Today is Monday, March 28, the 87th day of 2005. There are 278 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On March 28, 1979, America’s worst commercial nuclear accident occurred inside the Unit Two reactor at the Three Mile Island plant near Middletown, Pa.
On this date:
In 1834, the U.S. Senate voted to censure President 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 1898, the Supreme Court 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 1939, the Spanish Civil War ended as Madrid fell to the forces of Francisco Franco.
In 1941, novelist and critic Virginia Woolf died in Lewes, England.
In 1942, during World War II, British naval forces raided the Nazi-occupied French port of St. Nazaire.
In 1953, athlete Jim Thorpe died in Lomita, Calif.
In 1969, the 34th president of the United States, Dwight D. Eisenhower, died in Washington at age 78.
In 1994, playwright Eugene Ionesco died in Paris at age 81.
Ten years ago: In Japan, Mitsubishi Bank and the Bank of Tokyo agreed to a merger to create what was then the world’s largest bank.
Five years ago: In a unanimous ruling, the Supreme Court sharply curtailed police power in relying on anonymous tips to stop and search people.
One year ago: French President Jacques Chirac’s government suffered stinging defeats in regional elections seen as a vote of censure against painful economic reforms. Sir Peter Ustinov, the actor whose 60-year career included Oscar-winning roles in “Spartacus” and “Topkapi,” died in Genolier, Switzerland, at age 82. Game show host Art James died in Palm Springs, Calif., at age 74.
Today’s Birthdays: Former White House national security adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski is 77. Alaska Gov. Frank Murkowski is 72. Country musician Charlie McCoy is 64. Movie director Mike Newell is 63. Actress Conchata Ferrell is 62. Actor Ken Howard is 61. Actress Dianne Wiest is 57. R&B musician Milan Williams is 57. Country singer Reba McEntire is 50. Actress Tracey Needham is 38. Actor Max Perlich is 37. Country singer Rodney Atkins is 36. Rapper Salt (Salt-N-Pepa) is 36. Actor Vince Vaughn is 35. Rapper Mr. Cheeks (Lost Boyz) is 34. Actor Ken L. is 32. Actress Julia Stiles is 24.
Thought for Today: “Humanitarianism needs no apology... Unless we ... feel it toward all men without exception, we shall have lost the chief redeeming force in human history.” — Ralph Barton Perry, American author and educator (1876-1957).