This day in history

[March 12, 2010]  (AP)  Today is Friday, March 12, the 71st day of 2010. There are 294 days left in the year.

Today's highlight in history:

On March 12, 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered the first of his 30 radio "fireside chats," telling Americans what was being done to deal with the nation's economic crisis.

On this date:

In 1664, England's King Charles II granted an area of land in present-day North America known as New Netherland to his brother James, the Duke of York.

In 1864, Ulysses S. Grant was promoted to the rank of general-in-chief of the Union armies in the Civil War by President Abraham Lincoln.

In 1912, Juliette Gordon Low of Savannah, Ga., founded the Girl Guides, which later became the Girl Scouts of America.

In 1930, Indian political and spiritual leader Mohandas K. Gandhi began a 200-mile march to protest a British tax on salt.

In 1938, the Anschluss merging Austria with Nazi Germany took place as German forces crossed the border between the two countries.

In 1939, Pope Pius XII was formally crowned in ceremonies at the Vatican.

In 1947, President Harry S. Truman established what became known as the "Truman Doctrine" to help Greece and Turkey resist Communism.

In 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson won the New Hampshire Democratic primary, but Sen. Eugene McCarthy of Minnesota placed a strong second.

In 1980, a Chicago jury found John Wayne Gacy Jr. guilty of the murders of 33 men and boys. (The next day, Gacy was sentenced to death; he was executed in May 1994.)

In 1985, conductor Eugene Ormandy, director of the Philadelphia Orchestra for more than four decades, died at age 85.

Ten years ago: In an unprecedented moment in the history of the church, Pope John Paul II asked God's forgiveness for the sins of Roman Catholics through the ages, including wrongs inflicted on Jews, women and minorities. Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar scored a major victory in general elections.

Five years ago: Brian Nichols, who had slain a judge and three other people, surrendered to authorities in suburban Atlanta after holding Ashley Smith hostage in her own apartment. (Nichols was later sentenced to life in prison.) A gunman opened fire at a church service being held at a suburban Milwaukee hotel, killing seven people before taking his own life. Bode (BOH'-dee) Miller became the first American in 22 years to win skiing's overall World Cup title, in Lenzerheide, Switzerland.

One year ago: Disgraced financier Bernard Madoff pleaded guilty in New York to pulling off perhaps the biggest swindle in Wall Street history. The Iraqi journalist who'd thrown shoes at President George W. Bush received a three-year sentence. (Muntadhar al-Zeidi ended up serving nine months.) Insurance broker Willis Group Holdings announced that Chicago's Sears Tower would be renamed Willis Tower. Lindsey Vonn became the first American woman to win the super-G season finale at the World Cup finals in Are, Sweden. Philanthropist Leonore Annenberg died in Rancho Mirage, Calif. at age 91.

Today's birthdays: Playwright Edward Albee is 82. Former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young is 78. Actress Barbara Feldon is 77. Broadcast journalist Lloyd Dobyns is 74. Singer Al Jarreau is 70. Actress-singer Liza Minnelli is 64. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is 63. Singer-songwriter James Taylor is 62. Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) is 62. Rock singer-musician Bill Payne (Little Feat) is 61. Actor Jon Provost ("Lassie") is 60. Author Carl Hiaasen (HY'-ah-sihn) is 57. Rock musician Steve Harris (Iron Maiden) is 54. Actor Jerry Levine is 53. Singer Marlon Jackson (The Jackson Five) is 53. Actor Courtney B. Vance is 50. Actor Titus Welliver is 49. Former MLB All-Star Darryl Strawberry is 48. Actress Julia Campbell is 47. Actor Aaron Eckhart is 42. ABC News reporter Jake Tapper is 41. Rock musician Graham Coxon is 41. Country musician Tommy Bales (Flynnville Train) is 37. Country singer Holly Williams is 29. Actor Samm (cq) Levine is 28. Actor Tyler Patrick Jones is 16. Actress Kendall Applegate (TV: "Desperate Housewives") is 11.

Thought for today: "If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader." -- John Quincy Adams, American president (1767-1848)

[Associated Press]

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