Today is Friday, March 10, the 69th day of 2006. There are 296 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On March 10, 1876, the first successful voice transmission over Alexander Graham Bell’s telephone took place in Boston as his assistant heard Bell say, “Mr. Watson, come here. I want you.”
On this date:
In 1629, England’s King Charles I dissolved Parliament; he did not call it back for 11 years.
In 1785, Thomas Jefferson was appointed minister to France, succeeding Benjamin Franklin.
In 1848, the Senate ratified the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, ending the war with Mexico.
In 1864, Ulysses S. Grant became commander of the Union armies in the Civil War.
In 1880, the Salvation Army arrived in the United States from England.
In 1949, Nazi wartime broadcaster Mildred E. Gillars, also known as “Axis Sally,” was convicted in Washington, D.C., of treason. (She served 12 years in prison.)
In 1965, Neil Simon’s play “The Odd Couple,” starring Walter Matthau and Art Carney, opened on Broadway.
In 1969, James Earl Ray pleaded guilty in Memphis, Tenn., to the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. (Ray later repudiated that plea, maintaining his innocence until his death.)
In 1980, “Scarsdale Diet” author Dr. Herman Tarnower was shot to death in Purchase, N.Y. (Jean Harris, convicted of murder, served nearly 12 years in prison before being released in January 1993.)
In 1985, Konstantin U. Chernenko, Soviet leader for just 13 months, died at age 73.
Ten years ago: Hezbollah guerrillas launched a wave of bomb and rocket attacks on Israeli troops in south Lebanon. Secretary of State Warren Christopher, accusing China of “reckless” provocations against Taiwan, said on NBC that U.S. warships would move closer to Taiwan.
Five years ago: President Bush told Americans in his Saturday radio address that he thought support for tax relief was building, while opening the door to considering a different sort of cut than what he had proposed and Democrats deplored.
One year ago: Lebanon’s president reappointed staunchly pro-Syrian politician Omar Karami as prime minister. A suicide bomber blew himself up at a funeral in Mosul, Iraq, killing at least 47 people. Former President Clinton underwent surgery in New York to remove scar tissue and fluid from his chest. Michael Jackson, clad in pajamas and walking gingerly, arrived one hour late to trial after the judge threatened to have him arrested him for tardiness; a back injury was blamed.
Today’s Birthdays: Talk show host Ralph Emery is 73. Bluegrass/country singer-musician Norman Blake is 68. Actor Chuck Norris is 66. Playwright David Rabe is 66. Singer Dean Torrence (Jan and Dean) is 66. Actress Katharine Houghton is 61. Rock musician Tom Scholz (Boston) is 59. Producer-director-writer Paul Haggis is 53. Actress Shannon Tweed is 49. Actress Sharon Stone is 48. Rock musician Gail Greenwood is 46. Magician Lance Burton is 46. Actress Jasmine Guy is 44. Rock musician Jeff Ament (Pearl Jam) is 43. Music producer Rick Rubin is 43. Britain’s Prince Edward is 42. Singer Edie Brickell is 40. Actor Stephen Mailer is 40. Actress Paget Brewster is 37. Country singer Daryle Singletary is 35. Rapper-producer Timbaland is 34. Actor Cristian de la Fuente is 32. Actress Bree Turner is 29. Olympic gold-medal gymnast Shannon Miller is 29. Country singer Carrie Underwood (“American Idol”) is 23. Actress Emily Osment is 14.
Thought for Today: “Show me a man who claims he is objective and I’ll show you a man with illusions.” — Henry R. Luce, American magazine publisher (1898-1967).