshkova
Born March 6, 1937
Russian cosmonaut. She was the first woman in space. In 1963, she flew a solo mission aboard the Soviet Vostok 6 into space. This also makes her the only woman to fly a solo mission in space.
When asked how she wanted to be rewarded for her service, she requested that the government find where her father was killed during World War II. This was done, and a monument now stands at the site.
Gordon Cooper
Born March 6, 1927 d. 2004
American astronaut. He was the youngest of the seven original Project Mercury astronauts (1959). In 1963 Cooper piloted the longest and last Mercury spaceflight, Mercury-Atlas 9. During that 34-hour mission he became the first American to spend an entire day in space, the first to sleep in space, and the last American launched on an entirely solo orbital mission.
He was portrayed by Dennis Quaid in the movie The Right Stuff (1983).
Photo Credit: Christa Chapman
Photo Credit: Christa Chapman
Ed McMahon (Edward Leo Peter McMahon, Jr.)
Born March 6, 1923 d. 2009
American TV personality, fighter pilot. TV: Johnny Carson's sidekick (1962-92), and a circus clown for the 1950s show Big Top.
McMahon trained to be a U.S. Marine Corps fighter pilot during World War II and served as a flight instructor before being ordered to the Pacific fleet in 1945. However, his orders were canceled when Japan surrendered. He was recalled to active duty during the Korean War, where he flew 85 combat missions, earning six Air Medals.
One-Armed MVP Baseball Player
Pete Gray (Peter James Wyshner)
Born March 6, 1915 d. 2002
American one-armed pro baseball player. Having lost his right arm as child - he was a right-hander - he learned to bat and field with his left arm. Known as the "One-Armed Wonder," he batted a .218 as an outfielder for St. Louis (1945) and was the Southern Association's 1944 MVP. The TV movie A Winner Never Quits (1986) was based on his life story.
Lou Costello (Louis Francis Cristillo)
Born March 6, 1906 d. 1959
American Comedian, Abbott's partner. He and Bud Abbott are the only two non-sportsmen honored in the Baseball Hall of Fame - for their 
"Who's On First" routine.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Born March 6, 1806 d. 1861
English poet. She's famous for the line, "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways."
"How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of everyday's
Most quiet need, by sun and candlelight.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints,—I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life!—and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death."
Portrait of Cyrano de Bergerac
Portrait of Cyrano de Bergerac
Cyrano de Bergerac
Born March 6, 1619 d. 1655
French dramatist. Cyrano de Bergerac was the inspiration for French poet Edmond Rostand's fictionalized play Cyrano de Bergerac (1897). In the play, Cyrano loves the beautiful Roxane, whom he is obliged to woo on behalf of his more handsome but less articulate friend.
The Creation of Adam, c1511
The Creation of Adam, c1511
Michelangelo (Michelangelo Buonarroti)
Born March 6, 1475 d. 1564
Italian Renaissance artist. His works include his marble sculpture of David (1504) and the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican (1512).
Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal
Born March 6, 1972
American basketball player.
Suzanne Crough
Born March 6, 1963 d. 2015
American actress. TV: The Partridge Family (1970-74, Tracy).
Tom Arnold
Born March 6, 1959
American actor. TV: Roseanne (Arnie), Best Damn Sports Show Period, and Arby's commercials (voice of the oven mitt). Film: True Lies (1994).
Rob Reiner in All in the Family and in 2016
Rob Reiner in All in the Family and in 2016
Rob Reiner
Born March 6, 1947
American Emmy-winning actor, director. TV: All in the Family (1971-79, Meathead). Film: This Is Spinal Tap (1984, director), Stand by Me (1986, director), The Princess Bride (1987, director), When Harry Met Sally…(1989, director), and Misery (1990, director).
He is the son of actor Carl Reiner and was married to actress Penny Marshall (1971-81).
David Gilmour
Born March 6, 1946
English singer, guitarist, with Pink Floyd. Music: Dark Side of the Moon (1972, #1), Wish You Were Here (1975, #1), and The Wall (1979, #1).
Ivan F. Boesky
Born March 6, 1937
American Wall Street investor. Boesky is credited with pioneering the junk bond market and amassed a $200,000,000 fortune. For his involvement in a 1986 insider trading scandal, he agreed to return profits, pay a $100 million fine, and serve time in jail.
Marion Barry (Marion Shepilov Barry, Jr.)
Born March 6, 1936 d. 2014
American politician, mayor of Washington, D.C. (1979-91). He was arrested in 1990 for crack cocaine use and possession.
Alan Greenspan
Born March 6, 1926
American economist. Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (1987-2006).
Roger Price
Born March 6, 1918 d. 1990
American humorist. Creator of Droodles (simplified abstract drawings), which launched a TV show in 1954. See Droodles. Frank Zappa used Price's droodle "Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch" on the cover of an album by the same name.
Will Eisner
Born March 6, 1917 d. 2005
American cartoonist. Creator of The Spirit (1940).
Richard Leo Simon
Born March 6, 1899 d. 1960
American publisher, co-founder of the publishing house of Simon and Schuster (1924). Their first book was the world's first crossword puzzle book.
Benjamin William Arnett
Born March 6, 1838 d. 1906
American bishop, politician. He was the first black state legislator to represent white-majority constituency (Ohio 1885-87). He was the first black man to serve as foreman of an otherwise all-white jury (1872).
Father of American Watchmaking
Aaron Lufkin Dennison
Born March 6, 1812 d. 1895
Father of American watchmaking. He designed the world's first factory-made watches.
Casimir Pulaski
Born March 6, 1745 d. 1779
Polish general and American Revolutionary War hero. He and Michael Kovats de Fabriczy were known as "the fathers of the American cavalry". He fought for both Polish and American independence, saving George Washington's life during the American Revolution. Pulaski was mortally wounded by grapeshot while attempting to rally fleeing French forces during a cavalry charge.
Henry Laurens
Born March 6, 1724 d. 1792
5th president of the Continental Congress (1777-78), signer of the Treaty of Paris (ending the Revolutionary War). He was the first person formally cremated in America.
Deaths
Gutzon Borglum
Died March 6, 1941 b. 1867
American sculpture. Works: Mount Rushmore (1927-41), the colossal head of Lincoln in Washington D.C., and the twelve apostles for the Cathedral of St. John the Divine.
He was hired as the initial designer of the Stone Mountain carving in 1914, but was fired in 1925 after financial disagreements with United Daughters of the Confederacy, who were building the monument.
John Philip Sousa
Died March 6, 1932 b. 1854
American bandmaster. The March King, bandmaster of the U.S. Marine Band. He and J.W. Pepper developed a type of bass tuba now known as the sousaphone. Music: The Stars and Stripes Forever (1897, National March of the USA), Semper Fidelis (1888, Official March of the U.S. Marine Corps), and The Liberty Bell (1893, theme for Monty Python's Flying Circus).
Eyser (middle) and his teammates
Eyser (middle) and his teammates
One-Legged Gymnast Wins Olympic Gold
George Eyser
Died March 6, 1919 b. 1870
German-American gymnast. Even though he had a wooden left leg, he earned six medals in a single day in the 1904 Summer Olympics - 3 gold (parallel bars, long horse vault, and 25-foot rope climb), two silver (pommel horse and 4-event all-around), and one bronze (horizontal bar). Eyser lost his leg after being run over by a train in his youth.
First Internal Combustion Motorcycle (1885)
Photo Credit: Joachim Köhler
First Internal Combustion Motorcycle (1885)Photo Credit: Joachim Köhler
Father of the Motorcycle and Created the First Motorboat
Gottlieb Wilhelm Daimler
Died March 6, 1900 b. 1834
German inventor. He developed the first high speed internal combustion engine (1883) and invented the motorboat (1886). He also created the first internal combustion motorcycle (1885) after he and his partner Wilhelm Maybach created a vertical version of their compressed charge liquid petroleum engine which they fitted to a two-wheeler. For this, he is known as the Father of the Motorcycle.
After his death in 1900, his company merged with Benz & Cie to form Daimler-Benz in 1926, which eventually became Mercedes-Benz Group.
Louisa May Alcott
Died March 6, 1888 b. 1832
American author. Writings: Louisa May Alcott: Little Women (1868) and Louisa May Alcott: Little Men (1871).
Jim Bowie
Died March 6, 1836 b. 1796
American pioneer. Stories of Bowie's skill with a large knife he carried led to the widespread popularity of the "Bowie" knife. Bowie died at the Fall of the Alamo, during which he was sick and bedridden.
Davy Crockett
Died March 6, 1836 b. 1786
American frontiersman, U.S. House of Representatives (1827-31, 1833-35, Tennessee). Known as the "King of the Wild Frontier". He died at the Fall of the Alamo.
Nancy Reagan (Anne Frances Robbins)
Died March 6, 2016 b. 1921
American First Lady (1981-89). In her 1939 high school production of First Lady her only line read: "They ought to elect the First Lady and let her husband be president."
Sheila MacRae
Died March 6, 2014 b. 1921
English-born American singer, actress. TV: The Honeymooners (1966-71, replacing Audrey Meadows as Alice Kramden).
Teresa Wright
Died March 6, 2005 b. 1918
American Oscar-winning actress. Film: The Little Foxes (1941), Mrs. Miniver (1942, Oscar).
Melina Mercouri (Maria Amalia Mercouri)
Died March 6, 1994 b. 1920
Greek actress. Film: Never on Sunday (1960, Cannes Best Actress). In 1977 she gained a seat on the Greek parliament, becoming the Minister of Culture.
Ayn Rand
Died March 6, 1982 b. 1905
Russian-born American author. Writings: Anthem (1938), The Fountainhead (1943), and Atlas Shrugged (1957).
Pearl S. Buck (Pearl Sydenstricker Buck)
Died March 6, 1973 b. 1892
American author. Her book The Good Earth depicted peasant life in China and was the best-selling novel in the U.S. for 1931 and 1932. It won the 1932 Pulitzer prize for fiction and helped her win the 1938 Nobel prize for literature.
Herbert McLean Evans
Died March 6, 1971 b. 1882
American biologist. He co-discovered vitamin E (1922) and proved that iodine is used by the thyroid gland (1940).
William Hopper (left) as Paul Drake
William Hopper (left) as Paul Drake
William Hopper (William Hopper, Jr.)
Died March 6, 1970 b. 1915
American actor. TV: Perry Mason (1957-66, Paul Drake).
His mother was the famous Hollywood gossip columnist Hedda Hopper.
Film: Rebel Without a Cause (1955, father of Natalie Wood's character), 20 Million Miles to Earth (1957), The Deadly Mantis (1957).
Nelson Eddy
Died March 6, 1967 b. 1901
American singer, actor. Known for his films with Jeanette MacDonald. He was one of the first crossover superstars and was once the highest paid singer in the world. Movie: Naughty Marietta (1935), Rose-Marie (1936), and Maytime (1937).
Timothy Shay Arthur
Died March 6, 1885 b. 1809
American playwright. His play Ten Nights in a Bar-room (1854) is probably the most popular play in U.S. history. It has been made into four movies and is still produced regularly across the country.
Thomas Heyward, Jr.
Died March 6, 1809 b. 1746
American patriot, signer of the Declaration of Independence.