Today in History
Today is Wednesday, March 14, the 73rd day of 2018. There are 292 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On March 14, 1923, President Warren G. Harding became the first chief executive to file an income tax return, paying a levy of $17,990 on his $75,000 salary.
On this date:
In 1794, Eli Whitney received a patent for his cotton gin, an invention that revolutionized America’s cotton industry.
In 1885, the Gilbert and Sullivan comic opera “The Mikado” premiered at the Savoy Theatre in London.
In 1900, Congress ratified the Gold Standard Act.
In 1907, President Theodore Roosevelt signed an executive order designed to prevent Japanese laborers from immigrating to the United States as part of a “gentlemen’s agreement” with Japan.
In 1939, the republic of Czechoslovakia was dissolved, opening the way for Nazi occupation of Czech areas and the separation of Slovakia.
In 1951, during the Korean War, United Nations forces recaptured Seoul.
In 1964, a jury in Dallas found Jack Ruby guilty of murdering Lee Harvey Oswald, the accused assassin of President John F. Kennedy, and sentenced him to death. (Both the conviction and death sentence were overturned, but Ruby died before he could be retried.)
In 1967, the body of President John F. Kennedy was moved from a temporary grave to a permanent memorial site at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.
In 1975, “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” a sendup of the legend of King Arthur, had its world premiere in Los Angeles. Academy Award-winning actress Susan Hayward, 57, died in Los Angeles.
In 1980, a LOT Polish Airlines jet crashed while attempting to land in Warsaw, killing all 87 people aboard, including 22 members of a U.S. amateur boxing team.
In 1990, the Soviet Congress of People’s Deputies held a secret ballot that elected Mikhail S. Gorbachev to a new, powerful presidency.
In 1998, India’s Congress party picked Sonia Gandhi, the Italian-born widow of assassinated prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, as its new president.
Ten years ago: Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama denounced inflammatory remarks from his pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, who had railed against the United States and accused its leaders of bringing on the Sept. 11 attacks by spreading terrorism. A tornado ripped into the Georgia Dome during the Southeastern Conference tournament, sending debris tumbling from the ceiling and prompting fans to flee. Protests led by Buddhist monks against Chinese rule in Tibet turned violent, leading to an extensive crackdown by China’s military. Lindsey Vonn completed the first American sweep of the overall World Cup titles in 25 years, a day after Bode Miller won his second overall crown in Bormio, Italy.
Five years ago: During his first full day as pontiff, Pope Francis stopped by his Vatican hotel to pick up his luggage and pay the bill himself. Some 10,000 workers from across the European Union protested outside a summit of EU leaders in Brussels, demanding they end years of austerity and focus instead on curbing runaway unemployment with more spending. A nearly 19-hour standoff in Herkimer, New York, came to an end inside a cluttered, abandoned bar as police SWAT teams killed the suspect in four fatal shootings. The NHL’s realignment plan was approved by the league’s board of governors.
One year ago: A blustery late-season storm plastered the Northeast with sleet and snow, paralyzing much of the Washington-to-Boston corridor but falling well short of predicted snow totals in New York, Boston and Philadelphia. President Donald Trump earned $153 million and paid $36.5 million in income taxes in 2005, according to highly sought-after tax documents disclosed by a reporter. Declaring “enough is enough,” Gen. Robert Neller, the Marine Corps commandant, told senators that he intended to fix the problem that led to current and former Corps members sharing nude photos of female Marines online and making lewd or threatening comments about them. Mitch Seavey won his third Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, becoming the fastest and oldest champion at age 57. Seavey also set a time record of 8 days, 3 hours, 40 minutes and 13 seconds.
(Stations: “Derrick,” one name only, is correct)
Today’s Birthdays: Singer Phil Phillips (Song: “Sea of Love”) is 92. Former astronaut Frank Borman is 90. Actor Michael Caine is 85. Composer-conductor Quincy Jones is 85. Actor Raymond J. Barry is 79. Movie director Wolfgang Petersen is 77. Country singer Michael Martin Murphey is 73. Rock musician Walt Parazaider (payr-ah-ZAY’-der)(Chicago) is 73. Actor Steve Kanaly is 72. Comedian Billy Crystal is 70. Former Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., is 70. Actor-writer-comedian-radio personality Rick Dees is 67. Country singer Jann Browne is 64. Actor Adrian Zmed is 64. Prince Albert II, the ruler of Monaco, is 60. Actress Laila Robins is 59. Actress Tamara Tunie (tuh-MAH’-ruh TOO’-nee) is 59. Actress Penny Johnson Jerald is 58. Producer-director-writer Kevin Williamson is 53. Actress Elise Neal is 52. Actor Gary Anthony Williams is 52. Actress Megan Follows is 50. Rock musician Michael Bland is 49. Country singer Kristian Bush is 48. Rock musician Derrick is 46. Actress Betsy Brandt is 45. Actress Grace Park is 44. Actor Daniel Gillies is 42. Actor Corey Stoll is 42. Actor Jake Fogelnest is 39. Actor Chris Klein is 39. Actor Ryan Cartwright (TV: “Kevin Can Wait”) is 37. Actress Kate Maberly is 36. Singer-musician Taylor Hanson (Hanson) is 35. Actor Jamie Bell is 32. Rock musician Este Haim (HY’-uhm) (Haim) is 32. Actor Ansel Elgort is 24. Olympic gold medal gymnast Simone Biles is 21. Actor James Freedson-Jackson (Film: “The Strange Ones”) is 16.
Thought for Today: “The avoidance of taxes is the only intellectual pursuit that still carries any reward.” — John Maynard Keynes, British economist (1883-1946).