Today in history
By The Associated Press
Today is Wednesday, March 19, the 79th day of 2008. There are 287 days left in the year.
This is the date the swallows traditionally return to the San Juan Capistrano Mission in California.
Today's Highlight in History:
On March 19, 2003, President Bush ordered the start of war against Iraq. (Because of the time difference, it was early March 20 in Iraq.)
On this date:
In 1859, the opera "Faust" by Charles Gounod premiered in Paris.
In 1917, the Supreme Court, in Wilson v. New, upheld the eight-hour work day for railroad workers.
In 1918, Congress approved Daylight Saving Time.
In 1931, Nevada Gov. Fred B. Balzar signed a measure legalizing casino gambling.
In 1945, during World War II, 724 people were killed when a Japanese dive bomber attacked the U.S. carrier Franklin off Japan; the ship, however, was saved.
In 1945, Adolf Hitler issued his so-called "Nero Decree," ordering the destruction of German facilities that could fall into Allied hands.
In 1953, the Academy Awards ceremony was televised for the first time; "The Greatest Show on Earth" was named best picture of 1952.
In 1979, the U.S. House of Representatives began televising its day-to-day business.
In 1987, televangelist Jim Bakker resigned as chairman of his PTL ministry organization amid a sex and money scandal involving Jessica Hahn, a former church secretary.
Ten years ago: Completing baseball's transformation from family ownership to corporate control, Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation won approval to buy the Los Angeles Dodgers for a record $350 million.
Five years ago: Tobacco farmer Dwight Ware Watson, who claimed to be carrying bombs in a tractor and trailer that he'd driven into a pond on Washington's National Mall, surrendered after disrupting traffic for two days; there were no explosives.
One year ago: President Bush marked the fourth anniversary of the start of the Iraq war with a plea for patience to let his revised battle plan work; Congress' new Democratic leaders retorted that no patience remained. A methane gas explosion in a Siberian coal mine killed 110 workers.
Today's Birthdays: Former White House national security adviser Brent Scowcroft is 83. Actor-director Patrick McGoohan is 80. Theologian Hans Kung is 80. Jazz musician Ornette Coleman is 78. Author Philip Roth is 75. Actress Renee Taylor is 75. Actress-singer Phyllis Newman is 75. Actress Ursula Andress is 72. Singer Clarence "Frogman" Henry is 71. Singer Ruth Pointer (The Pointer Sisters) is 62. Actress Glenn Close is 61. Film producer Harvey Weinstein is 56. Actor Bruce Willis is 53. Rock musician Gert Bettens (K's Choice) is 38. Rock musician Zach Lind (Jimmy Eat World) is 32. Actress Abby Brammell is 29. Actor Craig Lamar Traylor is 19. Actor Philip Bolden is 13.
Thought for Today: "The heaviest baggage for a traveler is an empty purse." - German proverb.