Today in history
By The Associated Press
Today is Tuesday, March 11, the 71st day of 2008. There are 295 days left in the year.
Today's Highlight in History:
On March 11, 1942, as Japanese forces continued to advance in the Pacific during World War II, Gen. Douglas MacArthur left the Philippines for Australia. (MacArthur, who subsequently vowed, "I shall return," kept that promise more than 2 1/2 years later.)
On this date:
In 1861, the Confederate convention in Montgomery, Ala., adopted a constitution.
In 1888, the famous "Blizzard of '88" began its sweep through the northeastern United States, resulting in some 400 deaths.
In 1957, Charles Van Doren's 14-week run on the rigged NBC game show "Twenty-One" ended as he was defeated by attorney Vivienne Nearing; Van Doren's take was $129,000. He later acknowledged that he had been given answers by the show's producers.
In 1957, American explorer Richard E. Byrd died in Boston at age 68.
In 1965, the Rev. James J. Reeb, a white minister from Boston, died after being beaten by whites during civil rights disturbances in Selma, Ala.
In 1978, 37 Israelis were killed as Palestinian guerrillas went on a rampage on the Tel Aviv-Haifa highway.
In 2004, 10 bombs exploded in quick succession across the commuter rail network in Madrid, Spain, killing 191 people in an attack linked to al-Qaida.
Ten years ago: The International Astronomical Union issued an alert, saying a mile-wide asteroid could zip very close to Earth on October 26, 2028, possibly colliding with it. (The next day, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory said there was no chance the asteroid would hit Earth.)
Five years ago: A U.S. Army helicopter crashed near Fort Drum in upstate New York, killing 11 soldiers. After a four-day walkout that cost New York City $10 million, Broadway musicians settled the first strike on the Great White Way in nearly 30 years.
One year ago: Newborn Mychael Darthard-Dawodu was found safe in Clovis, N.M., a day after she was abducted from a hospital in Lubbock, Texas.
Today's Birthdays: Actor Terence Alexander is 85. Media mogul Rupert Murdoch is 77. ABC News correspondent Sam Donaldson is 74. Actress Tricia O'Neil is 63. Singer Bobby McFerrin is 58. Movie director Jerry Zucker is 58. Actress Susan Richardson is 56. Recording executive Jimmy Iovine is 55. Singer Nina Hagen is 53. Singer Cheryl Lynn is 51. Actress Alex Kingston is 45. Actor Wallace Langham is 43. Actor John Barrowman is 41. Singer Lisa Loeb is 40. Singer Pete Droge is 39. Actor Terrence Howard is 39. Rock musician Rami Jaffee is 39. Actor Johnny Knoxville is 37. Rock singer-musicians Benji and Joel Madden are 29. Actor David Anders is 27. Singer LeToya is 27. Actress Thora Birch is 26. Actor Anton Yelchin is 19.
Thought for Today: "Because things are the way they are, things will not stay the way they are." - Bertholt Brecht, German poet and dramatist (1898-1956).