Mar 30, 2008 3:00 am US/Eastern
Today In History - March 30, 2008
NEW YORK (AP) ―
Today is Sunday, March 30, the 90th day of 2008. There are 276 days left in the year.
Today's Highlight in History:
On March 30, 1981, President Reagan was shot and seriously injured outside a Washington hotel by John Hinckley Jr. Also wounded were White House press secretary James Brady, Secret Service agent Timothy McCarthy and District of Columbia police officer Thomas Delahanty.
On this date:
In 1822, Florida became a United States territory.
In 1842, Dr. Crawford W. Long, of Jefferson, Ga., first used ether as an anesthetic during a minor operation.
In 1867, Secretary of State William H. Seward reached agreement with Russia to purchase the territory of Alaska for $7.2 million, a deal roundly ridiculed as "Seward's Folly."
In 1870, the 15th amendment to the Constitution, giving all citizens the right to vote regardless of race, was declared in effect by Secretary of State Hamilton Fish.
In 1870, Texas was readmitted to the Union.
In 1945, the Soviet Union invaded Austria during World War II.
In 1964, John Glenn withdrew from the Ohio race for the U.S. Senate because of injuries suffered in a fall.
In 1964, the original version of the TV game show "Jeopardy!" premiered on NBC.
In 1986, actor James Cagney died at his farm in Stanfordville, N.Y., at age 86.
In 2002, Britain's Queen Mother Elizabeth died in her sleep at Royal Lodge, Windsor, outside London; she was 101 years old.
Ten years ago: Vickers PLC announced that it had agreed to sell Rolls-Royce to German automaker BMW for $570 million. (However, BMW was later successfully outbid by Volkswagen AG).
Five years ago: A Palestinian suicide bomber wounded some 30 people outside a packed cafe in northern Israel, an attack the Islamic Jihad called "Palestine's gift to the heroic people of Iraq."
One year ago: President Bush went to Walter Reed Army Medical Center, where he apologized to troops for shoddy conditions in outpatient housing. The Food and Drug Administration said it had found melamine, a chemical used to make plastics, in samples of Menu Foods pet food, as well as in wheat gluten used as an ingredient in the wet-style products.
Today's Birthdays: Actor Richard Dysart is 79. Actor John Astin is 78. Game show host Peter Marshall is 78. Actor-director Warren Beatty is 71. Rock musician Graeme Edge (The Moody Blues) is 67. Rock musician Eric Clapton is 63. Actor Robbie Coltrane is 58. Actor Paul Reiser is 51. Rap artist MC Hammer is 45. Singer Tracy Chapman is 44. Actor Ian Ziering is 44. Singer Celine Dion is 40. Actor Mark Consuelos is 37. Singer Norah Jones is 29.
Thought for Today: "It is not enough to have a good mind. The main thing is to use it well." - Rene Descartes, French philosopher (1596-1650).
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