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 Today's
highlight in history:
On March 28, 1979, America's worst commercial nuclear accident occurred inside the Unit 2 reactor at the Three Mile Island plant near Middletown, Pa.
On this date:
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 in United States v. Wong Kim Ark that a child born in the United States 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 effectively 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 Operation Chariot.
In 1953, athlete Jim Thorpe died in Lomita, Calif.
In 1958, W.C. Handy, the "Father of the Blues," died in New York at age 84.
In 1969, Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th president of the United States, died in Washington at age 78.
Ten years 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.
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Five years ago: American-led forces in Iraq dropped thousand-pound bombs on Republican Guard units guarding the gates to Baghdad and battled for control of the strategic city of Nasiriyah. President Bush warned of "further sacrifice" ahead in the face of unexpectedly fierce fighting. Japan launched its first spy satellites to monitor communist neighbor North Korea's missile development and suspected nuclear weapons programs.
One year ago: Iran aired a video of 15 captured British sailors and marines; the lone female captive, shown in a white tunic and a black head scarf, said the British boats had "trespassed." (The crew members were released April 4, 2007.) In the Philippines, dozens of children were taken hostage on a bus by a day-care center owner armed with grenades and guns; the crisis ended peacefully 10 hours later with the hostage-taker's surrender.
Today's birthdays: Former White House national security adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski is 80. Country musician Charlie McCoy is 67. Movie director Mike Newell is 66. Actress Conchata Ferrell is 65. Actor Ken Howard is 64. Actress Dianne Wiest is 60. Country singer Reba McEntire is 53. Olympic gold-medal gymnast Bart Conner is 50. Actress Tracey Needham is 41. Actor Max Perlich is 40. Movie director Brett Ratner is 39. Country singer Rodney Atkins is 39. Actor Vince Vaughn is 38. Rapper Mr. Cheeks (Lost Boyz) is 37. Actor Ken L. is 35. Rock musician Dave Keuning is 32. Actress Julia Stiles is 27.
Thought for today: "If you do not tell the truth about yourself, you cannot tell it about other people."
-- Virginia Woolf, English author (1882-1941)
[Associated Press]
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