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Today in history: March 3

Celebrity birthdays, highlights in history, plus more facts about this day
/ Source: The Associated Press

Today is Thursday, March 3, the 62nd day of 2005. There are 303 days left in the year.

Today’s highlight in hstory:
On March 3, 1931, “The Star-Spangled Banner” officially became the national anthem of the United States.

On this date:
In 1845, Florida became the 27th state.

In 1849, the U.S. Department of the Interior was established.

In 1849, Congress created the Minnesota Territory.

In 1879, Belva Ann Bennett Lockwood became the first woman to be admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court.

In 1940, Artie Shaw and his orchestra recorded “Frenesi” for RCA Victor.

In 1969, Apollo 9 blasted off from Cape Kennedy on a mission to test the lunar module.

In 1974, nearly 350 people died when a Turkish Airlines DC-10 crashed shortly after takeoff from Orly Airport in Paris.

In 1985, coal miners in Britain voted to end a yearlong strike that proved to be the longest and most violent walkout in British history.

In 1991, in a case that sparked a national outcry, motorist Rodney King was severely beaten by Los Angeles police officers in a scene captured on amateur video.

In 1991, 25 people were killed when a United Airlines Boeing 737-200 crashed while approaching the Colorado Springs airport.

Ten years ago: President Clinton held a news conference in which he asserted his administration had built a safer world and stronger economy while Republicans were trying to cut money for the needy to give tax breaks to the rich. The dollar plunged to a new low against the Japanese yen.

Five years ago: Former dictator Gen. Augusto Pinochet returned to Chile a free man, 16 months after he was detained in Britain on torture charges. Bob Jones University, a fundamentalist Christian college, said it was lifting its ban on interracial dating. (University president Bob Jones III made the announcement on CNN’s “Larry King Live.”)

One year ago: The first same-sex marriage licenses were issued in Multnomah County, Ore. The Walt Disney Company’s board voted to strip Michael Eisner of his chairman’s post while retaining him as CEO.

Today’s birthdays: Actor James Doohan is 85. Lee Radziwill is 72. Actress Hattie Winston is 60. Singer Jennifer Warnes is 58. Actor-director Tim Kazurinsky is 55. Singer-musician Robyn Hitchcock is 52. Actress Miranda Richardson is 47. Actress Mary Page Keller is 44. Olympic track and field gold medalist Jackie Joyner-Kersee is 43. Football player Herschel Walker is 43. Rapper-actor Tone-Loc is 39. Rock musician John Bigham is 36. Actress Julie Bowen is 35. Country singer Brett Warren (The Warren Brothers) is 34. Actor David Faustino is 31. Singer Ronan Keating (Boyzone) is 28. Rapper Lil’ Flip is 24. Actress Jessica Biel is 23.

Thought for today: “A good man can be stupid and still be good. But a bad man must have brains.” — Maxim Gorky, Russian writer (1868-1936).