This day in history

[March 12, 2011]  (AP)  Today is Saturday, March 12, the 71st day of 2011. There are 294 days left in the year.

A reminder: Daylight saving time begins at 2 a.m. local time Sunday. Clocks go forward one hour.

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 1951, "Dennis the Menace," created by cartoonist Hank Ketcham, made its syndicated debut in 16 newspapers.

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

In 1971, Hafez Assad was confirmed as president of Syria in a referendum.

Ten years ago: A U.S. Navy jet mistakenly dropped a bomb on a group of military personnel at a bombing range in Kuwait, killing five Americans and one New Zealander. Abrasive, chain-smoking talk show host Morton Downey Jr. died at age 68. Spy adventure novelist Robert Ludlum died in Naples, Fla., at age 73.

Five years ago: Three U.S. Army soldiers attacked an Iraqi family south of Baghdad; each took turns raping a 14-year-old girl, Abeer Qassim Al-Janabi, whose parents and 6-year-old sister were slain by one of the soldiers before Abeer herself was killed. (All three soldiers pleaded guilty in connection with the attack; a fourth soldier accused of acting as a lookout was convicted for his involvement, while a fifth pleaded guilty to being an accessory.) In eastern Afghanistan, a roadside bomb killed four U.S. troops passing by in an armored vehicle.

One year ago: Two suicide bombers killed 55 people in near simultaneous blasts in Lahore, Pakistan, the fourth attack in a week and a clear sign that militants have the power to strike targets despite months of army offensives and U.S. missile strikes. Lindsey Vonn capped a historic season with her third straight overall World Cup title.

Today's birthdays: Playwright Edward Albee is 83. Former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young is 79. Actress Barbara Feldon is 78. Broadcast journalist Lloyd Dobyns is 75. Singer Al Jarreau is 71. Actress-singer Liza Minnelli is 65. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is 64. Singer-songwriter James Taylor is 63. Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., is 63. Rock singer-musician Bill Payne (Little Feat) is 62. Actor Jon Provost ("Lassie") is 61. Author Carl Hiaasen (HY'-ah-sihn) is 58. Rock musician Steve Harris (Iron Maiden) is 55. Actor Jerry Levine is 54. Singer Marlon Jackson (The Jackson Five) is 54. Actor Courtney B. Vance is 51. Actor Titus Welliver is 50. Former MLB All-Star Darryl Strawberry is 49. Actress Julia Campbell is 48. Actor Aaron Eckhart is 43. ABC News reporter Jake Tapper is 42. Rock musician Graham Coxon is 42. Country musician Tommy Bales (Flynnville Train) is 38. Country singer Holly Williams is 30. Actor Samm (cq) Levine is 29. Actor Tyler Patrick Jones is 17. Actress Kendall Applegate (TV: "Desperate Housewives") is 12.

Thought for today: "If power corrupts, being out of power corrupts absolutely." -- Douglass (cq) Cater, American author and educator (1923-1995)

[Associated Press]

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