Dateline

March 7

Until April 6 at S Gallery, Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit, see Cosmic Portraits, an exhibition of 20 vibrant and personal paintings by Swiss artist Raffaello Somazzi. The gallery is open daily from 10 am to 10 pm. For more details, call 02 126 9999.

In 1876, Scottish inventor Alexander Graham Bell is granted a patent for his new invention, the telephone.

March 8

See Australian pop punk band 5 Seconds of Summer perform first time in Bangkok at their Sounds Live Feels Live concert. Sing along to the band's hits from 7 pm at Impact Arena. Tickets are 2,000 to 7,000 baht from Thai Ticketmajor. For more information, call 02 262 3456.

In 1979, technology company Philips publicly demonstrates the compact disc for the first time.

March 9

In 1959, the Barbie doll makes its debut at the American International Toy Fair in New York.

In 2011, NASA's Discovery Space Shuttle makes its final landing after 39 flights.

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March 10

Happy Birthday to American actress and model Olivia Wilde (1984).

In 1909, Thailand signs the Anglo-Siamese Treaty and relinquishes its sovereignty over the Malay states of Kedah, Kelantan, Perlis and Terengganu.

March 11

In 1933, Busby Berkeley's iconic musical 42nd Street is released in US cinemas.

In 2011, a huge earthquake strikes 130 kilometres off the coast of Japan, triggering a tsunami and killing thousands of people. The quake also triggered the second largest nuclear disaster in history.

March 12

In 1991, American rock band R.E.M. release their seventh album, Out of Time. The album topped charts in the US and the UK, and has sold more than 18 million copies.

In 1894, Coca-Cola is bottled and sold for the first time in Mississippi, USA, by local soda fountain operator Joseph Biedenharn.

March 13

Birthday wishes go out to American actor Emile Hirsch (1985).

In 1988, the Seikan Tunnel, the longest undersea tunnel in the world, opens between Aomori and Hakodate in Japan.