 Today's highlight in history:
On March 28, 1942, during World War II, British naval forces staged
a successful raid on the Nazi-occupied French port of St. Nazaire in
Operation Chariot, destroying the only dry dock on the Atlantic
coast capable of repairing the German battleship Tirpitz.
On this date:
In 1834, the U.S. Senate voted to censure President Andrew 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, in United States v. Wong Kim Ark, ruled
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 1935, the notorious Nazi propaganda film "Triumph des Willens"
(Triumph of the Will), directed by Leni Riefenstahl, premiered in
Berlin with Adolf Hitler present.
In 1939, the Spanish Civil War effectively ended as Madrid fell to
the forces of Francisco Franco.
In 1941, novelist and critic Virginia Woolf, 59, drowned herself
near her home in Lewes, East Sussex, England.
In 1969, the 34th president of the United States, Dwight D.
Eisenhower, died in Washington, D.C., at age 78.
In 1978, in Stump v. Sparkman, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld, 5-3,
the judicial immunity of an Indiana judge against a lawsuit brought
by a young woman who'd been ordered sterilized by the judge when she
was a teenager.
In 1979, America's worst commercial nuclear accident occurred inside
the Unit 2 reactor at the Three Mile Island plant near Middletown,
Pa.
In 1987, Maria von Trapp, whose life story inspired the Rodgers and
Hammerstein musical "The Sound of Music," died in Morrisville, Vt.,
at age 82.
In 1990, President George H.W. Bush presented the Congressional Gold
Medal to the widow of U.S. Olympic legend Jesse Owens, who was
honored for his "humanitarian contributions in the race of life."
[to top of second column]
 |
Ten years ago: The Arab League, meeting in Beirut, Lebanon,
agreed on a peace plan that offered Israel normal relations in
exchange for a full withdrawal from war-won lands and a Palestinian
state. Archbishop Juliusz Paetz (yoo-lee-OHSH' pehtz) of Poznan,
Poland, announced his resignation, but also protested his innocence,
following accusations he'd made sexual advances toward young
clerics. U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Timothy Woodland was convicted in
a Japanese court and sentenced to nearly three years in prison for
raping a woman on the southern island of Okinawa.
Five years 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.
One year ago: Vigorously defending American attacks in Libya,
President Barack Obama declared in a nationally broadcast address
that the United States intervened to prevent a slaughter of
civilians. Yet he ruled out targeting Moammar Gadhafi, warning that
trying to oust him militarily would be a mistake as costly as the
war in Iraq.
Today's birthdays: Former White House national security
adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski (ZBIG'-nyef breh-ZHIN'-skee) is 84.
Country musician Charlie McCoy is 71. Movie director Mike Newell is
70. Actress Conchata Ferrell is 69. Actor Ken Howard is 68. Actress
Dianne Wiest (weest) is 64. Country singer Reba McEntire is 57.
Olympic gold medal gymnast Bart Conner is 54. Rapper Salt (Salt-N-Pepa)
is 46. Actress Tracey Needham is 45. Actor Max Perlich is 44. Movie
director Brett Ratner is 43. Country singer Rodney Atkins is 43.
Actor Vince Vaughn is 42. Rapper Mr. Cheeks (Lost Boyz) is 41. Actor
Ken L. is 39. Rock musician Dave Keuning is 36. Actress Annie
Wersching is 35. Actress Julia Stiles is 31. Singer Lady Gaga is 26.
Thought for Today: "You cannot find peace by avoiding life."
-- Virginia Woolf (1882-1941)
[Associated Press]
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This
material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or
redistributed. |
