1
On March 1, 1974, seven people, including former Nixon White House
aides H.R. Haldeman and John D. Ehrlichman, former Attorney General
John Mitchell and former assistant Attorney General Robert Mardian,
were indicted on charges of conspiring to obstruct justice in
connection with the Watergate break-in. They were convicted the
following January, although Mardian's conviction was later reversed.
- In 1781, the Continental Congress adopted the Articles of
Confederation.
- In 1790, Congress authorized the first U.S. census.
- In 1845, President Tyler signed a congressional resolution to annex
the Republic of Texas.
- In 1867, Nebraska became the 37th state.
- In 1872, Congress authorized creation of Yellowstone National Park.
- In 1932, the infant son of Charles and Anne Lindbergh was kidnapped
from the family home near Hopewell, N.J. The baby's remains were
found the following May.
- In 1954, Puerto Rican nationalists opened fire from the gallery of
the U.S. House of Representatives, wounding five congressmen.
- In 1961, President Kennedy established the Peace Corps.
- In 1967, Rep. Adam Clayton Powell of New York, accused of
misconduct, was denied his seat in the 90th Congress. The Supreme
Court ruled in 1969 that Powell had to be seated.
- Ten years ago: The Senate overwhelmingly approved Dr. Louis W.
Sullivan to be secretary of health and human services and Adm. James
D. Watkins to be secretary of energy.
- Five years ago: Falling four votes shy of a two-thirds majority, the
Senate rejected a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution. A
Lebanese immigrant opened fire on a van of Hasidic students on New
York's Brooklyn Bridge, killing one. At the 36th annual Grammy
Awards, Whitney Houston won best female pop vocalist and record of
the year for "I Will Always Love You;" "The Bodyguard" won album of
the year.
- One year ago: In Germany, Lower Saxony Governor Gerhard Schroeder
won a sweeping re-election that paved the way for his successful
campaign to oust Chancellor Helmut Kohl.
*Happy Birthday*
----------------
- Actor Robert Clary is 73.
- Singer Harry Belafonte is 72.
- Former U.S. Solicitor General Robert H. Bork is 72.
- Actor Robert Conrad is 64.
- Author Judith Rossner is 64.
- Rock singer Mike D'Abo (Manfred Mann) is 55.
- Sen. John Breaux, D-La., is 55.
- Rock singer Roger Daltrey is 55.
- Actor Dirk Benedict is 54.
- Actor Alan Thicke is 52.
- Actor-director Ron Howard is 45.
- Actress Catherine Bach is 45.
- Country singer Janis Gill (Sweethearts of the Rodeo) is 45.
- Actor Tim Daly is 43.
- Singer-musician Jon Carroll is 42.
- Rock musician Bill Leen is 37.
- Actor John David Cullum is 33.
- Actor Mark-Paul Gosselaar is 25.
Today is Wednesday, March 1, the 61st day of 2000. There are 305
days left in the year.
- On March 1, 1932, the infant son of Charles and Anne Lindbergh was
kidnapped from the family home near Hopewell, N.J. (Remains
identified as those of the baby were found the following May.)
- In 1781 the Continental Congress adopted the Articles of
Confederation.
- In 1790 Congress authorized the first U.S. Census.
- In 1845 President Tyler signed a congressional resolution to annex
the Republic of Texas.
- In 1864 Rebecca Lee became the first black woman to receive an
American medical degree, from the New England Female Medical College
in Boston.
- In 1867 Nebraska became the 37th state.
- In 1872 Congress authorized creation of Yellowstone National Park.
- In 1940 "Native Son" by Richard Wright was first published.
- In 1954 Puerto Rican nationalists opened fire from the gallery of
the U.S. House of Representatives, wounding five congressmen.
- In 1961 President Kennedy established the Peace Corps.
- In 1981 Irish Republican Army member Bobby Sands began a hunger
strike at the Maze Prison in Northern Ireland; he died 65 days later.
- Ten years ago the controversial Seabrook, N.H. nuclear power plant
won federal permission to go on line after two decades of protests
and legal struggles.
- Five years ago Somalia militiamen loyal to warlord Mohamed Farrah
Aidid seized control of the Mogadishu airport after peacekeepers
withdrew. At the 37th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, Sheryl
Crow won record of the year for "All I Wanna Do" while Tony
Bennett's "MTV Unplugged" was named best album.
- One year ago the General Accounting Office released an audit of the
Internal Revenue Service which found chronic problems in the
agency's record-keeping. An attack by Rwandan Hutu rebels in a
Ugandan national park left eight foreign tourists, including two
Americans, and a park guard dead.
*Happy Birthday*
----------------
- Actor Robert Clary is 74.
- Singer Harry Belafonte is 73.
- Former U.S. Solicitor General Robert H. Bork is 73.
- Actor Robert Conrad is 65.
- Author Judith Rossner is 65.
- Rock singer Mike D'Abo (Manfred Mann) is 56.
- Senator John Breaux (D-La.) is 56.
- Rock singer Roger Daltrey is 56.
- Actor Dirk Benedict is 55.
- Actor Alan Thicke is 53.
- Actor-director Ron Howard is 46.
- Actress Catherine Bach is 46.
- Country singer Janis Gill (Sweethearts of the Rodeo) is 46.
- Actor Tim Daly is 44.
- Singer-musician Jon Carroll is 43.
- Rock musician Bill Leen is 38.
- Actor Russell Wong is 37.
- Actor John David Cullum is 34.
- Actor Mark-Paul Gosselaar is 26.
2
1793: The first president of the Republic of Texas, Sam Houston,
was born near Lexington, Va.
- 1836: Texas declared its independence from Mexico.
- 1877: A U.S. electoral commission finally declared Republican
Rutherford B. Hayes the winner of the 1876 presidential election
over Democrat Samuel J. Tilden, even though Tilden had won the
popular vote. The original result had been too close to call, with
several disputed ballots.
- 1904: Dr. Seuss (Theodor Seuss Geisel) was born.
- 1917: The Jones Act, establishing Puerto Rico as an American
territory, was passed by the U.S. Congress.
- 1923: Time magazine made its debut.
- 1925: State and federal highway officials developed a nationwide
route numbering system and adopted the U.S. shield-shaped, numbered
marker.
- 1933: "King Kong," starring Fay Wray, had its world premiere in New
York at Radio City Music Hall and the RKO Roxy.
- 1944: "Casablanca" won best picture, best director, and best
screenplay at the Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles. Jennifer
Jones received the best actress award for "The Song of Bernadette,"
while Paul Lukas won best actor for "Watch on the Rhine."
- 1946: Ho Chi Minh was elected president of North Vietnam.
- 1949: Captain James Gallagher completed the first non-stop around
the world flight.
- 1964: Filming began on the Beatles' first film, "A Hard Day's
Night."
*Happy Birthday*
----------------
- John Cullum, 69, actor, "Northern Exposure," "ER"
- Mikhail Gorbachev, 68, former Soviet president
- John Irving, 57, novelist, "The World According to Garp"
- Jon Bon Jovi, 37, singer/musician
- Eddie Money, 50, singer/musician
- Laraine Newman, 47, comedienne
- Lou Reed, 55, singer/musician
- Tom Wolfe, 68, novelist, "Bonfire of the Vanities"
Today is Thursday, March 2, the 62nd day of 2000. There are 304 days
left in the year.
- On March 2, 1877, Republican Rutherford B. Hayes was declared the
winner of the 1876 presidential election over Democrat Samuel J.
Tilden, even though Tilden had won the popular vote.
- In 1793 the first president of the Republic of Texas, Sam Houston,
was born near Lexington, Va.
- In 1836 Texas declared its independence from Mexico.
- In 1899 President McKinley signed a measure creating the rank of
Admiral of the Navy for Admiral George Dewey. Mount Rainier National
Park in Washington state was established.
- In 1917 Puerto Ricans were granted U.S. citizenship.
- In 1923 Time magazine made its debut.
- In 1939 Roman Catholic Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli was elected Pope; he
took the name Pius XII. The Massachusetts legislature voted to
ratify the Bill of Rights, 147 years after the first 10 amendments
to the U.S. Constitution had gone into effect.
- In 1949 an American B-50 Superfortress, the Lucky Lady II, landed at
Fort Worth, Texas, after completing the first non-stop
round-the-world flight.
- In 1977 the U.S. House of Representatives adopted a strict code of
ethics.
- Ten years ago more than 6,000 drivers went on strike against
Greyhound Lines Inc. (the company, later declaring an impasse in
negotiations, fired the strikers). A grenade attack on a discotheque
in Panama killed a U.S. soldier and injured 28 other people.
- Five years ago the Senate rejected the balanced-budget amendment;
the vote, 65-35, was two votes shy of the two-thirds majority needed
for passage. The space shuttle Endeavour blasted off to study the
far reaches of the universe. The last U.N. peacekeepers in Somalia
were evacuated. British trader Nick Leeson, blamed for the collapse
of Barings PLC, was detained in Germany.
- One year ago conservative commentator Pat Buchanan launched a third
presidential bid. Texas Governor George W. Bush announced he was
forming a presidential exploratory committee. Singer Dusty
Springfield died at her home west of London at age 59.
*Happy Birthday*
----------------
- Actress Jennifer Jones is 81.
- Bluegrass singer-musician Doc Watson is 77.
- Actor John Cullum is 70.
- Former Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev is 69.
- Author Tom Wolfe is 69.
- Actress Barbara Luna is 61.
- Actor Jon Finch is 59.
- Author John Irving is 58.
- Singer Lou Reed is 58.
- Singer Eddie Money is 51.
- Actress Cassie Yates is 49.
- Actress Laraine Newman is 48.
- Sen. Russell Feingold (D-Wis.) is 47.
- Singer Jay Osmond is 45.
- Pop musician John Cowsill (The Cowsills) is 44.
- Tennis player Kevin Curren is 42.
- Rock singer Jon Bon Jovi is 38.
- Actress Heather McComb is 23.
3
On March 3, 1931, "The Star-Spangled Banner" officially became
the national anthem of the United States.
- In 1845, Florida became the 27th state.
- In 1847, the inventor of the telephone, Alexander Graham Bell,
was born in Edinburgh, Scotland.
- In 1849, the U.S. Department of the Interior was established.
- In 1849, Congress created the Minnesota Territory.
- In 1875, the Georges Bizet opera "Carmen" premiered in Paris.
- In 1885, the U.S. Post Office began offering special delivery
for first-class mail.
- In 1940, Artie Shaw and his orchestra recorded "Frenesi" for
RCA Victor.
- In 1969, Apollo IX blasted off from Cape Kennedy on a mission to
test the lunar module.
- In 1974, nearly 350 people died when a Turkish Airlines DC-10
crashed shortly after takeoff from Orly Airport in Paris.
- In 1991, 25 people were killed when a United Airlines Boeing
737-200 inexplicably crashed while approaching the Colorado Springs
airport.
- In 1991, in a case that sparked a national outcry, motorist
Rodney King was severely beaten by Los Angeles police officers in a
scene captured on amateur video.
- Ten years ago: Senate Republican Leader Bob Dole suggested that
Defense Secretary-designate John Tower be given the opportunity to
appear before the Senate to answer allegations against him.
- Five years ago: Amid continuing trade tensions with Japan,
President Clinton issued an executive order reviving an expired
provision of U.S. trade law known as Super 301, which provided a
strict timetable for results.
- One year ago: Presidential confidant Vernon Jordan testified
before the grand jury investigating the Monica Lewinsky matter.
Microsoft chairman Bill Gates testified before the Senate Judiciary
Committee that his company wasn't a monopoly out to crush rivals in
the Internet software market. The Supreme Court ruled that local
lawmakers' votes are immune to lawsuits even if they had been based
on illegal or discriminatory motives. Larry Doby, the first black
player in the American League, was elected to the Baseball Hall of
Fame. Former CBS News president Fred W. Friendly died in New York
at age 82.
*** Today's Birthdays
- Actor James Doohan is 79.
- Lee Radziwill Ross is 66.
- Singer Jennifer Warnes is 52.
- Actor-director Tim Kazurinsky is 49.
- Singer-musician Robyn Hitchcock is 46.
- Actress Miranda Richardson is 41.
- Actress Mary Page Keller is 38.
- Olympic track and field gold medalist Jackie Joyner-Kersee is 37.
- Football player Herschel Walker is 37.
- Rapper-actor Tone-Loc is 33.
- Rock musician John Bigham (Fishbone) is 30.
- Actress Julie Bowen ("Three") is 29.
- Actor David Faustino is 25.
- Actor Danny Masterson ("That '70s Show") is 23.
- Actress Jessica Biel ("7th Heaven") is 17.
Today is Friday, March 3, the 63rd day of 2000. There are 303 days
left in the year.
- On March 3, 1931, "The Star-Spangled Banner" officially became the
national anthem of the United States.
- In 1845 Florida became the 27th state.
- In 1849 the U.S. Department of the Interior was established.
Congress created the Minnesota Territory.
- In 1875 the Georges Bizet opera "Carmen" premiered in Paris.
- In 1887 Anne Mansfield Sullivan arrived at the Alabama home of Capt.
and Mrs. Arthur H. Keller to become the teacher of Helen, their
blind and deaf 6-year-old daughter.
- In 1940 Artie Shaw and his orchestra recorded "Frenesi" for RCA
Victor.
- In 1969 Apollo 9 blasted off from Cape Kennedy on a mission to test
the lunar module.
- In 1974 nearly 350 people died when a Turkish Airlines DC-10 crashed
shortly after takeoff from Orly Airport in Paris.
- In 1991 25 people were killed when a United Airlines Boeing 737-200
crashed while approaching the Colorado Springs, Colo., airport. In
a case that sparked a national outcry, motorist Rodney King was
severely beaten by Los Angeles police officers in a scene captured
on amateur video.
- Ten years ago President Bush sparked controversy by expressing
opposition to the settlement of Soviet Jewish refugees in East
Jerusalem.
- Five years ago President Clinton held a news conference in which he
asserted his administration had built a safer world and stronger
economy while Republicans were trying to cut money for the needy to
give tax breaks to the rich. The dollar plunged to a new low against
the Japanese yen.
- One year ago the Supreme Court ruled that public schools had to
finance one-on-one nursing care for some disabled students
throughout the school day. Monica Lewinsky, in an ABC interview
timed to coincide with the publication of her book, recounted for
Barbara Walters some of the fondest, as well as most painful,
aspects of her relationship with President Clinton.
*Happy Birthday*
----------------
- Actor James Doohan is 80.
- Lee Radziwill Ross is 67.
- Actress Hattie Winston is 55.
- Singer Jennifer Warnes is 53.
- Actor-director Tim Kazurinsky is 50.
- Singer-musician Robyn Hitchcock is 47.
- Actress Miranda Richardson is 42.
- Actress Mary Page Keller is 39.
- Olympic track and field gold medalist Jackie Joyner-Kersee is 38.
- Football player Herschel Walker is 38.
- Rapper-actor Tone-Loc is 34.
- Rock musician John Bigham (Fishbone) is 31.
- Actress Julie Bowen is 30.
- Country singer Brett Warren (The Warren Brothers) is 29.
- Actor David Faustino is 26.
- Actor Danny Masterson ("That '70s Show") is 24.
- Actress Jessica Biel ("7th Heaven") is 18.
4
Today is Thursday, March 4, the 63rd day of 1999. There are 302
days left in the year.
- On March 4, 1789, the Constitution of the United States went
into effect as the first federal Congress met in New York.
Lawmakers then adjourned for lack of a quorum.
- In 1791, Vermont became the 14th state.
- In 1829, an unruly crowd mobbed the White House during the
inaugural reception for President Jackson.
- In 1837, the Illinois state legislature granted a city charter
to Chicago.
- In 1861, Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated president.
- In 1902, the American Automobile Association was founded in
Chicago.
- In 1925, President Calvin Coolidge's inauguration was broadcast
live on 21 radio stations coast-to-coast.
- In 1933, Franklin D. Roosevelt was inaugurated president,
pledging to lead the country out of the Great Depression.
- In 1933, the start of President Roosevelt's first administration
brought with it the first woman to serve in the Cabinet: Labor
Secretary Frances Perkins.
- In 1952, Ronald Reagan and Nancy Davis were married in San
Fernando Valley, Calif.
- In 1971, Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau married
Margaret Sinclair in North Vancouver, B.C. They later divorced.
- Ten years ago: Time Inc. and Warner Communications Inc.
announced plans to merge into the world's largest media and
entertainment conglomerate. Eastern Airlines machinists went on
strike and were joined by pilots and flight attendants.
- Five years ago: In New York, four extremists were convicted of
the World Trade Center bombing that killed six people and injured
more than a thousand. The space shuttle Columbia blasted off on a
two-week mission. Actor-comedian John Candy died in Durango,
Mexico, at age 43.
- One year ago: The Supreme Court ruled that sexual harassment at
work can be illegal even when the offender and victim are of the
same gender. A judge ordered Miami to hold a new mayoral election,
saying widespread absentee-ballot fraud played a role in the
victory of Xavier Suarez the previous fall.
*** Today's Birthdays
- Folk singer Miriam Makeba is 67.
- Actress Paula Prentiss is 60.
- Movie director Adrian Lyne ("Fatal Attraction") is 58.
- Singer Bobby Womack is 55.
- Rock musician Chris Squire (Yes) is 51.
- Singer Shakin' Stevens is 51.
- Singer Chris Rea is 48.
- Actress Kay Lenz is 46.
- Musician Emilio Estefan is 46.
- Movie director Scott Hicks ("Shine") is 46.
- Actress Catherine O'Hara is 45.
- Actor Mykelti Williamson is 39.
- Actor Steven Weber is 38.
- Rock musician Jason Newsted (Metallica) is 36.
- Actress Stacy Edwards ("Chicago Hope") is 34.
- Rock musician Patrick Hannan (The Sundays) is 33.
- Rock singer Evan Dando (Lemonheads) is 32.
- Actress Patsy Kensit is 31.
- Chastity Bono is 30.
- Rock musician Fergal Lawler (The Cranberries) is 28.
- Country singer Jason Sellers is 28.
Today is Saturday, March 4, the 64th day of 2000. There are 302 days
left in the year.
- On March 4, 1789, the Constitution of the United States went into
effect as the first Federal Congress met in New York. (The lawmakers
then adjourned for lack of a quorum.)
- In 1791 Vermont became the 14th state.
- In 1829 an unruly crowd mobbed the White House during the inaugural
reception for President Jackson.
- In 1837 the Illinois state legislature granted a city charter to
Chicago.
- In 1861 Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated as president.
- In 1902 the American Automobile Association was founded in Chicago.
- In 1925 President Calvin Coolidge's inauguration was broadcast live
on 21 radio stations coast-to-coast.
- In 1933 Franklin D. Roosevelt was inaugurated as president, pledging
to lead the country out of the Great Depression. The start of
President Roosevelt's first administration brought with it the first
woman to serve in the Cabinet: Labor Secretary Frances Perkins.
- In 1952 Ronald Reagan and Nancy Davis were married in San Fernando
Valley, Calif.
- In 1989 Time Inc. and Warner Communications Inc. announced plans to
merge into the world's largest media and entertainment conglomerate.
- Ten years ago voters in the Soviet Republics of Russia, Byelorussia
and the Ukraine participated in local and legislative elections,
resulting in notable gains for reformists and nationalists.
- Five years ago President Clinton, in his weekly radio address, said
spending cuts proposed by congressional Republicans would gut
safe-school and anti-drug programs needed to protect children.
- One year ago, outraging Italian authorities, a military jury in
North Carolina cleared a Marine pilot of charges he was flying
recklessly when his jet sliced through a ski gondola cable in the
Alps, sending 20 people plunging to their deaths. Retired Supreme
Court Justice Harry A. Blackmun, who wrote the 1973 decision that
legalized abortion nationwide, died in Arlington, Va., at age 90.
*Happy Birthday*
----------------
- Singer Miriam Makeba is 68.
- Actress Paula Prentiss is 61.
- Movie director Adrian Lyne is 59.
- Singer Bobby Womack is 56.
- Rock musician Chris Squire (Yes) is 52.
- Singer Chris Rea is 49.
- Actress Kay Lenz is 47.
- Musician Emilio Estefan is 47.
- Movie director Scott Hicks is 47.
- Actress Catherine O'Hara is 46.
- Actor Mykelti Williamson is 40.
- Actor Steven Weber is 39.
- Rock musician Jason Newsted (Metallica) is 37.
- Actress Stacy Edwards is 35.
- Rock musician Patrick Hannan (The Sundays) is 34.
- Rock singer Evan Dando (Lemonheads) is 33.
- Actress Patsy Kensit is 32.
- Chastity Bono is 31.
- Rock musician Fergal Lawler (The Cranberries) is 29.
- Country singer Jason Sellers is 29.
5
On March 5, 1770, the Boston Massacre took place as British soldiers
who'd been taunted by a crowd of colonists opened fire, killing five
people. Two British soldiers were later convicted of manslaughter.
- In 1849, Zachary Taylor took the oath of office at his
presidential inauguration.
- In 1868, the Senate was organized into a Court of Impeachment to
decide charges against President Andrew Johnson.
- In 1933, in German parliamentary elections, the Nazi Party won
44 percent of the vote, enabling it to join with the Nationalists
to gain a slender majority in the Reichstag.
- In 1946, Winston Churchill delivered his famous "Iron Curtain"
speech at Westminster College in Fulton, Mo.
- In 1953, Soviet dictator Josef Stalin died at age 73 after 29
years in power.
- In 1963, a private plane crash near Camden, Tenn., claimed the
lives of country music performers Patsy Cline, "Cowboy" Copas and
"Hawkshaw" Hawkins.
- In 1970, a nuclear non-proliferation treaty went into effect
after 43 nations ratified it.
- In 1982, comedian John Belushi was found dead of a drug overdose
in a rented bungalow in Hollywood; he was 33.
- Ten years ago: Machinists striking Eastern Airlines withdrew an
immediate threat to picket the nation's railroads, after a federal
judge issued an order temporarily prohibiting rail workers from
honoring the Eastern picket lines.
- Five years ago: White House Counsel Bernard Nussbaum resigned in
the wake of turmoil over the Clinton administration's handling of
questions related to Whitewater. A jury in Pensacola, Fla.,
convicted anti-abortion activist Michael F. Griffin of first-degree
murder in the shooting death of Dr. David Gunn; Griffin was
sentenced to life in prison.
- One year ago: Details of President Clinton's deposition testimony
in the Paula Jones sexual harassment case against him were published
in The Washington Post, prompting an angry denunciation from the
president for the news leak. NASA scientists said enough water is
frozen in the loose soil of the moon to support a lunar base and
perhaps to one day build a human colony there.
*** Today's Birthdays
- Actor James Noble is 77.
- Actor James B. Sikking is 65.
- Actor Dean Stockwell is 63.
- Actor Fred Williamson is 61.
- Actor Michael Warren is 53.
- Actor Eddie Hodges is 52.
- Singer Eddy Grant is 51.
- Violinist Eugene Fodor is 49.
- Rock musician Alan Clark (Dire Straits) is 47.
- Actress-comedian Marsha Warfield is 45.
Magician Penn Jillette is 44.
- Rock singer Charlie Reid is 37.
- Rock singer Craig Reid is 37.
- Rock musician John Frusciante (Red Hot Chili Peppers) is 29.
- Singer Rome is 29.
- Actor Kevin Connolly ("Unhappily Ever After") is 25.
- Model Niki Taylor is 24.
- Actor Jake Lloyd ("Jingle All the Way") is 10.
Today is Sunday, March 5, the 65th day of 2000. There are 301 days
left in the year.
- On March 5, 1770, the Boston Massacre took place as British soldiers,
taunted by a crowd of colonists, opened fire, killing five people.
- 1849 Zachary Taylor took the oath of office at his presidential
inauguration.
- In 1867 an abortive Fenian uprising against English rule took place
in Ireland.
- In 1868 the Senate was organized into a Court of Impeachment to
decide charges against President Andrew Johnson.
- In 1933 in German parliamentary elections, the Nazi Party won 44% of
the vote, enabling it to join with the Nationalists to gain a
slender majority in the Reichstag.
- In 1946 Winston Churchill delivered his "Iron Curtain" speech at
Westminster College in Fulton, Mo.
- In 1953 Soviet dictator Josef Stalin died at age 73 after 29 years
in power.
- In 1963 a private plane crash near Camden, Tenn., claimed the lives
of country music performers Patsy Cline, "Cowboy" Copas and
"Hawkshaw" Hawkins.
- In 1970 a nuclear non-proliferation treaty went into effect after 43
nations ratified it.
- In 1982 comedian John Belushi was found dead of a drug overdose in a
rented bungalow in Hollywood; he was 33.
- In 1986 in Lebanon, Islamic Jihad issued a statement saying it had
"executed" French hostage Michel Seurat, who had been abducted
almost a year earlier.
- Ten years ago to the cheers of onlookers, workers in Bucharest,
Romania, finally succeeded in removing a 25-foot, seven-ton bronze
statue of Vladimir Lenin from its foundation.
- Five years ago an Australian yacht broke in two and sank in heavy
wind and fierce waves off the Southern California coast, the first
sinking in the history of America's Cup racing; all 17 crew members
were rescued.
- One year ago Italian Prime Minister Massimo D'Alema met at the White
House with President Clinton, a day after a military jury in North
Carolina acquitted a Marine pilot in the Italian cable car accident
that killed 20 people; D'Alema demanded justice, while Clinton
expressed profound regret. Actor Richard Kiley died in Warwick, N.Y.,
at age 76.
*Happy Birthday*
----------------
- Actor James Noble is 78.
- Actor James B. Sikking is 66.
- Actor Dean Stockwell is 64.
- Actor Fred Williamson is 62.
- Actor Michael Warren is 54.
- Actor Eddie Hodges is 53.
- Singer Eddy Grant is 52.
- Violinist Eugene Fodor is 50.
- Rock musician Alan Clark (Dire Straits) is 48.
- Actress-comedian Marsha Warfield is 46.
- Magician Penn Jillette is 45.
- Rock singer Craig Reid is 38.
- Rock singer Charlie Reid is 38.
- Rock musician John Frusciante (Red Hot Chili Peppers) is 30.
- Singer Rome is 30.
- Actor Kevin Connolly is 26.
- Model Niki Taylor is 25.
- Actor Jake Lloyd is 11.
6
On March 6, 1836, the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas, fell to
Mexican forces after a 13-day siege.
- In 1834, the city of York in Upper Canada was incorporated as
Toronto.
- In 1853, Verdi's opera "La Traviata" premiered in Venice,
Italy.
- In 1857, in its "Dred Scott" decision, the Supreme Court held
that Scott, a slave, could not sue for his freedom in federal
court.
- In 1933, a nationwide bank holiday declared by President
Roosevelt went into effect.
- In 1935, retired Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.
died in Washington.
- In 1944, U.S. heavy bombers staged the first American raid on
Berlin during World War II.
- In 1957, the former British African colonies of the Gold Coast
and Togoland became the independent state of Ghana.
- In 1983, in a case that drew much notoriety, a woman in New
Bedford, Mass., reported being gang-raped atop a pool table in a
tavern called Big Dan's; four men were later convicted of the
attack.
- In 1987, 189 people died when the British ferry "Herald of Free
Enterprise" capsized off the Belgian port of Zeebrugge.
- Ten years ago: With nearly 90 percent of its pilots honoring the
picket lines of striking machinists, Eastern Airlines shut down
operations on all but three routes.
- Five years ago: Two top Clinton administration officials, Vice
President Al Gore and White House adviser George Stephanopoulos,
appeared on the Sunday TV talk shows to blame Republican sniping
for much of the furor over Whitewater. Greek
actress-turned-politician Melina Mercouri died in New York.
- One year ago: The Army honored three Americans who risked their
lives and turned their weapons on fellow soldiers to stop the
slaughter of Vietnamese villagers at My Lai in 1968. A Connecticut
state lottery accountant shot to death three supervisors and the
lottery chief before killing himself.
*** Today's Birthdays
- TV personality Ed McMahon is 76.
- Conductor Sarah Caldwell is 75.
- Former FBI and CIA director William Webster is 75.
- Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan is 73.
- Former Washington D.C. Mayor Marion S. Barry Jr. is 63.
- Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova is 62.
- Country singer Doug Dillard is 62.
- Sen. Christopher Bond, R-Mo., is 60.
- Actress-writer Joanna Miles is 59.
- Actor Ben Murphy is 57.
- Opera singer Dame Kiri Te Kanawa is 55.
- Singer Mary Wilson (The Supremes) is 55.
- Actor-director Rob Reiner is 52.
- Singer Kiki Dee is 52.
- Actor Tom Arnold is 40.
- Country songwriter Skip Ewing is 35.
- Actress Moira Kelly is 31.
- Actress Amy Pietz ("Caroline in the City") is 30.
- Basketball player Shaquille O'Neal is 27.
Today is Monday, March 6, the 66th day of 2000. There are 300 days
left in the year.
- On March 6, 1836, the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas, fell to Mexican
forces after a 13-day siege.
- In 1834 the city of York in Upper Canada was incorporated as Toronto.
- In 1853 Verdi's opera "La Traviata" premiered in Venice, Italy.
- In 1857 in its Dred Scott decision, the Supreme Court held that
Scott, a slave, could not sue for his freedom in federal court.
- In 1933 a nationwide bank holiday declared by President Roosevelt
went into effect.
- In 1935 retired Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. died
in Washington.
- In 1944 U.S. heavy bombers staged the first American raid on Berlin
during World War II.
- In 1957 the former British African colonies of the Gold Coast and
Togoland became the independent state of Ghana.
- In 1981 Walter Cronkite signed off for the last time as principal
anchorman of "The CBS Evening News."
- In 1983 in a case that drew much notoriety, a woman in New Bedford,
Mass., reported being gang-raped atop a pool table in a tavern
called Big Dan's; four men were later convicted of the attack.
- In 1987 189 people died when the British ferry Herald of Free
Enterprise capsized off the Belgian port of Zeebrugge.
- Ten years ago the Soviet parliament overwhelmingly approved
legislation allowing people to own factories and hire workers for
the first time in nearly seven decades.
- Five years ago the Republican-controlled House took up
business-backed legislation to alter the civil legal system over
White House objections that some of the proposals were too extreme
(the House passed the measure the following day).
- One year ago the emir of Bahrain (Sheik Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa),
a key Western ally who had ruled for nearly four decades, died
shortly after a meeting with Defense Secretary William Cohen; he was
65.
*Happy Birthday*
----------------
- TV personality Ed McMahon is 77.
- Conductor Sarah Caldwell is 76.
- Former FBI and CIA director William Webster is 76.
- Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan is 74.
- Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova is 63.
- Country singer Doug Dillard is 63.
- Senator Christopher Bond (R-Mo.) is 61.
- Actress-writer Joanna Miles is 60.
- Actor Ben Murphy is 58.
- Opera singer Dame Kiri Te Kanawa is 56.
- Singer Mary Wilson (The Supremes) is 56.
- Actor-director Rob Reiner is 53.
- Singer Kiki Dee is 53.
- Actor Tom Arnold is 41.
- Actor D.L. Hughley is 37.
- Country songwriter Skip Ewing is 36.
- Actress Moira Kelly is 32.
- Actress Amy Pietz is 31.
- Basketball player Shaquille O'Neal is 28.
- Actor Jimmy Galeota ("Michael Hays") is 14.
7
On March 7, 1849, horticulturist Luther Burbank was born in
Lancaster, Mass.
- In 1850, in a three-hour speech to the U.S. Senate, Daniel Webster
endorsed the Compromise of 1850 as a means of preserving the Union.
- In 1875, composer Maurice Ravel was born in Cibourne, France.
- In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell received a patent for his telephone.
- In 1911, the U.S. sent 20,000 troops to the Mexican border as a
precaution in the wake of the Mexican Revolution.
- In 1926, the first successful trans-Atlantic radio-telephone
conversation took place, between New York and London.
- In 1936, Adolf Hitler ordered his troops to march into the
Rhineland, thereby breaking the Treaty of Versailles and the Locarno
Pact.
- In 1945, during World War II, U.S. forces crossed the Rhine River at
Remagen, Germany, via the damaged but still usable Ludendorff
Bridge.
- In 1965, state troopers and a sheriff's posse broke up a march by
civil rights demonstrators in Selma, Ala.
- In 1975, the Senate revised its filibuster rule, allowing 60
senators to limit debate in most cases, instead of the previously
required two-thirds of senators present.
- Ten years ago: Secretary of State James A. Baker III met with Soviet
Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze in Vienna, Austria. Baker
agreed to visit Moscow the following May to discuss prospects for a
summit between President Bush and Soviet President Mikhail S.
Gorbachev.
- Five years ago: The Supreme Court ruled that parodies that poke fun
at an original work can be considered "fair use" that doesn't
require permission from the copyright holder. The U.S. Navy issued
its first permanent orders assigning women to regular duty on a
combat ship - in this case, the USS Eisenhower.
- One year ago: Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, speaking in
Rome, said the U.S. wouldn't tolerate any more violence in Kosovo,
which she blamed on Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic.
*Happy Birthday*
----------------
- Photographer Lord Snowdon is 69.
- TV weatherman Willard Scott is 65.
- Auto racer Janet Guthrie is 61.
- Actor Daniel J. Travanti is 59.
- Walt Disney Co. chairman Michael Eisner is 57.
- Rock musician Chris White (The Zombies) is 56.
- Actor John Heard is 53.
- Rock singer Peter Wolf is 53.
- Rock musician Matthew Fisher (Procol Harum) is 53.
- Singer Peggy March is 51.
- Football Hall-of-Famer Franco Harris is 49.
- Former football player Lynn Swann is 47.
- Tennis player Ivan Lendl is 39.
- Singer-actress Taylor Dayne is 34.
- Rock musician Randy Guss (Toad the Wet Sprocket) is 32.
- Actress Laura Prepon ("That '70s Show") is 19.
Today is Tuesday, March 7, the 67th day of 2000. There are 299 days
left in the year.
- On March 7, 1850, in a three-hour speech to the U.S. Senate, Daniel
Webster endorsed the Compromise of 1850 as a means of preserving the
Union.
- In 1849 horticulturist Luther Burbank was born in Lancaster, Mass.
- In 1875 composer Maurice Ravel was born in Cibourne, France.
- In 1876 Alexander Graham Bell received a patent for his telephone.
- In 1911 the U.S. sent 20,000 troops to the Mexican border as a
precaution in the wake of the Mexican Revolution.
- In 1926 the first successful trans-Atlantic radio-telephone
conversation took place, between New York and London.
- In 1936 Adolf Hitler ordered his troops to march into the Rhineland,
thereby breaking the Treaty of Versailles and the Locarno Pact.
- In 1945 during World War II, U.S. forces crossed the Rhine River at
Remagen, Germany, using the damaged but still usable Ludendorff
Bridge.
- In 1965 a march by civil rights demonstrators was broken up in Selma,
Ala., by state troopers and a sheriff's posse.
- In 1975 the Senate revised its filibuster rule, allowing 60 senators
to limit debate in most cases, instead of the previously required
two-thirds of senators present.
- In 1994 the Supreme Court ruled that parodies that poke fun at an
original work can be considered "fair use" that doesn't require
permission from the copyright holder.
- Ten years ago Health and Human Services Secretary Louis Sullivan
announced the government would propose a more informative
food-labeling system that would require the disclosure of the fat,
fiber and cholesterol content of nearly all packaged foods.
- Five years ago New York Gov. George Pataki signed a death penalty
bill into law. In a near-party-line vote, the House passed, 232-193,
a business-backed measure designed to pressure combatants in
lawsuits to settle their differences short of costly trials.
- One year ago movie director Stanley Kubrick, whose films included
"Dr. Strangelove," "A Clockwork Orange" and "2001: A Space Odyssey,"
died in Hertfordshire, England, at age 70.
*Happy Birthday*
----------------
- Photographer Lord Snowdon is 70.
- TV weatherman Willard Scott is 66.
- Auto racer Janet Guthrie is 62.
- Actor Daniel J. Travanti is 60.
- Walt Disney Co. chairman Michael Eisner is 58.
- Rock musician Chris White (The Zombies) is 57.
- Actor John Heard is 54.
- Rock singer Peter Wolf is 54.
- Rock musician Matthew Fisher (Procol Harum) is 54.
- Singer Peggy March is 52.
- Football Hall-of-Famer Franco Harris is 50.
- Former football player Lynn Swann is 48.
- Actor Bryan Cranston ("Malcolm in the Middle") is 44.
- Tennis player Ivan Lendl is 40.
- Singer-actress Taylor Dayne is 35.
- Rock musician Randy Guss (Toad the Wet Sprocket) is 33.
- Actress Rachel Weisz is 29.
- Actress Laura Prepon ("That 70's Show") is 20.
8
On March 8, 1841, Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.,
the "Great Dissenter," was born in Boston.
- In 1702, England's Queen Anne ascended the throne upon the death
of King William III.
- In 1854, U.S. Commodore Matthew C. Perry made his second landing
in Japan. Within a month, he concluded a treaty with the Japanese.
- In 1874, the 13th president of the U.S., Millard Fillmore, died in
Buffalo, N.Y.
- In 1917, Russia's "February Revolution" - so called because of the
Old Style calendar used by Russians at the time - began with rioting
and strikes in St. Petersburg.
- In 1917, the U.S. Senate voted to limit filibusters by adopting the
cloture rule.
- In 1930, the 27th president of the U.S., William Howard Taft, died
in Washington.
- In 1942, Japanese forces captured Rangoon, Burma, during World War
II.
- In 1944, U.S. bombers resumed bombing Berlin.
- In 1965, the U.S. landed about 3,500 Marines in South Vietnam.
- In 1986, four French TV crew members were abducted in west Beirut; a
caller claimed Islamic Jihad was responsible. All four were
eventually released.
- Ten years ago: In Lebanon, daily artillery barrages between
Christian and Syrian forces and their militia allies began in
Beirut; at least 930 people were killed before a cease-fire took
hold the following September.
- Five years ago: President Clinton announced the appointment of
Washington attorney Lloyd Cutler as senior counsel, replacing
Bernard Nussbaum. The Defense Department announced a smoking ban for
workplaces ranging from the Pentagon to battle tanks.
- One year ago: James McDougal, one of the most important cooperating
witnesses in Kenneth Starr's Whitewater investigation, died in a
federal medical prison in Fort Worth, Texas, at age 57. More than a
foot of wind-driven snow paralyzed travel across the central Plains
and Midwest. Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke died in Florida at
age 61.
*Happy Birthday*
----------------
- Actress Claire Trevor is 90.
- Actress Sue Ane Langdon is 63.
- Baseball player-turned-author Jim Bouton is 60.
- Actress Lynn Redgrave is 56.
- Actor-director Micky Dolenz is 54.
- Lyricist Carole Bayer Sager is 52.
- Actress Jaime Lyn Bauer is 50.
- Baseball player Jim Rice is 46.
- Singer Gary Numan is 41.
- Actor Aidan Quinn is 40.
- Actress Camryn Manheim ("The Practice") is 38.
- Actress Kathy Ireland is 36.
- Actress Andrea Parker ("The Pretender") is 30.
- Actor Freddie Prinze Jr. is 23.
- Actor James Van Der Beek ("Dawson's Creek") is 22.
- Rhythm-and-blues singer Kameelah Williams (702) is 21.
Today is Ash Wednesday, March 8, the 68th day of 2000. There are
298 days left in the year.
- On March 8, 1854, U.S. Commodore Matthew C. Perry made his
second landing in Japan. Within a month, he concluded a treaty
with the Japanese.
- In 1702, England's Queen Anne ascended the throne upon the death
of King William III.
- In 1841, Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., the
"Great Dissenter," was born in Boston.
- In 1874, the 13th president of the United States, Millard
Fillmore, died in Buffalo, N.Y.
- In 1917, Russia's "February Revolution" (so called because of
the Old Style calendar used by Russians at the time) began with
rioting and strikes in St. Petersburg.
- In 1917, the U.S. Senate voted to limit filibusters by adopting
the cloture rule.
- In 1930, the 27th president of the United States, William Howard
Taft, died in Washington.
- In 1942, Japanese forces captured Rangoon, Burma, during World
War II.
- In 1944, U.S. bombers resumed bombing Berlin.
- In 1965, the United States landed about 3,500 Marines in South
Vietnam.
- In 1986, four French television crew members were abducted in
west Beirut; a caller claimed Islamic Jihad was responsible. (All
four were eventually released.)
- Ten years ago: Opening arguments were heard in the Iran-Contra
trial of former national security adviser John M. Poindexter.
- Five years ago: Two United States diplomats were killed, one
injured, when their car was ambushed as they were driving to the
U.S. Consulate in Karachi, Pakistan. The plummeting dollar
stabilized after Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan called the
decline unwarranted.
- One year ago: New York Yankees baseball star Joe DiMaggio died
in Hollywood, Fla., at age 84. The Clinton administration directed
the firing of nuclear scientist Wen Ho Lee from his job at the Los
Alamos National Laboratory because of alleged security violations.
President Clinton began a tour of Central America.
*Happy Birthday*
----------------
- Actress Claire Trevor is 91.
- Actress Sue Ane Langdon is 64.
- Baseball player-turned-author Jim Bouton is 61.
- Actress Lynn Redgrave is 57.
- Actor-director Micky Dolenz is 55.
- Lyricist Carole Bayer Sager is 53.
- Actress Jaime Lyn Bauer is 51.
- Baseball player Jim Rice is 47.
- Singer Gary Numan is 42.
- Actor Aidan Quinn is 41.
- Actress Camryn Manheim is 39.
- Actress Kathy Ireland is 37.
- Actress Andrea Parker ("The Pretender") is 31.
- Actor Freddie Prinze Jr. is 24.
- Actor James Van Der Beek ("Dawson's Creek") is 23.
9
On March 9, 1796, the future emperor of France, Napoleon
Bonaparte, married Josephine de Beauharnais. The couple divorced in
1809.
- In 1862, during the Civil War, the ironclads "Monitor" and
"Virginia" (formerly "Merrimac") clashed for five hours to a
draw at Hampton Roads, Va.
- In 1916, Mexican raiders led by Pancho Villa attacked Columbus,
N.M., killing more than a dozen people.
- In 1933, Congress, called into special session by President
Roosevelt, began its "hundred days" of enacting New Deal
legislation.
- In 1945, during World War II, U.S. B-29 bombers launched
incendiary bomb attacks against Japan.
- In 1954, CBS-TV newsman Edward R. Murrow critically reviewed
Wisconsin Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy's anti-Communism campaign on
"See It Now."
- In 1975, work began on the Alaskan oil pipeline.
- In 1977, about a dozen armed Hanafi Muslims invaded three
buildings in Washington, D.C., killing one person and taking more
than 130 hostages. The siege ended two days later.
- In 1990, Dr. Antonia Novello was sworn in as the first female
and Hispanic surgeon general.
- In 1996, comedian George Burns died in Beverly Hills, Calif., at
age 100.
- In 1997, gangsta rapper The Notorious B.I.G., whose real name
was Christopher Wallace, was killed in a drive-by shooting in Los
Angeles; he was 24.
- Ten years ago: The Senate rejected President Bush's nomination
of John Tower to be defense secretary by a vote of 53-47.
- Five years ago: The U.N. Human Rights Commission condemned
anti-Semitism, putting the world body on record for the first time
as opposing discrimination against Jews.
- One year ago: In a case pitting former high school sweethearts
against each other, Brian Peterson pleaded guilty in Wilimington,
Del., to manslaughter in the death of his newborn son in a Newark,
N.J., motel and agreed to testify against the mother, Amy
Grossberg. She eventually pleaded guilty to manslaughter. She
received 2-1/2 years in prison; Peterson, two years.
*** Today's Birthdays
- Author Mickey Spillane is 81.
- Singer Lloyd Price is 66.
- Actress Joyce Van Patten is 65.
- Actor-comedian Marty Ingels is 63.
- Country singer Mickey Gilley is 63.
- Singer Mark Lindsay (Paul Revere and the Raiders) is 57.
- TV personality Charles Gibson is 56.
- Chess player Bobby Fischer is 56.
- Actress Trish Van Devere is 54.
- Rock musician Robin Trower is 54.
- Singer Jeffrey Osborne is 51.
- Country musician Jimmy Fadden (The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band) is 51.
- Magazine editor Michael Kinsley is 48.
- Actress Linda Fiorentino is 39.
- Actress Juliette Binoche is 35.
- Actor Emmanuel Lewis is 28.
Today is Thursday, March 9, the 69th day of 2000. There are 297
days left in the year.
- On March 9, 1862, during the Civil War, the ironclads Monitor
and Virginia (formerly Merrimac) clashed for five hours to a draw
at Hampton Roads, Va.
- In 1796, the future emperor of France, Napoleon Bonaparte,
married Josephine de Beauharnais. (The couple divorced in 1809.)
- In 1916, Mexican raiders led by Pancho Villa attacked Columbus,
N.M., killing more than a dozen people.
- In 1933, Congress, called into special session by President
Roosevelt, began its "hundred days" of enacting New Deal
legislation.
- In 1945, during World War II, U.S. B-29 bombers launched
incendiary bomb attacks against Japan.
- In 1954, CBS newsman Edward R. Murrow critically reviewed
Wisconsin Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy's anti-Communism campaign on
"See It Now."
- In 1975, work began on the Alaskan oil pipeline.
- In 1977, about a dozen armed Hanafi Muslims invaded three
buildings in Washington D.C., killing one person and taking more
than 130 hostages. The siege ended two days later.
- In 1989, the Senate rejected President Bush's nomination of John
Tower to be defense secretary by a vote of 53-47.
- In 1996, comedian George Burns died in Beverly Hills, Calif., at
age 100.
- In 1997, gangsta rapper The Notorious B.I.G., whose real name
was Christopher Wallace, was killed in a drive-by shooting in Los
Angeles; he was 24.
- Ten years ago: Dr. Antonia Novello was sworn in as surgeon
general, the first woman and the first Hispanic to hold the job.
- Five years ago: House Republicans unveiled their long-promised
tax cut for families, businesses and investors. President Clinton
eased travel restrictions on Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams and
invited him to the White House for St. Patrick's Day. Los Angeles
police detective Mark Fuhrman took the stand at the O.J. Simpson
murder trial, denying ever meeting a woman who had accused him of
making racist remarks.
- One year ago: RJR Nabisco Holdings Corp., the food-and-tobacco
conglomerate, announced it was getting out of the cigarette
business.
*Happy Birthday*
----------------
- Author Mickey Spillane is 82.
- Singer Lloyd Price is 67.
- Actress Joyce Van Patten is 66.
- Actor-comedian Marty Ingels is 64.
- Country singer Mickey Gilley is 64.
- Singer Mark Lindsay (Paul Revere and the Raiders) is 58.
- TV personality Charles Gibson is 57.
- Chess player Bobby Fischer is 57.
- Actress Trish Van Devere is 55.
- Rock musician Robin Trower is 55.
- Singer Jeffrey Osborne is 52.
- Country musician Jimmie Fadden (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band) is 52.
- Magazine editor Michael Kinsley is 49.
- Actress Linda Fiorentino is 40.
- Actress Juliette Binoche is 36.
- Rock musician Robert Sledge (Ben Folds Five) is 32.
- Actor Emmanuel Lewis is 29.
- Actress Jean Louisa Kelly ("Mr. Holland's Opus") is 28.
- Actor Kerr Smith ("Dawson's Creek") is 28.
10
On March 10, 1949, Nazi wartime broadcaster Mildred E. Gillars, also
known as "Axis Sally," was convicted in Washington, D.C., of
treason. She served 12 years in prison.
- In 1785, Thomas Jefferson was appointed minister to France,
succeeding Benjamin Franklin.
- In 1848, the Senate ratified the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, ending
the war with Mexico.
- In 1864, Ulysses S. Grant became commander of the Union armies in
the Civil War.
- In 1876, the first successful voice transmission over Alexander
Graham Bell's telephone took place in Boston as his assistant heard
Bell say, "Mr. Watson, come here. I want you."
- In 1880, the Salvation Army arrived in the U.S. from England.
- In 1894, New York Gov. Roswell P. Flower signed the nation's first
dog-licensing law. The fee was $2, renewable annually for $1.
- In 1948, the body of the anti-Communist foreign minister of
Czechoslovakia, Jan Masaryk, was found in the garden of Czernin
Palace in Prague.
- In 1965, Neil Simon's play "The Odd Couple," starring Walter Matthau
as Oscar Madison and Art Carney as Felix Unger, opened on Broadway.
- In 1969, James Earl Ray pleaded guilty in Memphis, Tenn., to the
assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Ray later repudiated that
plea, maintaining his innocence until his death last April.
- In 1985, Konstantin U. Chernenko, Soviet leader for just 13 months,
died at age 73.
- Ten years ago: One day after the Senate rejected the defense
secretary nomination of John Tower, President Bush announced he
would nominate Wyoming Rep. Dick Cheney, who was later confirmed.
- Five years ago: White House officials began testifying before a
federal grand jury about the Whitewater controversy.
- One year ago: U.S. Air Force and Navy personnel in the Persian
Gulf received vaccinations against anthrax. Indonesia's President
Suharto was elected to his seventh term. Actor Lloyd Bridges died
in Westwood, Calif., at age 85.
*Happy Birthday*
----------------
- Talk show host Ralph Emery is 66.
- Actor Chuck Norris is 59.
- Playwright David Rabe is 59.
- Singer Dean Torrence (Jan and Dean) is 59.
- Actress Katharine Houghton is 54.
- Newspaper columnist Bob Greene is 52.
- Rock musician Tom Scholz (Boston) is 52.
- Actress Shannon Tweed is 42.
- Actress Sharon Stone is 41.
- Rock musician Gail Greenwood (Belly) is 39.
- Rock musician Jeff Ament (Pearl Jam) is 36.
- Britain's Prince Edward is 35.
- Actress Jasmine Guy is 35.
- Singer Edie Brickell is 33.
- Actor Stephen Mailer is 33.
- Country singer Daryle Singletary is 28.
- Olympic gold-medal gymnast Shannon Miller is 22.
Today is Friday, March 10, the 70th day of 2000. There are 296 days
left in the year.
- On March 10, 1876, the first successful voice transmission over
Alexander Graham Bell's telephone took place in Boston as his
assistant heard Bell say, "Mr. Watson, come here. I want you."
- In 1785, Thomas Jefferson was appointed minister to France,
succeeding Benjamin Franklin.
- In 1848, the Senate ratified the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo,
ending the war with Mexico.
- In 1864, Ulysses S. Grant became commander of the Union armies in
the Civil War.
- In 1880, the Salvation Army arrived in the United States from
England.
- In 1948, the body of the anti-Communist foreign minister of
Czechoslovakia, Jan Masaryk, was found in the garden of Czernin
Palace in Prague.
- In 1949, Nazi wartime broadcaster Mildred E. Gillars, also known
as "Axis Sally," was convicted in Washington D.C. of treason.
(She served 12 years in prison and died in 1988.)
- In 1965, Neil Simon's play "The Odd Couple," starring Walter
Matthau as Oscar Madison and Art Carney as Felix Unger, opened on
Broadway.
- In 1969, James Earl Ray pleaded guilty in Memphis, Tenn., to the
assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. (Ray later repudiated
that plea, maintaining his innocence until his death.)
- In 1980, "Scarsdale Diet" author Dr. Herman Tarnower was shot to
death in Purchase, N.Y. (Jean Harris, convicted of murder, served
nearly 12 years in prison before being released in January 1993.)
- In 1985, Konstantin U. Chernenko, Soviet leader for just 13
months, died at age 73.
- Ten years ago: Haitian ruler Lt. Gen. Prosper Avril resigned
during a popular uprising against his military regime.
- Five years ago: The Labor Department reported the nation's
unemployment rate for February dropped to 5.4 percent, down 0.003
from the month before. The Clinton administration released $3
billion to support Mexico's faltering economy. Former Mexican
President Carlos Salinas de Gortari fled to the United States.
- One year ago: During a visit to Guatemala, President Clinton
acknowledged the U.S. role in Central America's "dark and painful
period" of civil wars and repression.
*Happy Birthday*
----------------
- Talk show host Ralph Emery is 67.
- Actor Chuck Norris is 60.
- Playwright David Rabe is 60.
- Singer Dean Torrence (Jan and Dean) is 60.
- Actress Katharine Houghton is 55.
- Newspaper columnist Bob Greene is 53.
- Rock musician Tom Scholz (Boston) is 53.
- Actress Shannon Tweed is 43.
- Actress Sharon Stone is 42.
- Rock musician Gail Greenwood is 40.
- Rock musician Jeff Ament (Pearl Jam) is 37.
- Britain's Prince Edward is 36.
- Actress Jasmine Guy is 36.
- Singer Edie Brickell is 34.
- Actor Stephen Mailer is 34.
- Actress Paget Brewster ("Love and Money") is 31.
- Country singer Daryle Singletary is 29.
- Olympic gold-medal gymnast Shannon Miller is 23.
11
On March 11, 1942, as Japanese forces continued to advance in the
Pacific during World War II, Gen. Douglas MacArthur left the
Philippines for Australia, vowing, "I shall return." He did, nearly
three years later.
- In 1810, Emperor Napoleon of France was married by proxy to
Archduchess Marie Louise of Austria.
- In 1861, the Confederate convention in Montgomery, Ala., adopted a
constitution.
- In 1888, the famous "Blizzard of '88" struck the northeastern U.S.,
resulting in some 400 deaths.
- In 1941, President Roosevelt signed into law the Lend-Lease Bill,
providing war supplies to countries fighting the Axis.
- In 1954, the U.S. Army charged that Wisconsin Sen. Joseph R.
McCarthy and his subcommittee's chief counsel, Roy Cohn, had exerted
pressure to obtain favored treatment for Pvt. G. David Schine, a
former consultant to the subcommittee.
- In 1959, the Lorraine Hansberry drama "A Raisin in the Sun" opened
at New York's Ethel Barrymore Theater.
- In 1965, the Rev. James J. Reeb, a white minister from Boston, died
after being beaten by whites during civil rights disturbances in
Selma, Ala.
- In 1977, more than 130 hostages held in Washington, D.C., by Hanafi
Muslims were freed after ambassadors from three Islamic nations
joined the negotiations.
- In 1985, Mikhail S. Gorbachev was chosen to succeed the late Soviet
President Konstantin U. Chernenko.
- Ten years ago: Former World Bank head John J. McCloy, who had
advised several presidents, died in Stamford, Conn., at age 93.
- Five years ago: Secretary of State Warren Christopher arrived in
Beijing, the mood of his trip already soured by a fresh government
crackdown on Chinese dissidents.
- One year ago: The International Astronomical Union issued an alert,
saying a mile-wide asteroid could zip very close to Earth Oct. 26,
2028, possibly colliding with it. But the next day, NASA's Jet
Propulsion Laboratory said there was no chance the asteroid will hit
Earth. A Florida appeals court restored Joe Carollo as mayor of
Miami after charges of voter fraud on absentee ballots.
*Happy Birthday*
----------------
- Media mogul Rupert Murdoch is 68.
- ABC News correspondent Sam Donaldson is 65.
- Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia is 63.
- Musician Flaco Jimenez (The Texas Tornadoes) is 60.
- Actress Tricia O'Neil is 54.
- Rock singer-musician Mark Stein (Vanilla Fudge) is 52.
- Singer Bobby McFerrin is 49.
- Movie director Jerry Zucker is 49.
- Actress Susan Richardson is 47.
- Singer Nina Hagen is 44.
- Country singer Jimmy Fortune (The Statler Brothers) is 44.
- Singer Cheryl Lynn is 42.
- Actress Alex Kingston ("ER") is 36.
- Actor Wallace Langham ("Veronica's Closet") is 34.
- Actor John Barrowman is 31.
- Singer Pete Droge is 30.
12
On March 12, 1912, Juliette Gordon Low founded the Girl Guides,
which later became the Girl Scouts of America.
- In 1664, New Jersey became a British colony as King Charles II
granted land in the New World to his brother James, the Duke of
York.
- In 1925, Chinese revolutionary leader Sun Yat-sen died.
- In 1930, Indian political and spiritual leader Mohandas K. Gandhi
began a 200-mile march to protest a British tax on salt.
- In 1932, the so-called "Swedish Match King," Ivar Kreuger, committed
suicide in Paris, leaving behind a financial empire that turned out
to be worthless.
- In 1933, President Roosevelt delivered the first of his radio
"fireside chats," telling Americans about the nation's economic
crisis.
- In 1938, the "Anschluss" took place as German troops entered
Austria.
- In 1939, Pope Pius XII was formally crowned in ceremonies at the
Vatican.
- In 1940, Finland and the Soviet Union concluded an armistice during
World War II. Fighting between the two countries flared again the
following year.
- In 1947, President Truman established what became known as the
"Truman Doctrine" to help Greece and Turkey resist Communism.
- In 1969, Paul McCartney married Linda Eastman in London.
- In 1993, Janet Reno was sworn in as the nation's first female
attorney general.
- Ten years ago: Some 2,500 veterans and supporters marched at the Art
Institute of Chicago to demand that officials remove an American
flag placed on the floor as part of a student's exhibit.
- Five years ago: The Church of England ordained its first women
priests. Secretary of State Warren Christopher held discussions with
Chinese leaders in Beijing that were marked by blunt exchanges on
human rights.
- One year ago: The government reported the rate of new cancer cases
among Americans had inched down for the first time; so 70,000 fewer
people than expected were diagnosed between 1992 and 1995.
*Happy Birthday*
----------------
- Former AFL-CIO president Lane Kirkland is 77.
- Former astronaut Wally Schirra is 76.
- Playwright Edward Albee is 71.
- Former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young is 67.
- Broadcast journalist Lloyd Dobyns is 63.
- Singer Al Jarreau is 59.
- Actress Barbara Feldon is 58.
- Actress-singer Liza Minnelli is 53.
- Singer-songwriter James Taylor is 51.
- Rock singer-musician Bill Payne (Little Feat) is 50.
- Actor Jon Provost ("Lassie") is 49.
- Actor Jerry Levine is 42.
- Rock musician Steve Harris (Iron Maiden) is 42.
- Singer Marlon Jackson (The Jackson Five) is 42.
- Actor Courtney B. Vance is 39.
- Actor Titus Welliver ("Brooklyn South") is 38.
- Baseball player Darryl Strawberry is 37.
- Actress Julia Campbell is 36.
- Rock musician Graham Coxon (Blur) is 30.
13
Today is Saturday, March 13, the 72nd day of 1999. There are 293
days left in the year.
- On March 13, 1884, Standard Time was adopted throughout the
United States.
- In 1781, the planet Uranus was discovered by Sir William Herschel.
- In 1852, "Uncle Sam" made his debut as a cartoon character in
the New York "Lantern."
- In 1868, the impeachment trial of President Andrew Johnson began
in the U.S. Senate.
- In 1901, the 23rd president of the United States, Benjamin
Harrison, died in Indianapolis.
- In 1906, American suffragist Susan B. Anthony died in Rochester,
N.Y.
- In 1925, a law went into effect in Tennessee prohibiting the
teaching of evolution.
- In 1933, banks began to re-open after a "holiday" declared by
President Roosevelt.
- In 1947, the Lerner and Loewe musical "Brigadoon" opened on
Broadway.
- In 1964, in a notorious case, 38 residents of a New York City
neighborhood failed to respond to the cries of Kitty Genovese as
she was stabbed to death.
- In 1969, the Apollo 9 astronauts splashed down, ending a mission
that included the successful testing of the lunar module.
- In 1988, yielding to student protests, the board of trustees of
Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., a liberal arts college
for the hearing-impaired, chose I. King Jordan to become the
school's first deaf president.
- Ten years ago: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration began a
quarantine of all fruit imported from Chile after traces of cyanide
were found in two Chilean grapes. The space shuttle Discovery
blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on a five-day mission.
- Five years ago: A South African diplomat took over as leader of
Bophuthatswana as the black homeland's president, Lucas Mangope,
was deposed. The Israeli Cabinet outlawed two Jewish extremist
groups, Kach and Kahane Lives, branding them terrorist
organizations.
- One year ago: Sgt. Maj. Gene McKinney, once the Army's top
enlisted man, was acquitted at his court-martial of pressuring
military women for sex, but was convicted of trying to persuade his
chief accuser to lie. U.S. Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy II, D-Mass.,
announced he would not seek a seventh term.
*** Today's Birthdays
- Country singer Liz Anderson is 69.
- Country singer Jan Howard is 69.
- Opera singer Rosalind Elias is 68.
- Songwriter Mike Stoller is 66.
- Singer-songwriter Neil Sedaka is 60.
- Actor William H. Macy is 49.
- Actor Fred Berry ("What's Happening!!") is 48.
- Actress Deborah Raffin is 46.
- Comedian Robin Duke is 45.
- Actress Dana Delany is 43.
- Rock musician Adam Clayton (U2) is 39.
- Jazz musician Terence Blanchard is 37.
- Actor Christopher Collet is 31.
- Actress Annabeth Gish is 28.
- Actress Tracy Wells is 28.
- Rapper Khujo (Goodie Mob) is 27.
14
On March 14, 1743, the first recorded town meeting in America was
held, at Faneuil Hall in Boston.
- In 1794, Eli Whitney received a patent for his cotton gin, an
invention that revolutionized America's cotton industry.
- In 1879, physicist Albert Einstein was born in Ulm, Germany.
- In 1883, German political philosopher Karl Marx died in London.
- In 1900, Congress ratified the Gold Standard Act.
- In 1923, President Harding became the first chief executive to file
an income tax report.
- In 1939, the republic of Czechoslovakia was dissolved, opening the
way for Nazi occupation.
- In 1943, Aaron Copland's orchestral work "Fanfare for the Common
Man" premiered in New York, with George Szell conducting.
- In 1951, during the Korean War, U.N. forces recaptured Seoul.
- In 1964, a jury in Dallas found Jack Ruby guilty of murdering Lee
Harvey Oswald, the accused assassin of President Kennedy, the
previous November.
- In 1965, Israel's cabinet formally approved establishing diplomatic
relations with West Germany.
- In 1967, the body of President Kennedy was moved from a temporary
grave to a permanent memorial site at Arlington National Cemetery.
- Ten years ago: In a policy shift, the Bush administration announced
an indefinite ban on imports of semiautomatic assault rifles.
- Five years ago: Associate Attorney General Webster Hubbell, a
longtime friend of President and Mrs. Clinton, resigned because of
controversy over billings he'd charged while in private law
practice. Secretary of State Warren Christopher wrapped up three
days of meetings with Chinese leaders, who rejected attempts to link
their human rights record with preferred trade status.
- One year ago: India's Congress party picked Sonia Gandhi, the
Italian-born widow of assassinated prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, as
its new president. An earthquake killed at least five people and
left thousands homeless in southeastern Iran.
*Happy Birthday*
----------------
- Cartoonist Hank Ketcham ("Dennis the Menace") is 79.
- Former astronaut Frank Borman is 71.
- Singer Phil Phillips is 68.
- Actor Michael Caine is 66.
- Composer-conductor Quincy Jones is 66.
- Former astronaut Eugene Cernan is 65.
- Movie director Wolfgang Petersen ("Das Boot") is 58.
- Comedian Billy Crystal is 51.
- Country singer Jann Browne is 45.
- Actor Adrian Zmed is 45.
- Prince Albert of Monaco is 41.
- Actor Jake Fogelnest is 20.
- Actress Kate Maberly is 17.
15
On March 15, 1919, the American Legion was founded, in Paris.
- In 44 B.C., Roman dictator Julius Caesar was assassinated by a
group of nobles that included Brutus and Cassius.
- In 1493, Christopher Columbus returned to Spain, concluding his
first voyage to the Western Hemisphere.
- In 1820, Maine became the 23rd state.
- In 1875, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of New York, John McCloskey,
was named the first American cardinal, by Pope Pius IX.
- In 1913, President Wilson held the first open presidential news
conference.
- In 1956, the Lerner and Loewe musical "My Fair Lady" opened on
Broadway.
- In 1964, actress Elizabeth Taylor married actor Richard Burton in
Montreal; it was her fifth marriage, his second.
- In 1965, addressing a joint session of Congress, President Johnson
called for new legislation to guarantee every American's right to
vote.
- In 1975, Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis died near Paris at
age 69.
- Ten years ago: Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev convened a
two-day meeting of the Communist Party's Central Committee to decide
on agricultural reforms.
- Five years ago: Illinois Congressman Dan Rostenkowski, chairman of
the House Ways and Means Committee, defeated four Democratic primary
challengers in his bid for re-election.
- One year ago: CBS' "60 Minutes" aired an interview with former White
House employee Kathleen Willey, who said President Clinton had made
unwelcome sexual advances toward her in the Oval Office in 1993, a
charge denied by the president. Dr. Benjamin Spock, whose child care
guidance spanned half a century, died in San Diego at 94.
*Happy Birthday*
----------------
- Country singer Carl Smith is 72.
- Former astronaut Alan L. Bean is 67.
- Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is 66.
- Jazz musician Cecil Taylor is 66.
- Actor Judd Hirsch is 64.
- Rock musician Phil Lesh (The Grateful Dead) is 59.
- Singer Mike Love (The Beach Boys) is 58.
- Rock singer-musician Sly Stone Stewart is 55.
- Actor Craig Wasson is 45.
- Rock singer Dee Snider (Twisted Sister) is 44.
- Actress Park Overall is 42.
- Movie director Renny Harlin is 40.
- Model Fabio is 38.
- Singer Terence Trent D'Arby is 37.
16
On March 16, 1802, Congress authorized the establishment of the U.S.
Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.
- In 1751, James Madison, fourth president of the U.S., was born.
- In 1836, the Republic of Texas approved a constitution.
- In 1915, the Federal Trade Commission was organized.
- In 1935, Adolf Hitler scrapped the Treaty of Versailles.
- In 1945, during World War II, Iwo Jima was declared secured by the
Allies.
- In 1968, during the Vietnam War, the My Lai Massacre was carried out
by U.S. troops under the command of Lt. William L. Calley Jr.
- In 1969, "1776," a musical about the writing of the Declaration of
Independence, opened on Broadway.
- In 1978, Italian politician Aldo Moro was kidnapped by left-wing
urban guerrillas, who later murdered him.
- In 1991, Americans Kristi Yamaguchi, Tonya Harding and Nancy
Kerrigan swept the World Figure Skating Championships in Munich,
Germany.
- Ten years ago: The Soviet Communist Party's Central Committee
approved sweeping agricultural reforms and elected the party's 100
members to the Congress of People's Deputies, a new legislative
body.
- Five years ago: Figure skater Tonya Harding pleaded guilty in
Portland, Ore., to conspiracy to hinder prosecution for covering up
the attack on rival Nancy Kerrigan, avoiding jail but drawing a
$100,000 fine. Russia agreed to phase out production of
weapons-grade plutonium.
- One year ago: In a long-awaited document that Jewish leaders
immediately criticized, the Vatican expressed remorse for the
cowardice of some Christians during the Holocaust, but defended the
actions of Pope Pius XII.
*Happy Birthday*
----------------
- Statesman Mike Mansfield is 96.
- Actor Leo McKern is 79.
- Comedian-director Jerry Lewis is 73.
- Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-New York) is 72.
- Movie director Bernardo Bertolucci is 59.
- Game show host Chuck Woolery is 58.
- Singer-songwriter Jerry Jeff Walker is 57.
- Country singer Robin Williams is 52.
- Actor Erik Estrada is 50.
- Actor Victor Garber is 50.
- Actress Kate Nelligan is 48.
- Rock singer-musician Nancy Wilson (Heart) is 45.
- Golfer Hollis Stacy is 45.
- Actress Isabelle Huppert is 44.
17
Today is Wednesday, March 17, the 76th day of 1999. There are 289
days left in the year.
- On March 17, A.D. 461, according to tradition, St. Patrick, the
patron saint of Ireland, died in Saul.
- In 1776, British forces evacuated Boston during the Revolutionary
War.
- In 1870, the Massachusetts legislature authorized the incorporation
of Wellesley Female Seminary. It later became Wellesley College.
- In 1905, Eleanor Roosevelt married Franklin D. Roosevelt in New
York.
- In 1910, the Camp Fire Girls organization was formed. It was
formally presented to the public exactly two years later.
- In 1941, the National Gallery of Art opened in Washington, D.C.
- In 1942, Gen. Douglas MacArthur arrived in Australia to become
supreme commander of Allied forces in the southwest Pacific theater
during World War II.
- In 1950, scientists at the University of California at Berkeley
announced they had created a new radioactive element, which they
named "californium."
- In 1966, a U.S. midget submarine located a missing hydrogen bomb
that had fallen from an American bomber into the Mediterranean off
Spain.
- In 1969, Golda Meir became prime minister of Israel.
- In 1993, Helen Hayes, the "First Lady of the American Theater," died
in Nyack, N.Y., at age 92.
- Ten years ago: The Senate unanimously confirmed Wyoming Congressman
Dick Cheney to be secretary of defense, following the failed
nomination of former Sen. John Tower.
- Five years ago: Secretary of State Warren Christopher, just back
from China, told a House subcommittee that reports the trip was a
failure were "rather misleading," and said Beijing had made "solid
improvements" in areas of prison labor and immigration.
- One year ago: Washington Mutual announced it had agreed to buy H.F.
Ahmanson and Co. for $9.9 billion dollars, creating the nation's
seventh-largest banking company.
*Happy Birthday*
----------------
- Actress Mercedes McCambridge is 81.
- Myrlie Evers-Williams, former NAACP chairwoman, is 66.
- Rock musician Paul Kantner is 58.
- Singer-songwriter Jim Weatherly is 56.
- Singer-songwriter John Sebastian (The Lovin' Spoonful) is 55.
- Rock musician Harold Brown (War) is 53.
- Actor Patrick Duffy is 50.
- Actor Kurt Russell is 48.
- Country singer Susie Allanson is 47.
- Actress Lesley-Anne Down is 45.
- Country singer Paul Overstreet is 44.
- Actor Gary Sinise is 44.
- Actor Rob Lowe is 35.
- Rock singer Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins) is 32.
- Rock musician Van Connor (Screaming Trees) is 32.
- Rock musician Melissa Auf der Maur (Hole) is 27.
18
Today is Thursday, March 18, the 77th day of 1999. There are 288
days left in the year.
- On March 18, 1959, President Eisenhower signed the Hawaii statehood
bill.
- In 1766, Britain repealed the Stamp Act.
- In 1837, the 22nd and 24th president of the U.S., Grover Cleveland,
was born in Caldwell, N.J.
- In 1909, Einar Dessau of Denmark used a shortwave transmitter to
converse with a government radio post about six miles away in what's
believed to have been the first broadcast by a "ham" operator.
- In 1931, Schick Inc. marketed the first electric razor.
- In 1937, more than 400 people, mostly children, were killed in a gas
explosion at a school in New London, Texas.
- In 1962, France and Algerian rebels agreed to a truce.
- In 1965, the first spacewalk took place by Soviet cosmonaut Aleksei
Leonov.
- In 1974, most of the Arab oil-producing nations ended their embargo
against the U.S.
- In 1979, Iranian authorities detained American feminist Kate
Millett, a day before deporting her and a companion for what were
termed "provocations."
- Ten years ago: The space shuttle Discovery landed at Edwards Air
Force Base in California, completing a five-day mission.
- Five years ago: The space shuttle Columbia returned from a two-week
mission. Published reports said first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton
had made nearly $100,000 from the commodities market in the late
1970's on an initial investment of only $1,000.
- One year ago: Julie Hiatt Steele, a former friend of Kathleen
Willey's, released a sworn affidavit undercutting Willey's claim
that President Clinton had made an unwanted sexual advance toward
her in 1993.
*Happy Birthday*
----------------
- Actor Peter Graves is 73.
- Author GeorgePlimpton is 72.
- Composer John Kander is 72.
- Author John Updike is 67.
- Nobel peace laureate and former South African president F.W. de
Klerk is 63.
- Country singer Charley Pride is 61.
- Singer Wilson Pickett is 58.
- Actor Kevin Dobson is 56.
- Actor Brad Dourif is 49.
- Singer Irene Cara is 40.
- Actor Thomas Ian Griffith is 37.
- Singer James McMurtry is 37.
- Singer-actress Vanessa L. Williams is 36.
- Olympic gold medal speedskater Bonnie Blair is 35.
- Rock musician Jerry Cantrell (Alice in Chains) is 33.
- Rapper-actress Queen Latifah is 29.
- Rock musician Stuart Zender is 25.
19
Today is Friday, March 19, the 78st day of 1999. There are 287
days left in the year. This is the date the swallows traditionally
return to the San Juan Capistrano Mission in California.
- On March 19, 1979, the U.S. House of Representatives began
televising its day-to-day business.
- In 1859, the opera "Faust" by Charles Gounod premiered in Paris.
- In 1917, the Supreme Court upheld the eight-hour work day for
railroads.
- In 1918, Congress approved Daylight-Saving Time.
- In 1931, Nevada legalized gambling.
- In 1945, about 800 people were killed as kamikaze planes
attacked the U.S. carrier Franklin off Japan; the ship, however,
was saved.
- In 1945, Adolf Hitler issued his so-called "Nero Decree," ordering
the destruction of German facilities that could fall into Allied
hands.
- In 1953, the Academy Awards ceremony was televised for the first
time; "The Greatest Show on Earth" was named best picture of 1952.
- In 1976, Buckingham Palace announced the separation of Princess
Margaret and her husband, the Earl of Snowdon, after 16 years of
marriage.
- In 1985, in a legislative victory for President Reagan, the
Senate voted, 55-45, to authorize production of the MX missile.
- In 1987, televangelist Jim Bakker resigned as chairman of his
PTL ministry organization amid a sex and money scandal involving
Jessica Hahn, a former church secretary from Oklahoma.
- In 1993, Supreme Court Justice Byron R. White announced plans to
retire. White's departure paved the way for Ruth Bader Ginsburg to
become the court's second female justice.
- Ten years ago: Alfredo Cristiani of the right-wing ARENA party
was elected president of El Salvador, defeating Fidel Chavez Mena
of the Christian Democratic Party.
- Five years ago: Talks between North Korea and South Korea
collapsed, imperiling a U.S.-brokered deal to resolve the North
Korean nuclear dispute. In his weekly radio address, President
Clinton promised to tell people "all across America about our
health reform plan and what it really means."
- One year ago: Completing baseball's transformation from family
ownership to corporate control, Rupert Murdoch's Fox Group won
approval to buy the Los Angeles Dodgers for a record $350 million.
*** Today's Birthdays
- Former White House national security adviser Brent Scowcroft is 74.
- Actor-director Patrick McGoohan is 71.
- Theologian Hans Kung is 71.
- Author Philip Roth is 66.
- Actress-singer Phyllis Newman is 64.
- Actress Renee Taylor is 64.
- Actress Ursula Andress is 63.
- Singer Clarence "Frogman" Henry is 62.
- Singer Ruth Pointer (The Pointer Sisters) is 53.
- Actress Glenn Close is 52.
- Actor Bruce Willis is 44.
20
21
On March 21, 1965, more than 3,000 civil rights demonstrators led by
the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. began their march from Selma to
Montgomery, Ala.
- In 1685, composer Johann Sebastian Bach was born in Eisenach,
Germany.
- In 1790, Thomas Jefferson reported to President Washington in New
York as the new secretary of state.
- In 1806, Mexican statesman Benito Juarez, Mexico's first president
of Indian ancestry, was born in Oaxaca.
- In 1945, Allied bombers began four days of raids over Germany.
- In 1946, the United Nations set up temporary headquarters at Hunter
College in New York.
- In 1960, some 70 people were killed in Sharpeville, South Africa,
when police fired on demonstrators.
- In 1963, the Alcatraz federal prison island in San Francisco Bay was
emptied of its last inmates at the order of Attorney General Robert
F. Kennedy.
- In 1972, the Supreme Court ruled that states cannot require at least
a year's residency for voting eligibility.
- In 1979, the Egyptian Parliament unanimously approved a peace treaty
with Israel.
- Ten years ago: Randall Dale Adams, whose conviction for killing a
police officer was overturned after the documentary "The Thin Blue
Line" challenged evidence, was released from a Texas prison.
- Five years ago: "Schindler's List" won best picture at the 66th
Academy Awards; Holly Hunter was named best actress for "The Piano"
while Tom Hanks was named best actor for "Philadelphia." Actor
Macdonald Carey died in Beverly Hills, Calif., at age 81.
- One year ago: Pope John Paul II began a visit to Nigeria with the
Vatican pressing the African nation's military regime to release
dozens of prisoners, including prominent opposition figures and
journalists.
*Happy Birthday*
----------------
- Actor Al Freeman Jr. is 65.
- Actor Timothy Dalton is 55.
- Actress Marie-Christine Barrault is 55.
- Singer-musician Rose Stone (Sly and the Family Stone) is 54.
- Rock singer-musician Roger Hodgson (Supertramp) is 49.
- Rock musician Conrad Lozano (Los Lobos) is 48.
- Rhythm-and-blues singer Russell Thompkins Jr. (The Stylistics) is
48.
- Actress Sabrina LeBeauf is 41.
- Actor Gary Oldman is 41.
- Actor Matthew Broderick is 37.
- Comedian-talk show host Rosie O'Donnell is 37.
- Actress Cynthia Geary is 33.
- Rock MC Maxim (Prodigy) is 32.
- Rock musician Andrew Copeland (Sister Hazel) is 31.
22
On March 22, 1895, Auguste and Louis Lumiere showed their first
movie to an invited audience in Paris.
- In 1638, religious dissident Anne Hutchinson was expelled from the
Massachusetts Bay Colony.
- In 1765, Britain enacted the Stamp Act to raise money from the
American colonies. The Act was repealed the following year.
- In 1820, U.S. naval hero Stephen Decatur was killed in a duel with
Cmdr. James Barron near Washington, D.C.
- In 1882, Congress outlawed polygamy.
- In 1894, hockey's first Stanley Cup championship game was played;
the home team Montreal Amateur Athletic Association defeated the
Ottawa Capitals, 3-1.
- In 1933, during Prohibition, President Roosevelt signed a measure to
make wine and beer containing up to 3.2% alcohol legal.
- In 1945, the Arab League was formed with the adoption of a charter
in Cairo, Egypt.
- In 1946, the British mandate in Transjordan came to an end.
- In 1972, Congress sent the proposed Equal Rights Amendment to the
Constitution to the states for ratification. It fell short of
two-thirds approval needed.
- Ten years ago: National Football League Commissioner Pete Rozelle
announced plans to retire. Fawn Hall, Oliver North's former
secretary, began two days of testimony at North's Iran-Contra trial
in Washington.
- Five years ago: The Federal Reserve announced it was raising
short-term interest rates from 3.25% to 3.5%, the second such boost
of the year. "Woody Woodpecker" creator Walter Lantz died in
Burbank, Calif., at age 93.
- One year ago: President Clinton departed Washington for a historic
12-day tour of Africa. A deeply divided United Auto Workers union
approved a new contract with Caterpillar Inc., ending a 6 1/2-year
contract battle. Eleven young campers died in a mountain cabin fire
in Centre County, Pa.
*Happy Birthday*
----------------
- Actor Karl Malden is 87.
- Actor Werner Klemperer is 79.
- Pantomimist Marcel Marceau is 76.
- USA Today founder Allen H. Neuharth is 75.
- Composer-lyricist Stephen Sondheim is 69.
- Actor William Shatner is 68.
- Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) is 65.
- Actor M. Emmet Walsh is 64.
- Singer-guitarist George Benson is 56.
- Singer Jeremy Clyde (Chad and Jeremy) is 55.
- Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber is 51.
- Actress Fanny Ardant is 50.
- Sportscaster Bob Costas is 47.
- Actress Lena Olin is 44.
- Singer-actress Stephanie Mills is 42.
- Actor Matthew Modine is 40.
- Actress Reese Witherspoon is 23.
23
On March 23, 1775, Patrick Henry made his famous call for
America's independence from Britain, telling the Virginia
Provincial Convention, "Give me liberty, or give me death!"
- In 1792, Joseph Haydn's Symphony No. 94 in G Major (the
"Surprise" symphony) was performed publicly for the first time,
in London.
- In 1806, explorers Lewis and Clark, having reached the Pacific
coast, began their return journey.
- In 1919, Benito Mussolini founded his Fascist political movement
in Milan, Italy.
- In 1933, the German Reichstag adopted the Enabling Act, which
effectively granted Adolf Hitler dictatorial legislative powers.
- In 1942, during World War II, the U.S. government began
evacuating Japanese-Americans from West Coast homes to detention
centers.
- In 1956, Pakistan became an independent republic within the
British Commonwealth.
- In 1965, America's first two-person space flight blasted off
from Cape Kennedy with astronauts Virgil I. Grissom and John W.
Young aboard.
- In 1983, President Reagan first proposed development of
technology to intercept enemy missiles - a proposal that came to be
known as the Strategic Defense Initiative, as well as "Star
Wars."
- In 1983, Dr. Barney Clark, recipient of a permanent artificial
heart, died at the University of Utah Medical Center after 112 days
with the device.
- Ten years ago: Fawn Hall, former secretary to onetime National
Security Council aide Oliver North, completed two days of testimony
at North's Iran-Contra trial.
- Five years ago: Luis Donaldo Colosio, Mexico's leading
presidential candidate, was assassinated in Tijuana. Twenty-three
paratroopers were killed when a F-16 fighter jet and C-130
transport collided while landing at Pope Air Force Base in North
Carolina and the F-16 skidded into another transport on the ground.
Wayne Gretzky broke Gordie Howe's National Hockey League career
record with his 802nd goal. Actress Giulietta Masina died in Rome
at age 73.
- One year ago: President Clinton hailed "the new face of
Africa" as he opened a historic six-nation tour in Ghana. The U.S.
Supreme Court allowed term limits for state lawmakers. Russian
President Boris Yeltsin fired his Cabinet. At the Academy Awards,
"Titanic" tied the record by winning 11 Oscars, including best
picture, director and song.
*** Today's Birthdays
- Comedian Marty Allen is 77.
- Movie director Mark Rydell is 65.
- Singer-producer Ric Ocasek is 50.
- Singer Chaka Khan is 46.
- Actress Amanda Plummer is 42.
- Comedian John Pinnett is 35.
- Actor Richard Grieco is 34.
- Rock musician John Humphrey (The Nixons) is 29.
- Actress Keri Russell ("Felicity") is 23.
- Actress Nicholle Tom ("The Nanny") is 22.
24
On March 24, 1949, at the Academy Awards, "Hamlet" won best picture
of 1948 and its star, Laurence Olivier, best actor; Jane Wyman won
best actress for "Johnny Belinda;" "Treasure of Sierra Madre" won
best director for John Huston and best supporting actor for the
director's father, Walter Huston.
- In 1765, Britain enacted the Quartering Act, requiring American
colonists to provide temporary housing to British soldiers.
- In 1882, German scientist Robert Koch announced in Berlin that he
had discovered the bacillus responsible for tuberculosis.
- In 1883, long-distance telephone service was inaugurated between
Chicago and New York.
- In 1934, President Roosevelt signed a bill granting future
independence to the Philippines.
- In 1944, in occupied Rome, the Nazis executed more than 300
civilians in reprisal for an attack by Italian partisans the day
before that killed 32 German soldiers.
- In 1955, the Tennessee Williams play "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" opened
on Broadway.
- In 1958, rock-and-roll singer Elvis Presley was inducted into the
Army in Memphis, Tenn.
- In 1976, the president of Argentina, Isabel Peron, was deposed by
her country's military.
- In 1980, one of El Salvador's most respected Roman Catholic Church
leaders, Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero, was shot to death by
gunmen as he celebrated Mass in San Salvador.
- Ten years ago: The nation's worst oil spill occurred as the
supertanker Exxon Valdez ran aground on a reef in Alaska's Prince
William Sound and began leaking 11 million gallons of crude.
- Five years ago: President Clinton held a news conference in which he
acknowledged he had significantly overstated the loss in his
Whitewater land investment and promised to release late 1970's tax
returns to answer questions on the land deal.
- One year ago: Two students, ages 13 and 11, opened fire outside
their school in Jonesboro, Ark., killing four classmates and a
teacher.
*Happy Birthday*
----------------
- Fashion and costume designer Bob Mackie is 59.
- Actor R. Lee Ermey is 55.
- Movie director Curtis Hanson ("L.A. Confidential") is 54.
- Rock musician Lee Oskar is 51.
- Rock musician Dougie Thomson (Supertramp) is 48.
- Comedian-actor Louie Anderson is 46.
- Actress Donna Pescow is 45.
- Actor Robert Carradine is 45.
- Actress Kelly LeBrock is 39.
- Rhythm-and-blues DJ Rodney "Kool Kollie" Terry (Ghostown DJs) is 38.
- Actress Annabella Sciorra is 35.
- Actress Lara Flynn Boyle is 29.
- Rapper P.A. Pasemaster Mase (De La Soul) is 29.
- Actress Alyson Hannigan ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer") is 25.
25
On March 25, 1911, in a tragedy that galvanized America's labor
movement, 146 immigrant workers were killed when fire broke out at
the Triangle Shirtwaist Co. in New York.
- In 1634, Maryland was founded by English colonists sent by the
second Lord Baltimore.
- In 1865, during the Civil War, Confederate forces captured Fort
Stedman in Virginia.
- In 1894, Jacob S. Coxey began leading an "army" of unemployed from
Massillon, Ohio, to Washington, D.C., to demand help from the
federal government.
- In 1913, the home of vaudeville, the Palace Theatre, opened in New
York City.
- In 1918, French composer Claude Debussy died in Paris.
- In 1947, a coal mine explosion in Centralia, Ill., claimed 111
lives.
- In 1957, the Treaty of Rome established the European Economic
Community.
- In 1965, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. led 25,000 marchers to the
state capitol in Montgomery, Ala., to protest the denial of voting
rights to blacks.
- In 1990, 87 people, most of them Honduran and Dominican immigrants,
were killed when fire raced through an illegal social club in New
York City.
- In 1992, Soviet cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev, who had spent 10 months
aboard the orbiting Mir space station and missed the upheaval in his
homeland, finally returned to Earth.
- Ten years ago: In the wake of the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince
William Sound, Alaska's chief environmental officer, Dennis Kelso,
criticized cleanup efforts as too slow.
- Five years ago: American troops completed their withdrawal from
Somalia.
- One year ago: Shaken by horror stories from the worst genocide since
World War II, President Clinton grimly acknowledged during his
Africa tour that "we did not act quickly enough" to stop the
slaughter of up to 1 million Rwandans four years earlier. The FCC
netted $578.6 million at auction for licenses for new wireless
technology.
*Happy Birthday*
----------------
- Modeling agency founder Eileen Ford is 77.
- Former astronaut Jim Lovell is 71.
- Movie reviewer Gene Shalit is 67.
- Feminist author Gloria Steinem is 65.
- Singer-actor Hoyt Axton is 61.
- Singer Anita Bryant is 59.
- Singer Aretha Franklin is 57.
- Actor Paul Michael Glaser is 56.
- Singer Elton John is 52.
- Actress Bonnie Bedelia is 51.
- Singer Nick Lowe is 50.
- Actress-comedian Mary Gross is 46.
- Actor James McDaniel ("NYPD Blue") is 41.
- Actor-writer-director John Stockwell is 38.
- Actress Lisa Gay Hamilton is 35.
- Actress Sarah Jessica Parker is 34.
- Singer-musician Jeff Healey is 33.
- Olympic bronze medal figure skater Debi Thomas is 32.
- Singer Melanie Blatt (All Saints) is 24.
26
On March 26, 1979, the Camp David peace treaty was signed by Israeli
Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat at
the White House.
- In 1804, the Louisiana Purchase was divided into the Territory of
Orleans and the District of Louisiana.
- In 1827, composer Ludwig van Beethoven died in Vienna.
- In 1875, poet Robert Frost was born in San Francisco.
- In 1892, poet Walt Whitman died in Camden, N.J.
- In 1911, playwright Tennessee Williams was born in Columbus, Miss.
- In 1958, the U.S. Army launched America's third successful
satellite, Explorer III.
- In 1964, the musical play "Funny Girl" opened on Broadway.
- In 1971, East Pakistan proclaimed its independence, taking the name
Bangladesh.
- In 1982, groundbreaking ceremonies took place in Washington, D.C.,
for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
- In 1997, the bodies of 39 members of the Heaven's Gate
techno-religious cult who'd committed suicide were found inside a
mansion in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.
- Ten years ago: Voters in the Soviet Union filled 1,500 of more than
2,000 seats in the new Congress of People's Deputies, beginning
embarrassing defeats for the Communist Party.
- Five years ago: U.N. peacekeepers in Bosnia-Herzegovina destroyed a
Serb bunker following a seven-hour exchange of fire. The Senate
passed President Clinton's education reform measure, the "Goals
2000" bill, 63-22.
- One year ago: President Clinton stood with President Nelson Mandela
in a racially integrated South African parliament to salute a
country that was "truly free and democratic at last."
*Happy Birthday*
----------------
- Retired Army Gen. William C. Westmoreland is 85.
- Singer Rufus Thomas is 82.
- Conductor-composer Pierre Boulez is 74.
- Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor is 69.
- Actor-director Leonard Nimoy is 68.
- Actor Alan Arkin is 65.
- Actor James Caan is 59.
- Author Erica Jong is 57.
- Journalist Bob Woodward is 56.
- Singer Diana Ross is 55.
- Actor Johnny Crawford ("The Rifleman") is 53.
- Rock singer Steven Tyler (Aerosmith) is 51.
- TV personality Vicki Lawrence is 50.
- Singer Teddy Pendergrass is 49.
- Comedian Martin Short is 49.
- Country singer Dean Dillon is 44.
- Country singer Charly McClain is 43.
- Actress Jennifer Grey is 39.
- Basketball player John Stockton is 37.
- Rock musician James Iha (Smashing Pumpkins) is 31.
- Country singer Kenny Chesney is 31.
27
On March 27, 1977, 582 people were killed when a KLM Boeing 747,
attempting to take off, crashed into a Pan Am 747 on the Canary
Island of Tenerife.
- In 1512, Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon sighted Florida.
- In 1794, President Washington and Congress authorized creation of
the U.S. Navy.
- In 1836, the first Mormon temple was dedicated, in Kirtland, Ohio.
- In 1884, the first long-distance telephone call was made, between
Boston and New York.
- In 1917, the Seattle Metropolitans became the first U.S. team to win
the Stanley Cup as they defeated the Montreal Canadiens.
- In 1945, during World War II, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower told
reporters in Paris that German defenses on the Western Front had
been broken.
- In 1958, Nikita Khrushchev became Soviet premier in addition to
First Secretary of the Communist Party.
- In 1964, Alaska was rocked by a powerful earthquake that killed 114
people.
- In 1968, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, the first man to orbit the
earth, died in a plane crash.
- Ten years ago: Boris N. Yeltsin and other anti-establishment
candidates claimed victory in parliamentary elections for the new
Congress of People's Deputies.
- Five years ago: More than 40 people were killed as violent
thunderstorms tore across the Southeast. Italians went to the polls
in general elections that resulted in big gains for a right-wing
coalition. Ukraine held its first parliamentary elections since the
collapse of the Soviet Union.
- One year ago: The Food and Drug Administration approved the drug
Viagra, made by Pfizer, saying it helped about two-thirds of
impotent men improve their sexual function. Ferdinand Porsche Jr.,
who founded the sports car firm that bears his name, died at age 88
in Zell am See, Austria.
*Happy Birthday*
----------------
- Lord Callaghan, former British prime minister, is 87.
- Former Secretary of State Cyrus R. Vance is 82.
- Dancer-singer Harold Nicholas is 75.
- Newspaper columnist Anthony Lewis is 72.
- Dance company director Arthur Mitchell is 65.
- Actor Julian Glover is 64.
- Actor Jerry Lacy is 63.
- Actor Austin Pendleton is 59.
- Actor Michael York is 57.
- Rock musician Tony Banks (Genesis) is 49.
- Actress Maria Schneider ("Last Tango in Paris") is 47.
- Rock musician Andrew Farriss (INXS) is 40.
- Movie director Quentin Tarantino is 36.
- Rock musician Derrick McKenzie (Jamiroquai) is 35.
- Singer Mariah Carey is 29.
- Rock musician Brendan Hill (Blues Traveler) is 29.
28
Twenty years ago, on March 28, 1979, America's worst commercial
nuclear accident occurred inside at the Three Mile Island plant in
Pennsylvania.
- In 1797, Nathaniel Briggs of New Hampshire patented a washing
machine.
- In 1834, the U.S. Senate voted to censure President Jackson for the
removal of federal deposits from the Bank of the United States.
- In 1854, during the Crimean War, Britain and France declared war on
Russia.
- In 1898, the Supreme Court ruled that a child born in the U.S. to
Chinese immigrants was a U.S. citizen.
- In 1930, the names of the Turkish cities of Constantinople and
Angora were changed to Istanbul and Ankara.
- In 1939, the Spanish Civil War ended as Madrid fell to the forces of
Francisco Franco.
- In 1941, novelist and critic Virginia Woolf died in Lewes, England.
- In 1942, during World War II, British naval forces raided the
Nazi-occupied French port of St. Nazaire.
- In 1943, composer Sergei Rachmaninoff died in Beverly Hills, Calif.
- In 1969, the 34th president of the U.S., Dwight D. Eisenhower, died
in Washington at age 78.
- Ten years ago: President Bush sent three high-ranking officials to
Alaska to "take a hard look" at the Exxon Valdez oil spill in
Alaska's Prince William Sound.
- Five years ago: More than 50 people were killed in violence that
erupted in Johannesburg, South Africa, during a march by Zulu
nationalists. Absurdist playwright Eugene Ionesco died in Paris at
age 81.
- One year ago: President Clinton, during his visit to South Africa,
went to Soweto, a landmark in the bloody uprising against apartheid,
to honor South Africans "who answered the call of conscience" and
defeated their country's system of white supremacy.
*Happy Birthday*
- Actor Dirk Bogarde is 78.
- Ex-White House national security adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski is 71.
- Sen. Frank Murkowski (R-Alaska) is 66.
- Country musician Charlie McCoy is 58.
- Movie director Mike Newell ("Four Weddings and a Funeral") is 57.
- Actress Conchata Ferrell is 56.
- Actor Ken Howard is 55.
- Actress Dianne Wiest is 51.
- Rhythm-and-blues musician Milan Williams (The Commodores) is 51.
- Country singer Reba McEntire is 44.
- Actor Max Perlich is 31.
- Rapper Salt (Salt-N-Pepa) is 30.
- Actor Vince Vaughn is 29.
- Rapper Mr. Cheeks (Lost Boyz) is 28.
29
On March 29, 1951, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were convicted of
conspiracy to commit espionage.
- In 1638, Swedish colonists settled in present-day Delaware.
- In 1790, the 10th president of the U.S., John Tyler, was born.
- In 1847, victorious forces led by Gen. Winfield Scott occupied the
city of Vera Cruz after Mexican defenders capitulated.
- In 1867, the British Parliament passed the North America Act to
create the Dominion of Canada.
- In 1943, World War II meat, butter and cheese rationing began.
- In 1962, Jack Paar hosted NBC's "Tonight" show for the final time.
- In 1971, Army Lt. William L. Calley Jr. was convicted of murdering
at least 22 Vietnamese civilians in the My Lai massacre.
- In 1971, a jury in Los Angeles recommended the death penalty for
Charles Manson and three female followers for the 1969 Tate-La
Bianca murders.
- In 1974, eight Ohio National Guardsmen were indicted on charges
stemming from the shooting deaths of four students at Kent State
University.
- Ten years ago: The movie "Rain Man" won Academy Awards for best
picture, best director Barry Levinson and best actor Dustin Hoffman;
Jodie Foster was named best actress for "The Accused."
- Five years ago: Mexico's ruling party picked Ernesto Zedillo to be
its new presidential candidate, replacing the assassinated Luis
Donaldo Colosio.
- One year ago: Twenty-two people were killed when a Russian-made
Antonov military plane crashed into a Peruvian shantytown outside
the northern city of Piura. The Lady Vols of Tennessee won a third
straight NCAA basketball championship, defeating Louisiana Tech.
*Happy Birthday*
- Former U.S. Sen. Eugene McCarthy is 83.
- Actress Eileen Heckart is 80.
- Former British Prime Minister John Major is 56.
- Comedian Eric Idle is 56.
- Composer Vangelis is 56.
- Singer Bobby Kimball (Toto) is 52.
- Olympic gymnast Kurt Thomas is 43.
- Actor Christopher Lambert is 42.
- Model Elle MacPherson is 36.
- Rock singer-musician John Popper (Blues Traveler) is 32.
- Actress Lucy Lawless ("Xena: Warrior Princess") is 31.
- Country singer Regina Leigh (Regina Regina) is 31.
- Country singer Brady Seals is 30.
- Tennis player Jennifer Capriati is 23.
30
On March 30, 1981, President Reagan was shot and seriously injured
outside a Washington, D.C., hotel by John W. Hinckley Jr. Also
wounded were White House press secretary James Brady, a Secret
Service agent and a District of Columbia police officer.
- In 1822, Florida became a U.S. territory.
- In 1842, Dr. Crawford W. Long of Georgia first used ether as an
anesthetic during a minor operation.
- In 1867, U.S. Secretary of State William H. Seward reached agreement
with Russia to purchase the territory of Alaska for $7.2 million, a
deal roundly ridiculed as "Seward's Folly."
- In 1870, the 15th amendment to the Constitution, giving black men
the right to vote, was declared in effect.
- In 1870, Texas was readmitted to the Union.
- In 1909, the Queensboro Bridge, linking the New York boroughs of
Manhattan and Queens, opened.
- In 1945, the Soviet Union invaded Austria during World War II.
- In 1979, Airey Neave, a leading member of the British parliament,
was killed by a bomb planted by the Irish National Liberation Army.
- Ten years ago: "The Heidi Chronicles" by Wendy Wasserstein won the
Pulitzer Prize for drama; in the journalism category, the Anchorage
Daily News won the public service award for its reports on
alcoholism and suicide among native Alaskans.
- Five years ago: Serbs and Croats signed a cease-fire to end their
war in Croatia while Bosnian Muslims and Serbs continued to battle
each other. The Clinton administration announced it was lifting
virtually all export controls on non-military products to China and
the former Soviet bloc.
- One year ago: Rolls-Royce was purchased by German automaker BMW in a
$570 million deal.
*Happy Birthday*
- Singer Frankie Laine is 86.
- Former CIA Director Richard Helms is 86.
- Actor Richard Dysart is 70.
- Actor John Astin is 69.
- Game show host Peter Marshall is 69.
- Actor-director Warren Beatty is 62.
- Rock musician Eric Clapton is 54.
- Actor Paul Reiser is 42.
- Rap artist M.C. Hammer is 36.
- Singer Tracy Chapman is 35.
- Singer Celine Dion is 31.
31
Today is Wednesday, March 31, the 90th day of 1999. There are 275
days left in the year. The Jewish holiday Passover begins at sunset.
- On March 31, 1949, Newfoundland entered confederation as Canada's
10th province.
- In 1492, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain issued an edict
expelling those Jews unwilling to convert to Christianity.
- In 1889, French engineer Alexandre Gustave Eiffel unfurled the
French tricolor from atop the Eiffel Tower, officially marking its
completion.
- In 1917, the U.S. took possession of the Virgin Islands from
Denmark.
- In 1923, the first U.S. dance marathon, held in New York City, ended
with Alma Cummings setting a world record of 27 hours on her feet.
- In 1933, Congress authorized the Civilian Conservation Corps.
- In 1943, Rodgers and Hammerstein's musical "Oklahoma!" opened on
Broadway.
- In 1945, the Tennessee Williams play "The Glass Menagerie" opened on
Broadway.
- In 1968, President Johnson stunned the country by announcing he
would not run for another term of office.
- In 1976, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that coma patient Karen
Anne Quinlan could be disconnected from her respirator.
- In 1986, 167 people died when a Mexicana Airlines Boeing 727 crashed
in a remote mountainous region of Mexico.
- In 1995, Mexican-American singer Selena, 23, was shot to death in
Corpus Christi, Texas, by the founder of her fan club.
- Ten years ago: The FBI announced it would conduct a criminal
investigation into the massive oil spill in Alaska's Prince William
Sound.
- Five years ago: The PLO and Israel agreed to resume talks on
Palestinian autonomy, more than a month after the Hebron mosque
massacre.
- One year ago: For the first time in history, the Clinton
administration released a detailed financial statement for the
federal government showing its assets and liabilities. The U.N.
Security Council imposed a new arms embargo on Yugoslavia to
pressure the Serbs into concessions concerning ethnic Albanians in
Kosovo. Former New York Congresswoman Bella Abzug died at age 77.
*Happy Birthday*
- Actor William Daniels is 72.
- Hockey Hall-of-Famer Gordie Howe is 71.
- Actress Shirley Jones is 65.
- Country singer-songwriter John D. Loudermilk is 65.
- Actor Richard Chamberlain is 64.
- Musician Herb Alpert is 64.
- Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) is 59.
- Actor Christopher Walken is 56.
- Comedian Gabe Kaplan is 54.
- Vice President Al Gore is 51.
- Actress Rhea Perlman is 51.
- Actor Ed Marinaro is 49.
- Actor Marc McClure is 42.
- Actor Ewan McGregor is 28.