Important Events From This day in History – 9 May

Today in History

• 2012 The brand-new Sukhoi Superjet 100 plane crashes

  The regional jet was the first airliner produced in Russia since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. The doomed flight was a promotional tour for potential customers. The crash killed all 45 people on board and was caused by pilot error.

• 1997 Pete Peterson becomes the first U.S. ambassador to visit Vietnam after the end of the war

  Peterson, a Vietnam veteran, dedicated his life to promoting peace between the two countries. During the war, approximately 2.5 million Vietnamese were killed, the vast majority of whom were civilians.

• 1979 Iranian Jewish businessman Habib Elghanian is executed

  An Islamic revolutionary tribunal had found him guilty of “contacts with Israel and Zionism” as well as “friendship with God’s enemies.” His execution sparked a mass exodus of Jews from Iran.

• 1969 Carlos Lamarca begins his fight against Brazil’s military dictatorship

  Lamarca is well known for his urban guerilla actions and was a member of the communist organization Vanguardia Popular Revolucionária (VPR). In 1971, he was assassinated by Brazilian forces.

• 1960 The first birth control pill is approved

  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that it would add birth control as a new indication for the drug “Enovid”.