This day in history

[March 30, 2010]  (AP)  Today is Tuesday, March 30, the 89th day of 2010. There are 276 days left in the year.

Today's highlight in history:

On March 30, 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."

On this date:

In 1822, Florida became a United States territory.

In 1842, Dr. Crawford W. Long of Jefferson, Ga., first used ether as an anesthetic during a minor operation.

In 1909, the Queensboro Bridge, linking the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Queens, opened.

In 1945, the Soviet Union invaded Austria during World War II.

In 1959, a narrowly divided U.S. Supreme Court, in Bartkus v. Illinois, ruled that a conviction in state court following an acquittal in federal court for the same crime did not violate the Constitution's protection against double jeopardy.

In 1964, John Glenn withdrew from the Ohio race for the U.S. Senate because of injuries suffered in a fall.

In 1970, the musical "Applause," based on the movie "All About Eve," opened on Broadway.

In 1979, Airey Neave, a leading member of the British parliament, was killed in London by a bomb planted in his car by the Irish National Liberation Army.

In 1981, President Ronald Reagan was shot and seriously injured outside a Washington, D.C., hotel by John W. Hinckley Jr.

In 2002, Britain's Queen Mother Elizabeth died in her sleep at Royal Lodge, Windsor, outside London; she was 101 years old.

Ten years ago: In the midst of the 2000 presidential campaign, Vice President Al Gore broke with the Clinton administration, saying he supported legislation to allow 6-year-old Elian Gonzalez to remain in the country while the courts resolved his custody case. Russia's Alexei Yagudin won his third title in the World Figure Skating Championships, held in Nice, France.

Five years ago: Under heavy protection, first lady Laura Bush visited the capital of Afghanistan, where she talked with Afghan women freed from Taliban repression and urged greater rights. The Supreme Court ruled that federal law allowed people 40 and over to file age bias claims over salary and hiring even if employers never intended any harm. Fred Korematsu, who'd challenged the World War II internment policy that sent Japanese-Americans to detention camps, died in Larkspur, Calif. at age 86.

One year ago: President Barack Obama asserted unprecedented government control over the auto industry, rejecting turnaround plans from General Motors and Chrysler and raising the prospect of controlled bankruptcy for either ailing auto giant. Federal food safety officials warned consumers to stop eating all foods containing pistachios while they figured out the source of a possible salmonella contamination. (No illnesses have been confirmed as a result of contaminated pistachios.) Gunmen attacked a police academy on the outskirts of Lahore, Pakistan, killing at least 12 people.

Today's birthdays: Game show host Peter Marshall is 84. Actor Richard Dysart is 81. Actor John Astin is 80. Entertainer Rolf Harris (song: "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport") is 80. Actor-director Warren Beatty is 73. Rock musician Graeme Edge (The Moody Blues) is 69. Rock musician Eric Clapton is 65. Actor Justin Deas (TV: "Guiding Light") is 62. Actor Robbie Coltrane is 60. Actor Paul Reiser is 53. Rap artist MC Hammer is 47. Singer Tracy Chapman is 46. Actor Ian Ziering is 46. Singer Celine Dion is 42. Actor Mark Consuelos is 39. Singer Norah Jones is 31. Country singer Justin Moore is 26.

Thought for today: "Curiosity is free-wheeling intelligence." -- Alistair Cooke, British-born American journalist and broadcaster (born 1908, died on this date in 2004)

[Associated Press]

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