Tuesday, March 29

This Day In History

• 1790   John Tyler, the 10th president of the United States, was born in Charles City County, Va.
• 1847   U.S. forces led by Gen. Winfield Scott occupied the city of Veracruz after Mexican defenders capitulated.
• 1848   For the first time in recorded history, Niagara Falls stopped flowing. An ice jam in the Niagara River above the rim of the falls caused the water to stop.
• 1867   The North America Act was passed by the British parliament, creating the dominion of Canada.
• 1882   The Knights of Columbus was chartered in Connecticut.
• 1914   Seven papers joined together to distribute the first newspaper rotogravure section. This meant that the first picture section was developed.
• 1917   Man o’ War, the famous American race horse, was foaled.
• 1932   Comedian Jack Benny appeared on radio for the first time. He agreed to join then newspaper columnist, Ed Sullivan, on his radio interview show. Benny got a real taste of radio two months later when he got his own show on the NBC radio network.
• 1943   Rationing of meat, butter and cheese began during World War II.
• 1951   Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were found guilty of passing atomic secrets to the Russians and were sentenced to death.
• 1962   Jack Paar left his highly successful late night TV talk show after five years. He left behind a salary of $250,000 and an estimated audience of eight-million people. Fill-in hosts were used, including one who would ultimately win the coveted position of host of "The Tonight Show". He was Johnny Carson.
• 1971   Army Lt. William L. Calley Jr. was convicted of murdering at least 22 Vietnamese civilians in the My Lai massacre. (He spent three years under house arrest.)
• 1971   A jury in Los Angeles recommended the death penalty for Charles Manson and three female followers for the 1969 Tate-La Bianca murders. The sentences were later commuted.
• 
  1973   The last U.S. troops left South Vietnam.
• 1974   Eight Ohio National Guardsmen were indicted on charges stemming from the shooting deaths of four students at Kent State University. The guardsmen were later acquitted.
• 1992   Democratic presidential front-runner Bill Clinton acknowledged experimenting with marijuana ''a time or two'' while attending Oxford University, adding, ''I didn't inhale and I didn't try it again.''
• 1995   The House of Representatives rejected a constitutional amendment that would have limited terms to 12 years in the U.S. House and Senate.
• 1999   The Dow Jones industrial average closed above 10,000 for the first time, at 10,006.78.
• 2002   Israel declared Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat an enemy and sent tanks and armored personnel carriers to fully isolate him in his Ramallah, West Bank headquarters.

Happy Birthday To

• 1790   John Tyler (10th U.S. President [1841-1845]; the first president to marry while in office; married to: L. Christian, J. Gardiner [8 sons, 7 daughters]; nickname: Accidental President; died Jan 18, 1862)
• 1927   John McLaughlin (TV host: McLaughlin [CNBC Network]; editor, columnist)
• 1945   Walt ‘Clyde’ Frazier (Basketball Hall of Famer: Southern Illinois Univ. All-American; NY Knicks [1967-1977/NBA championship teams: 1970, 1973/NBA all defensive first team: 1969-1975/all-star: 1970-1976/MVP: 1975], Knicks’ all-time assists leader: 4,791; Cleveland Cavaliers; lifetime average of 18.9 points per game in 825 regular-season games, 20.7 points per game in 93 playoff contests; nickname [Clyde] taken from the folk-hero robber Clyde Barrow)