 Today's highlight in history:
On March 26, 1982, groundbreaking ceremonies took place in
Washington, D.C., for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
On this date:
In 1804, the Louisiana Purchase was divided into the Territory of
Orleans and the District of Louisiana.
In 1812, an earthquake devastated Caracas, Venezuela, causing an
estimated 26,000 deaths, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
In 1827, composer Ludwig van Beethoven died in Vienna.
In 1874, poet Robert Frost was born in San Francisco.
In 1892, poet Walt Whitman died in Camden, N.J.
In 1912, an explosion at the Jed Coal & Coke Co. Mine in West
Virginia claimed the lives of 83 miners.
In 1937, a 6-foot-tall statue of the cartoon character Popeye was
unveiled during the Second Annual Spinach Festival in Crystal City,
Texas.
In 1958, the U.S. Army launched America's third successful
satellite, Explorer 3.
In 1962, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Baker v. Carr, gave federal
courts the power to order reapportionment of states' legislative
districts, a 6-2 decision that eventually led to the doctrine of
"one man, one vote."
In 1979, a peace treaty was signed by Israeli Prime Minister
Menachem Begin (men-AH'-kem BAY'-gihn) and Egyptian President Anwar
Sadat and witnessed by President Jimmy Carter at the White House.
In 1992, a judge in Indianapolis sentenced former heavyweight boxing
champion Mike Tyson to six years in prison for raping a Miss Black
America contestant. (Tyson ended up serving three years.)
In 1997, the bodies of 39 members of the Heaven's Gate
techno-religious cult who'd committed suicide were found inside a
rented mansion in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.
Ten years ago: Yasser Arafat decided not to attend a key Arab
summit in Beirut, Lebanon; his Cabinet accused Israel of trying to
"blackmail" the Palestinian leader with tough conditions for
allowing him to go. Arthur Andersen chief executive Joseph Berardino
resigned, bowing to mounting pressure as a result of the accounting
firm's role in the Enron scandal. President George W. Bush nominated
Dr. Richard Carmona to be surgeon general.
[to top of second column] |
Five years ago: The military concluded that high-ranking Army
officers had made critical errors in reporting the friendly fire
death of Army Ranger Pat Tillman in Afghanistan, but that there was
no criminal wrongdoing in the shooting of the former NFL star by
fellow soldiers. (The findings were rejected by Tillman's family.)
Australian detainee David Hicks pleaded guilty before a military
tribunal at Guantanamo to helping terrorists fight the United States
in Afghanistan. (Hicks was sentenced to seven years in prison; all
but nine months' prison time was suspended. Hicks was returned to
Australia to serve out his term, and was freed in December 2007.)
One year ago: More than 250,000 people took to London's
streets to protest the toughest spending cuts since World War II;
riot police clashed with small breakaway groups and arrested more
than 200 people. Former Democratic vice presidential candidate
Geraldine Ferraro, the first female major party nominee for the
office, died in Boston at 75. Harry Wesley Coover Jr., 94, known as
the inventor of the popular adhesive Super Glue, died in Kingsport,
Tenn.
Today's birthdays: Conductor-composer Pierre Boulez is 87.
Retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor is 82.
Actor-director Leonard Nimoy is 81. Actor Alan Arkin is 78. House
Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (puh-LOH'-see) is 72. Actor James
Caan is 72. Author Erica Jong is 70. Journalist Bob Woodward is 69.
Singer Diana Ross is 68. Actor Johnny Crawford is 66. Rock singer
Steven Tyler (Aerosmith) is 64. Singer and TV personality Vicki
Lawrence is 63. Actor Ernest Thomas is 63. Comedian Martin Short is
62. Country singer Ronnie McDowell is 62. Movie composer Alan
Silvestri is 62. Rock musician Monte Yoho is 60. Radio talk show
host Curtis Sliwa is 58. Country singer Dean Dillon is 57. Country
singer Charly McClain is 56. TV personality Leeza Gibbons is 55.
Actress Ellia English is 53. Actress Jennifer Grey is 52. College
and Pro Football Hall of Famer Marcus Allen is 52. Actor Eric Allan
Kramer is 50. Basketball Hall of Famer John Stockton is 50. Actor
Michael Imperioli is 46. Rock musician James Iha (EE'-hah) is 44.
Country singer Kenny Chesney is 44. Actor T.R. Knight is 39. Rapper
Juvenile is 37. Actress Amy Smart is 36. Actress Bianca Kajlich
(KY'-lihk) is 35. Actress Keira Knightley is 27. Rapper J-Kwon is
26. Actress Carly Chaikin (TV: "Suburgatory") is 22.
Thought for today: "Life's like a play; it's not the length
but the excellence of the acting that matters." -- Seneca the
Younger, Roman statesman and philosopher (3 B.C.-A.D. 65)
[Associated Press]
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This
material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or
redistributed.
 |
