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 Today's highlight in history:
On March 31, 1968, at the conclusion of a nationally broadcast address on efforts to bring a peaceful end to the Vietnam War, President Lyndon B. Johnson shocked listeners by announcing he would not seek another term of office.
On this date:
In 1880, Wabash, Ind., became the first town in the world to be illuminated by electrical lighting.
In 1889, French engineer Gustave Eiffel unfurled the French tricolor from atop the Eiffel Tower, officially marking its completion.
In 1917, the United States took possession of the Virgin Islands from Denmark.
In 1933, Congress approved, and President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed, the Emergency Conservation Work Act, which created the Civilian Conservation Corps.
In 1943, the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical "Oklahoma!" opened on Broadway.
In 1945, the Tennessee Williams play "The Glass Menagerie" opened on Broadway.
In 1949, Newfoundland (now called Newfoundland and Labrador) entered confederation as Canada's 10th province.
In 1957, the original version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Cinderella," starring Julie Andrews, aired live in color on CBS.
In 1976, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that Karen Ann Quinlan, who was in a persistent vegetative state, could be disconnected from her respirator. (Quinlan, who remained unconscious, died in 1985.)
In 2005, Terri Schiavo, 41, died at a hospice in Pinellas Park, Fla., 13 days after her feeding tube was removed in a wrenching right-to-die dispute.
Ten years ago: In an unprecedented move, 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.
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 Five years ago: American forces battled Iraqi defenders in fierce street fighting 50 miles south of Baghdad, pointing toward a drive on the capital. Seven Iraqi women and children were killed at an Army checkpoint when their van refused orders to stop.
One year ago: President Bush called for the release of 15 British sailors and marines held by Iran, calling their capture by Tehran "inexcusable behavior." (The crew members were released on April 4.) President Bush again came to the defense of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, under criticism for his role in the firing of federal prosecutors, calling him "honorable and honest."
Today's birthdays: Actress Peggy Rea is 87. Actor William Daniels is 81. Hockey Hall-of-Famer Gordie Howe is 80. Actor Richard Chamberlain is 74. Actress Shirley Jones is 74. Country singer-songwriter John D. Loudermilk is 74. Musician Herb Alpert is 73. Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., is 68. Actor Christopher Walken is 65. Comedian Gabe Kaplan is 63. Former Vice President Al Gore is 60. David Eisenhower is 60. Actress Rhea Perlman is 60. Actor Ed Marinaro is 58. Rock musician Angus Young (AC/DC) is 53. Actor Marc McClure is 51. Actor William McNamara is 43. Actor Ewan McGregor is 37. Rapper Tony Yayo is 30. Jazz musician Christian Scott is 25.
Thought for today: "All mankind is divided into three classes: those that are immovable, those that are movable and those that move."
-- Arab proverb
[Associated Press]
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