Today is Wednesday, March 16th, the 75th day of 2005. There are 290 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On March 16th, 1945, during World War II, Iwo Jima was declared secured by the Allies.
On this date:
In 1751, James Madison, fourth president of the United States, was born in Port Conway, Virginia.
In 1802, Congress authorized the establishment of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York.
In 1850, Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel “The Scarlet Letter” was first published.
In 1915, the Federal Trade Commission was organized.
In 1935, Adolf Hitler scrapped the Treaty of Versailles.
In 1968, during the Vietnam War, the My Lai Massacre was carried out by U.S. troops under the command of Lieutenant William L. Calley Junior.
In 1969, “1776,” a musical about the writing of the Declaration of Independence, opened on Broadway.
In 1978, Italian politician Aldo Moro was kidnapped by left-wing urban guerrillas, who later murdered him.
In 1984, William Buckley, the CIA station chief in Beirut, was kidnapped by gunmen; he died in captivity.
In 1985, Terry Anderson, chief Middle East correspondent for The Associated Press, was abducted in Beirut; he was released in December 1991.
Ten years ago: House Republicans pushed through $17 billion in spending cuts, prompting a veto threat by the White House. NASA astronaut Norman Thagard was welcomed aboard the Russian space station “Mir” space station as the first American to visit the orbiting outpost.
Five years ago: Independent Counsel Robert Ray said he found no credible evidence that Hillary Rodham Clinton or senior White House officials had sought FBI background files of Republicans. Thomas Wilson Ferebee, the “Enola Gay” bombardier who dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, died in Windermere, Florida, at age 81.
One year ago: China declared victory in its fight against bird flu, saying it had “stamped out” all its known cases. Mitch Seavey won the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in nine days, 12 hours, 20 minutes and 22 seconds.
Today’s Birthdays: Comedian-director Jerry Lewis is 79. Movie director Bernardo Bertolucci is 64. Game show host Chuck Woolery is 64. Singer-songwriter Jerry Jeff Walker is 63. Country singer Robin Williams is 58. Actor Erik Estrada is 56. Actor Victor Garber is 56. Actress Kate Nelligan is 54. Country singer Ray Benson (Asleep at the Wheel) is 54. Rock singer-musician Nancy Wilson (Heart) is 51. Golfer Hollis Stacy is 51. Actress Isabelle Huppert is 50. Rapper Flavor Flav (Public Enemy) is 46. Rock musician Jimmy DeGrasso is 42. Folk singer Patty Griffin is 41. Actress Lauren Graham is 38.
Thought for Today: “Until we lose ourselves there is no hope of finding ourselves.” — Henry Miller, American author (1891-1980).