Fun On this date in history...

March 22, 1915

 

If I may...

ON MARCH 22nd:

In 1312, Pope Clement V issued a papal bull ordering dissolution of the Order of the Knights Templar.

In 1621, The Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony signed a peace treaty with Massasoit of the Wampanoags.

In 1622, Algonquian Indians killed 347 English settlers around Jamestown, VA, a third of the colony's population, during the Second Anglo-Powhatan War.

In 1630, The Massachusetts Bay Colony outlawed the possession of cards, dice, and gaming tables.

In 1638, religious dissident Anne Hutchinson was expelled from the Massachusetts Bay Colony for defying Puritan orthodoxy.

In 1765, the British Parliament passed the Stamp Act to raise money from the American colonies, which fiercely resisted the tax. (The Stamp Act was repealed a year later.)

In 1820, U.S. naval hero Stephen Decatur was killed in a duel with Commodore James Barron near Washington, D.C.

In 1887, actor/comedian/musician Chico Marx was born in New York City.

In 1894, hockey's first Stanley Cup championship game was played; home team Montreal defeated Ottawa, 3-1.

In 1912, actor Wilfrid Brambell was born in Dublin, Ireland. He’d later play Paul’s very clean grandfather in “A Hard Day’s Night”.

In 1920, actor Ross Martin was born in Grodek, Poland. This was years before he ran into Dr. Loveless.

Also in 1920, actor/musician Werner Klemperer was born in Cologne, Germany. Years later, he’d repeatedly claim that no one had ever escaped from Stalag 13.

In 1931, actor/author/producer/director William Shatner was born in Notre-Dame-de-Grace, Montreal, Quebec.

In 1933, during Prohibition, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a measure to make wine and beer containing up to 3.2 percent alcohol legal.

In 1934, the first Masters Tournament opened under the title "Augusta National Invitation Tournament," which was won three days later by Horton Smith.

In 1943, World War II: the entire population of Khatyn in Belarus is burnt alive by German occupation forces.

In 1945, the Arab League was formed with the adoption of a charter in Cairo, Egypt.

In 1947, author James Patterson was born in Newburgh, NY. And, at my job at the library, I have to process one of his books roughly every month.

In 1950, actress Mary Tamm, best-known for playing the first incarnation of Romana on “Doctor Who”, was born in Bradford, West Riding of Yorkshire, England.

In 1956, while driving to New York for appearances on 'The Perry Como Show', and 'The Ed Sullivan Show', the car that Carl Perkins was traveling in was involved in an accident, putting Perkins in hospital for several months.

In 1960, Arthur Leonard Schawlow and Charles Hard Townes received the first patent for a laser.

In 1963, The Beatles' debut album, "Please Please Me," was released in the United Kingdom by Parlophone.

In 1967, Muhammad Ali was stripped of his heavyweight title for refusing to be inducted into the United States Army.

In 1976, principal photography began in Tunisia on “Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope”.

In 1978, the mockumentary “The Rutles: All You Need is Cash”, conceived and co-written by Eric Idle, premiered on NBC-TV.

In 1984, on “Doctor Who”, part one of “The Twin Dilemma” was broadcast on BBC 1. It featured the first regular appearance of Colin Baker as the Doctor.

In 1990, a jury in Anchorage, Alaska, found former tanker captain Joseph Hazelwood not guilty of three major charges in connection with the Exxon Valdez oil spill, but convicted him of a minor charge of negligent discharge of oil.

In 1994, the NFL announced the addition of the two-point conversion. It was the league's first scoring change in 75 seasons.

In 1995, convicted Long Island Rail Road gunman Colin Ferguson was sentenced to life in prison for killing six people.

In 2005, Terri Schiavo's parents begged a federal appeals court to order the severely brain-damaged woman's feeding tube reinserted after their emergency request was turned down by a federal judge in Tampa, Florida. (The court refused to intervene.)

In 2016, At least 34 people were killed and 136 people injured in Brussels in terrorist bombings at the airport and at the Maelbeek/Maalbeek metro station.

In 2017, a terrorist attack in London near the Houses of Parliament left three people dead and at least 29 injured. The attacker was killed by police shortly thereafter.


And, there’s this: In 2233, James Tiberius Kirk will be born in Riverside, Iowa. Accounts of his being born in an escape shuttle near the U.S.S. Kelvin should be considered apocryphal.

 

If I may...

ON MARCH 23rd:

In 1775, during a speech to the Virginia Convention at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Richmond, Founding Father Patrick Henry declared, “Give me liberty, or give me death!”.

In 1888, in England, The Football League, the world's oldest professional association football league, met for the first time.

In 1909, Theodore Roosevelt left New York for a post-presidency safari in Africa, sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution and National Geographic Society. Reports that he met a young boy named Henry Jones, Jr. during the trip have been widely debated.

In 1910, filmmaker Akira Kurosawa was born in Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan.

In 1912, aerospace engineer Wernher von Braun was born in Wirsitz, Posen Province, Prussia, Germany.

In 1914, the first installment of "The Perils of Pauline," the legendary silent film serial starring Pearl White, premiered in the greater New York City area.

In 1933, The Reichstag passed the Enabling Act of 1933, making Adolf Hitler dictator of Germany.

In 1940, the radio program "Truth or Consequences," hosted by Ralph Edwards, was first broadcast over four CBS radio stations in New York and New England.

In 1942, the first Japanese-Americans interned by the U.S. Army during World War II arrived at the internment camp in Manzanar, CA.

In 1956, Pakistan became the first Islamic republic in the world. (The day is celebrated as Republic Day in Pakistan)

In 1961, pilot/cosmonaut Valentin Bondarenko died in Moscow at age 24. He was killed in a training accident involving a fire in a chamber pressurized with pure oxygen. It has been speculated that, had the Soviet Union allowed knowledge of the accident to be made public, the later fire-related deaths of Apollo 1 astronauts Grissom, White and Chaffee might have been avoided.

In 1964, John Lennon's book of verse and rhyme 'In His Own Write' was published in the UK.

In 1965, the first manned flight of NASA’s Gemini program, Gemini 3, was launched. Command Pilot Virgil “Gus” Grissom and Pilot John W. Young made three Earth orbits aboard the spacecraft Molly Brown.

In 1966, Arthur Michael Ramsey, Archbishop of Canterbury, and Pope Paul VI met and exchanged greetings in Rome, the first official meeting between heads of the Anglican and Roman Catholic churches in more than four hundred years.

In 1967, on the original series “Star Trek”, the episode “Errand of Mercy” was broadcast on NBC-TV. It featured the first appearance of the Klingons in the franchise.

In 1973, before sentencing a group of Watergate break-in defendants, Chief U.S. District Judge John J. Sirica read aloud a letter he'd received from James W. McCord Jr. which said there had been "political pressure" to "plead guilty and remain silent."

In 1977, the first installment of “The Nixon Interviews” was videotaped with British journalist David Frost interviewing former U.S. President Richard Nixon. (12 installments would be recorded over a four-week period.)

In 1994, a USAF F-16 aircraft collided with a USAF C-130 at Pope AFB and then crashed, killing 24 U.S. Army soldiers on the ground. This later became known as the “Green Ramp Disaster”.

In 1996, Taiwan held its first direct elections and chose Lee Teng-hui as President.

In 1997, the mystery series “Midsomer Murders” premiered on ITV. It starred John Nettles as DCI Tom Barnaby, and is set in the county with probably the highest annual murder rate on the face of the Earth.

In 2001, after funding for the project was discontinued, the Russian space station Mir was de-orbited and burned up in atmosphere.

In 2011, Academy Award-winning actress Elizabeth Taylor died in Los Angeles at age 79.

 

I was working C-130 maintenance at Little Rock AFB when that happened. I remember coming in on swing shift, walking through the hangar and into the office, noticing that it seemed much quieter than usual, none of the usual shift change laughing and joking around. Some of my coworkers used to work the green ramp, and after I became a flight engineer I went there myself and loaded a lot of soldiers for Airborne training.

 

If I may...

ON MARCH 24th:

In 1765, Britain enacted the Quartering Act, requiring American colonists to provide temporary housing to British soldiers.

In 1820, composer/hymnwriter Fanny Crosby was born in Brewster, NY.

In 1832, a mob in Hiram, Ohio, attacked, tarred and feathered Mormon leaders Joseph Smith Jr. and Sidney Rigdon.

In 1874, magician/escape artist Harry Houdini was born in Budapest, Austria-Hungary.

In 1887, actor/comedian/writer/director Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle was born in Smith Center, KS. He’d later become a highly-successful silent movie star, and have his career seriously damaged by scandal.

In 1900, Mayor of New York City Robert Anderson Van Wyck broke ground for a new underground "Rapid Transit Railroad" that would link Manhattan and Brooklyn.

In 1901, animator/cartoonist Ub Iwerks, one of the primary contributors to Walt Disney Productions from its earliest days, was born in Kansas City, KS.

In 1905, novelist/poet/playwright Jules Verne died in Amiens, France at age 77.

In 1911, producer/director/animator Joseph Barbera was born in New York City. Later, partnered with William Hanna, he’d provide a whole lot of the TV I watched as a kid.

In 1913, New York's Palace Theatre, the legendary home of vaudeville, opened on Broadway.

In 1930, actor Steve McQueen was born in Beech Grove, IN. Later, playing a “teenager”, he’d have a run in with the Blob.

In 1934, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a bill granting future independence to the Philippines.

In 1939, the movie “The Hound of the Baskervilles” premiered in New York City. It was the first movie to feature Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes, and Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson.

In 1944, in occupied Rome, the Nazis executed more than 300 civilians in reprisal for an attack by Italian partisans the day before that had killed 32 German soldiers.

Also in 1944, in an event later dramatized in the movie “The Great Escape”, 76 Allied prisoners of war begin breaking out of the German camp Salag Luft III.

In addition in 1944, actor R. Lee Ermey was born in Emporia, KS. He’d later become a drill instructor and use that experience many, many times in his later career.

In 1955, the Tennessee Williams play "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" opened on Broadway at the Morosco Theater.

In 1958, rock-and-roll singer Elvis Presley was inducted into the Army in Memphis, Tennessee.

In 1965, NASA spacecraft Ranger 9, equipped to convert its signals into a form suitable for showing on domestic television, brought images of the Moon into ordinary homes before crash landing.

In 1972, The United Kingdom imposed direct rule over Northern Ireland.

In 1975, Muhammad Ali defeated Chuck Wepner with a technical knockout in the 15th round of a fight in Richfield, Ohio. (Wepner, a journeyman boxer known as the "Bayonne Bleeder," reportedly inspired Sylvester Stallone to make his "Rocky" films.)

In 1976, the president of Argentina, Isabel Peron, was deposed by her country's military.

In 1980, one of El Salvador's most respected Roman Catholic Church leaders, Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero, was shot to death by a sniper as he celebrated Mass in San Salvador.

Also in 1980, the news program “Nightline”, hosted by Ted Koppel, premiered on ABC-TV.

In 1989, the supertanker Exxon Valdez ran aground on a reef in Alaska's Prince William Sound and began leaking an estimated 11 million gallons of crude oil.

In 1990, comedian Ray Goulding, of the team of Bob & Ray, died in Manhasset, NY at age 68.

In 1999, NATO launched airstrikes against Yugoslavia, marking the first time in its 50-year existence that it had ever attacked a sovereign country.

In 2015, Germanwings Flight 9525 crashed in the French Alps in an apparent mass murder-suicide, killing all 150 people on board.

In 2016, actor/comedian/writer/producer Gary Shandling died in Los Angeles at age 66.

 

If I may...

ON MARCH 25th:

In 1306, Robert the Bruce became King of Scots.

In 1634, Maryland was founded by English colonists sent by the second Lord Baltimore.

In 1807, Britain abolished its slave trade.

In 1908, filmmaker Sir David Lean, CBE was born in Croydon, Surrey, England.

In 1911, a fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Co. factory in New York City killed 146 workers, most of them young immigrant women.

In 1918, author/journalist/TV host Howard Cosell was born in Winston-Salem, NC. He’d later be the first and only host of the other “Saturday Night Live”.

In 1920, actor Patrick Troughton was born in Mill Hill, Middlesex, England. He’d receive his Doctorate sometime later.

In 1928, James A. Lovell, Jr. was born in Cleveland, OH. He’d later serve as Pilot for Gemini 7, Command Pilot for Gemini 12, Command Module Pilot for Apollo 8, and Spacecraft Commander for Apollo 13.

In 1939, scriptwriter/story editor D.C. Fontana, best-known for her work on the original series “Star Trek”, was born in Sussex, NJ.

In 1941, The Kingdom of Yugoslavia joined the Axis powers with the signing of the Tripartite Pact.

In 1947, a coal dust explosion in a mine in Centralia, IL killed 111 miners. Only 31 escaped the blast.

In 1949, the March deportation was conducted in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to force collectivisation by way of terror. The Soviet authorities would deport more than 92,000 people from the Baltics to remote areas of the Soviet Union.

In 1956, the sci-fi movie “World Without End” was released in the U.S. It would later be the memorable subject for live riffing by Joel & the ‘bots, and your humble correspondent wishes he’d been there with his trusty camcorder.

Also in 1956, the sci-fi movie “The Indestructible Man”, starring Lon Chaney, Jr., was released in the U.S. It would also be riffed on by Joel & the ‘bots, though not live.

In 1957, The Treaty of Rome established the European Economic Community.

In 1965, civil rights activists led by Martin Luther King, Jr. successfully completed their four-day, fifty-mile march from Selma to the capitol in Montgomery, AL.

In 1975, King Faisal of Saudi Arabia was shot to death by a nephew with a history of mental illness.

In 1990, an arson fire killed 87 people trapped inside the Happy Land, an illegal nightclub in The Bronx.

In 1992, Cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev returned to Earth from the Mir space station after a 10-month stay, during which his native country, the Soviet Union, ceased to exist.

In 1995, on “Mystery Science Theater 3000”, the episode featuring the movie “Samson and the Vampire Women” was broadcast on Comedy Central. It featured the last regular appearance by Frank Conniff as TV’s Frank.

In 1996, an 81-day-long standoff between the anti-government group Montana Freemen and law enforcement near Jordan, MT began.

In 2002, a powerful earthquake rocked Afghanistan and northwestern Pakistan, killing as many as 1,000 people.

In 2006, Protesters demanding a new election in Belarus, following the rigged Belarusian presidential election of that year, clashed with riot police. Opposition leader Aleksander Kozulin was among several protesters arrested.

 

If I may...

ON MARCH 26th:

In 1812, an earthquake devastated Caracas, Venezuela, causing an estimated 26,000 deaths, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Also in 1812, a political cartoon in the “Boston Gazette” coined the term "gerrymander" to describe oddly shaped electoral districts designed to help incumbents win reelection.

In 1827, composer/pianist Ludwig van Beethoven died in Vienna.

In 1874, poet/author Robert Frost was born in San Francisco.

In 1892, poet/author Walt Whitman died in Camden, NJ.

In 1904, author/mythologist Joseph Campbell was born in White Plains, NY. His writings would later influence a space fantasy film series that was somewhat successful.

In 1917, the Seattle Metropolitans became the first U.S. team to win the Stanley Cup as they defeated the Montreal Canadiens.

In 1923, actor/comedian Bob Elliot, of the comedy team Bob & Ray, was born in Boston, MA.

In 1925, actor/director/producer Barry Letts, best-known for his work on “Doctor Who” during the Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker eras, was born in Leicester, Leicestershire, England.

In 1931, actor/director/author Leonard Nimoy was born in Boston, MA.

In 1945, during World War II, the Battle of Iwo Jima ended as the island was officially secured by American forces.

In 1950, actor/comedian/writer/producer Martin Short was born in Hamilton, Ontario. His tenure at SCTV and SNL would come later.

In 1954, the “Romeo shot” of Operation Castle was detonated at Bikini Atoll. The yield of the nuclear bomb was 11 megatons.

In 1964, the musical play "Funny Girl," starring Barbra Streisand as Fanny Brice, opened on Broadway at the Winter Garden Theater.

In 1969, the Western spoof “Support Your Local Sheriff!”, starring James Garner, was released in the U.S.

In 1970, the documentary film “Woodstock” was released in the U.S. It would later win an Oscar for Best Documentary, and be watched obsessively by Robert Neville in post-Apocalypse Los Angeles.

In 1976, a rare rainstorm delayed filming and damaged sets during the filming of “Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope” in Tunisia.

In 1979, Egyptian President Anwar al-Sadat, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and U.S. President Jimmy Carter signed the Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty in Washington, D.C.

In 1982, a groundbreaking ceremony for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was held in Washington, D.C..

In 1985, actress Keira Knightley was born in Teddington, London. Years later, she’d appear in a prequel to some space fantasy movie, then start appearing in some pirate movies.

In 1989, the science fiction series “Quantum Leap”, starring Scott Bakula and Dean Stockwell, premiered on NBC-TV.

In 1994, on “Star Trek: The Next Generation”, the episode “Journey’s End” was broadcast in syndication. It featured the last regular appearance of Wil Wheaton was Wesley Crusher.

In 1997, thirty-nine members of the Heaven’s Gate cult were found dead, having committed mass suicide.

In 1999, the "Melissa worm" infected Microsoft word processing and e-mail systems around the world.

Also in 1999, a jury in Michigan found Dr. Jack Kevorkian guilty of second-degree murder for administering a lethal injection to a terminally ill man.

In 2005, on “Doctor Who”, “Rose” was broadcast on BBC 1. It was the first episode of the revived series, and introduced Christopher Eccleston as the Doctor, Billie Piper as Rose Tyler and Noel Clarke as Mickey Smith.

In 2014, The National Labor Relations Board ruled that college football players at Northwestern University could unionize.

 

If I may...

ON MARCH 27th:

In 1513, Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon sighted present-day Florida.

In 1794, the U.S. Government established a permanent navy and authorized the building of six frigates.

In 1866, President Andrew Johnson vetoed the Civil Rights Act of 1866. His veto was overridden by Congress and the bill passed into law on April 9th.

In 1871, the first international rugby football match occurred, when Scotland defeated England in Edinburgh at Raeburn Place.

In 1884, the first telephone line between Boston and New York was inaugurated.

In 1886, Apache warrior Geronimo surrendered to the U.S. Army, ending the main phase of the Apache Wars.

In 1901, author/cartoonist Carl Barks, best-known for his stories about Donald Duck, his nephews and Scrooge McDuck, was born Merrill, OR.

In 1912, first lady Helen Herron Taft and the wife of Japan's ambassador to the United States, Viscountess Chinda, planted in Washington the first two of 3,000 cherry trees given as a gift by the mayor of Tokyo.

In 1917, The Seattle Metropolitans, of the Pacific Coast League of Canada, defeated the Montreal Canadiens and became the first U.S. hockey team to win the Stanley Cup.

In 1921, announcer Fred Foy, best-known for his opening for “The Lone Ranger”, was born in Detroit, MI.

In 1927, producer/writer/voice artist Sylvia Anderson, best-known for her work with then-husband Gerry Anderson on the various Supermarionation productions, was born in Camberwell, London, England.

In 1931, actor David Janssen was born in Naponee, NE. His pursuit of the one-armed man would come later.

In 1933, Japan officially withdrew from the League of Nations.

In 1935, actor Julian Glover was born in Hampstead, London. He’d later appear as a rare Imperial officer that Vader didn’t seem to hold in contempt.

In 1940, Alfred Hitchcock's first American movie, "Rebecca" starring Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine, premiered in Los Angeles.

In 1941, during World War II, Yugoslavian Air Force officers toppled the pro-Axis government in a bloodless coup.

In 1942, actor Michael York was born in Fulmer, Buckinghamshire, England. Years later, one of his characters would discover, “There Is No Sanctuary.”

In 1945, during World War II, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower told reporters in Paris that Germany's main defensive line on the Western Front had been broken.

In 1948, the John Ford western “Fort Apache”, starring John Wayne and Henry Fonda, premiered in Phoenix, AZ.

In 1952, the musical comedy movie “Singin’ in the Rain” premiered in New York City.

In 1958, Nikita Khrushchev became Soviet premier in addition to First Secretary of the Communist Party.

Also in 1958, CBS Records announced the invention of stereophonic records.

In 1962, author Kevin J. Anderson, who’s written for several franchises (including “Star Wars”, “Dune” and DC superheroes) was born in Racine, WI.

In 1964, Alaska was hit by a magnitude 9.2 earthquake (the strongest on record in North America) and tsunamis that together claimed about 130 lives.

In 1968, cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, pilot of Vostok 1 and the first man in space, was killed in a jet crash in Novosyolovo, Russia.

In 1975, construction began on the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, which was completed two years later.

In 1977, 583 people were killed when a KLM Boeing 747, attempting to take off, crashed into a Pan Am 747 on the Canary Island of Tenerife.

In 1980, 123 workers died when a North Sea floating oil field platform, the Alexander Kielland, capsized during a storm.

In 1987, the film “Withnail & I” premiered in New York. It starred Richard E. Grant and Paul McGann, both of whom would later play the Eighth Doctor (though not the same Eighth Doctor).

In 2002, two mass killings occurred. A Palestinian suicide bomber killed 29 people at a Passover seder in Netanya, Israel; while in Nanterre, France, a gunman opened fire at the end of a town council meeting, resulting in the deaths of eight councilors, with 19 other people injured.

Also in 2002, actor/comedian Milton Berle died in Los Angeles at age 93, actor/comedian/musician/composer Dudley Moore died in Plainfield, NJ at age 66, and filmmaker Billy Wilder died in Los Angeles at age 95.

In 2004, stunt coordinator/arranger/performer Peter Diamond died in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. His credits included the original “Star Wars” trilogy, as well as “Doctor Who”, “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “Highlander”.

In 2006, Elvis Presley's Graceland was declared a national historic landmark.

In 2016, a suicide blast in Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park, Lahore claimed over 70 lives and left almost 300 others injured. The targets of the bombing were Christians celebrating Easter.

 

Lest we forget...

 

- The day after the final WCW NITRO aired and ended WCW forever.

 

If I (belatedly) may...

ON MARCH 28th:

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 1862, during the Civil War, Union forces stopped the Confederate invasion of New Mexico territory in the Battle of Glorieta Pass. The battle began on March 26th.

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 1942, during World War II, in occupied France, British naval forces successfully raided the German-occupied port of St. Nazaire.

In 1958, Eddie Cochran recorded "Summertime Blues" at Gold Star Studios in Hollywood, CA.

In 1963, Sonny Werblin announced that the New York Titans of the American Football League was changing its name to the New York Jets.

Also in 1963, the Alfred Hitchcock suspense film “The Birds” premiered in New York City.

In 1965, an earthquake of magnitude 7.4 struck La Ligua, Chile, leaving about 400 people dead or missing, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

In 1967, the TV movie “Ironside”, starring Raymond Burr, was broadcast on NBC-TV. It would serve as the pilot for the later series, which followed in September.

In 1969, Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th President of the U.S., died in Washington D.C. at age 78.

In 1972, Elvis Presley recorded “Burning Love” at RCA Studios in Hollywood, CA. It would be his last Top 10 hit.

In 1978, Paramount Pictures announced its upcoming production of “Star Trek: The Motion Picture”.

In 1979, America's worst commercial nuclear accident occurred with a partial meltdown inside the Unit 2 reactor at the Three Mile Island plant near Middletown, Pennsylvania.

In 1980, the horror movie “The Changeling” was released in the U.S. and Canada. It starred George C. Scott, Trish Van Devere and Melvin Douglas.

In 1987, actor Patrick Troughton, the Second Doctor, died in Columbus, GA at age 67.

In 1990, President George H.W. Bush presented a posthumous Congressional Gold Medal to U.S. Olympic legend Jesse Owens.

 

If I (belatedly) may...

ON MARCH 29th:

In 1638, Swedish colonists settled in present-day Delaware.

In 1788, cleric/evangelist/hymnwriter Charles Wesley died in London at age 80.

In 1790, John Tyler, the 10th President of the U.S., was born in Charles City County, Virginia.

In 1812, the first White House wedding took place as Lucy Payne Washington, the sister of first lady Dolley Madison, married Supreme Court Justice Thomas Todd.

In 1882, the Knights of Columbus was chartered in Connecticut.

In 1886, Dr. John Pemberton brewed the first batch of Coca-Cola in a backyard in Atlanta, GA.

In 1902, composer Sir William Walton was born in Oldham, Lancashire, England.

In 1906, organist E. Power Biggs was born in Westcliff-on-Sea, England.

In 1912, British explorer Robert Falcon Scott, his doomed expedition stranded in an Antarctic blizzard after failing to be the first to reach the South Pole, wrote the last words of his journal: "For Gods sake look after our people."

In 1936, German Chancellor Adolf Hitler claimed overwhelming victory in a plebiscite on his policies.

In 1943, World War II rationing of meat, fats and cheese began.

Also in 1943, actor/comedian/singer/writer/director/Python/Rutle Eric Idle was born in South Shields, County Durham, England. Know what I mean? Nudge, nudge.

In 1951, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were convicted in New York of conspiracy to commit espionage. (They were executed in June 1953.)

Also in 1951, the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical "The King and I" opened on Broadway at the St. James Theater.

In 1955, actress Marina Sirtis was born in London. Her Star Fleet experiences would come later.

In 1959, the comedy movie “Some Like It Hot”, starring Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon and Marilyn Monroe, was released in the U.S.

In 1961, the 23rd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, allowing residents of Washington, D.C., to vote in presidential elections.

Also In 1961, the British-made kaiju movie “Gorgo” was released in the U.S.

In 1962, Jack Paar hosted NBC's "Tonight" show for the final time, although the network aired a repeat the following night. (Johnny Carson debuted as host the following October.)

In 1968, on the original series “Star Trek”, the episode “Assignment: Earth” was broadcast on NBC-TV. Guest-starring Robert Lansing as Gary Seven and Teri Garr as Roberta, it was intended as a “back-door pilot” for a proposed spin-off series that was not produced. (Not yet, anyway.) It was also the last episode of TOS’s second season.

In 1971, Army Lt. William L. Calley Jr. was convicted of murdering 22 Vietnamese civilians in the My Lai massacre. (Calley ended up serving three years under house arrest.)

Also in 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.)

In 1973, the last United States combat troops left South Vietnam, ending America's direct military involvement in the Vietnam War.

Also in 1973, Dr. Hook and The Medicine Show got their picture on the cover of “Rolling Stone” magazine after their hit, ”The Cover of Rolling Stone” reached No. 6 on the US singles chart. According to members of the group, they really did buy five copies for their mothers, just like the song said.

In 1974, eight Ohio National Guardsmen were indicted on federal charges stemming from the shooting deaths of four students at Kent State University. (The charges were later dismissed.)

Also in 1974, NASA’s Mariner 10 became the first space probe to fly by Mercury.

In 1984, in a move that remains controversial, the Baltimore Colts loaded its possessions onto fifteen Mayflower moving trucks in the early morning hours and transferred its operations to Indianapolis.

In 1988, the supernatural comedy “Beetlejuice” premiered in New York City.

In 2004, the horror-comedy “Shaun of the Dead” its London premiere.

In 2010, two female suicide bombers blew themselves up in twin attacks on Moscow subway stations jam-packed with rush-hour passengers, killing at least 40 people and wounding more than 100.

In 2014, the first same-sex marriages in England and Wales were performed.

 

If I may...

ON MARCH 30th:

In 1135, the Jewish philosopher Maimonides was born in Cordoba in present-day Spain.

In 1842, Ether anesthesia was used for the first time, in an operation by the American surgeon Dr. Crawford Long.

In 1867, Alaska was purchased from Russia for $7.2 million, about 2¢/acre ($4.19/km²), by U.S. Secretary of State William H. Seward.

In 1870, the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which prohibited denying citizens the right to vote and hold office on the basis of race, was declared in effect by Secretary of State Hamilton Fish.

In 1909, the Queensboro Bridge in New York City opened, linking Manhattan and Queens.

In 1913, singer/songwriter Frankie Laine was born in Chicago.

In 1923, the Cunard liner RMS Laconia became the first passenger ship to circle the globe as it arrived in New York.

In 1926, actor/singer/TV host Peter Marshall, best-known for hosting “The Hollywood Squares”, was born in Huntington, WV.

In 1930, actor John Astin was born in Baltimore, MD. But he’s feeling much better now.

In 1945, musician/singer/songwriter Eric Clapton was born in Ripley, Surrey, England.

In 1954, the Yonge Street subway line, the first subway in Canada, opened in Toronto.

In 1958, voice actor Maurice LaMarche, best-known for his roles on “Futurama” and as Brain on ‘Pinky and the Brain”, was born in Toronto.

In 1959, a narrowly divided U.S. Supreme Court, in Bartkus v. Illinois, ruled that a conviction in state court following an acquittal in federal court for the same crime did not constitute double jeopardy.

In 1960, actor/writer/puppeteer Bill Corbett was born in Brooklyn, NY. Later, on a cow-town puppet show, he'd divide his time between the S.O.L. and Castle Forrester.

It premiered on NBC-TV in 1964, was originally hosted by Art Fleming, and originally announced by Don Pardo. What is “Jeopardy!”?

Also in 1964, actor Ian Ziering was born in Newark, NJ. He’s currently best-known for providing Rifftrax with a lot of material via the “Sharknado” series.

In 1967, the photo session for the cover of The Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” took place at Chelsea Manor studios in London with Michael Cooper.

In 1981, U.S. President Ronald Reagan was shot and seriously wounded outside a Washington, D.C., hotel. White House Press Secretary James Brady was also shot and seriously wounded in the attack.

In 1984, the adventure movie “Romancing the Stone”, starring Kathleen Turner, Michael Douglas and Danny DeVito, was released in the U.S.

In 2002, Britain's Queen Mother Elizabeth died at Royal Lodge, Windsor, outside London at the age of 101.

In 2005, the BBC announced that Christopher Eccleston would leave the role of the Doctor at the end of the first series of the revival of “Doctor Who”.

In 2014, actress/writer Kate O’Mara, well-known to Whovians for her role as the Rani, died in Sussex, England at age 74.

 

If I may...

ON MARCH 31st:

In 1492, Queen Isabella of Castille issued the Alhambra Decree, ordering her 150,000 Jewish and Muslim subjects to convert to Christianity or face expulsion.

In 1774, The Kingdom of Great Britain ordered the port of Boston, MA closed pursuant to the Boston Port Act .

In 1814, Paris was occupied by a coalition of Russian, Prussian and Austrian forces; the surrender of the French capital forced the abdication of Emperor Napoleon.

In 1889, French engineer Gustave Eiffel unfurled the French tricolor from atop the Eiffel Tower, officially marking its completion.

In 1906, The Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States was founded to set rules in amateur sports. The organization became the National Collegiate Athletic Association in 1910.

In 1918, a massacre was committed by allied armed groups of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation and Bolsheviks. Nearly 12,000 Azerbaijani Muslims were killed.

Also in 1918, Daylight Savings Time went into effect in the United States for the first time.

In 1921, The Royal Australian Air Force was formed.

In 1927, actor William Daniels was born in Brooklyn, NY. And every year, on July 4th, I watch “1776”, where he played a certain obnoxious and disliked lawyer.

In 1930, the Motion Picture Production Code was instituted, imposing strict guidelines on the treatment of sex, crime, religion and violence in film, in the U.S., for the next thirty-eight years.

Also in 1932, the original version of the gangster drama “Scarface”, starring Paul Muni, premiered in New Orleans.

In 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Emergency Conservation Work Act, which created the Civilian Conservation Corps.

In 1935, singer/songwriter/musician Herb Alpert was born in Los Angeles.

In 1943, "Oklahoma!," the first musical play by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, opened on Broadway at the St. James Theater.

In 1945, a defecting German pilot delivered a Messerschmitt Ms262A-1, the world's first operational jet-powered fighter aircraft, to the Americans, the first to fall into Allied hands.

In 1949, Newfoundland (now called Newfoundland and Labrador) entered confederation as Canada's tenth province.

Also in 1949, RCA Victor introduced the 45rpm single record, which had been in development since 1940.

In 1957, the original version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Cinderella," starring Julie Andrews, aired live in color on CBS-TV.

In 1958, the Chuck Berry single "Johnny B. Goode" was released by Chess Records.

In 1967, Jimi Hendrix set fire to his guitar live on stage for the first time when he was appearing at The Astoria in London, England.

In 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson stunned the country by announcing he would not seek re-election.

In 1971, actor Ewan McGregor was born in Perth, Perthshire, Scotland. His officer’s commission in the Grand Army of the Republic would be issued later.

In 1973, on “Doctor Who”, part six of “Frontier in Space” was broadcast on BBC 1. It featured the last appearance of Roger Delgado as the Master.

In 1975, the TV western series "Gunsmoke" closed out 20 seasons on CBS with its final first-run episode, "The Sharecroppers."

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 1980, The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad operated its final train after being ordered to liquidate its assets because of bankruptcy and debts owed to creditors.

In 1983, MTV added Michael Jackson's video for "Beat It." It was the first video MTV played by an African-American artist.

Also in 1983, the Monty Python movie “The Meaning of Life” released in the U.S. And, to this day, I can’t watch the Mr. Creosote sequence.

In 1986, 167 people died when a Mexicana Airlines Boeing 727 crashed in a remote mountainous region of Mexico.

In 1992, the USS Missouri, the last active U.S. Navy battleship, was decommissioned in Long Beach, CA.

In 1993, actor Brandon Lee, age 28, was accidentally shot to death during the filming “The Crow” in Wilmington, NC, when he was hit by a bullet fragment that had been lodged inside a prop gun.

In 1995, Mexican-American singer Selena Quintanilla-Perez, age 23, was shot to death in Corpus Christi, TX, by the founder of her fan club, Yolanda Saldivar, who was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison.

In 2005, Terri Schiavo died at a hospice in Pinellas Park, FL at age 41, 13 days after her feeding tube was removed in a wrenching right-to-die dispute.

In 2007, on “Doctor Who”, the episode “Smith & Jones” was broadcast on BBC 1. It was the first episode of the third series, and introduced Freema Agyeman was Martha Jones.

In 2016, actor/comedian/writer Ronnie Corbett died in Croydon, England at age 85.