Today in New Jersey history:
March 9, 1842: The New Jersey legislature abolished imprisonment for debt.
March 9, 1896: A state law prohibited the sale of liquor within one mile of a “religious camp,” namely, Ocean Grove. This effectively forbid the sale of liquor in Asbury Park, a municipality which, despite the prohibitionist beliefs and enforcement efforts of its founder, James Bradley, floute...d the law, much to the dismay of the New Jersey branch of the Anti-Saloon League.
March 9, 1922: The Republican majority in both houses of the New Jersey state legislature approved the 18th Amendment to the Constitution prohibiting the sale of alcohol. The passage of the amendment in New Jersey was moot, as it had already been approved by the necessary majority of states on January 16, 1919.
March 9, 1968: Woodbridge High School and Rutgers ROTC graduate First Lieutenant Jack Jacobs, acting as an advisor to a South Vietnamese infantry unit, helped save fourteen American and Vietnamese soldiers who were under heavy enemy fire. Jacobs was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions that day.
