The Almanac
Today is Tuesday, March 7, the 66th day of 2017 with 299 to follow. The
moon is waxing. Morning stars are Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Venus.
Evening stars are Mercury, Venus, Uranus and Mars. Those born on this
date are under the sign of Pisces. They include British astronomer John
Herschel in 1792; British painter Edwin Henry Landseer in 1802; U.S.
newspaper publisher and philanthropist William Rockhill Nelson in 1841;
U.S. botanist Luther Burbank in 1849; Dutch abstract painter Piet
Mondrian in 1872; French composer Maurice Ravel in 1875; actor Anna
Magnani in 1908; NBC weatherman Willard Scott in 1934 (age 83); race
car driver Janet Guthrie in 1938 (age 79); actor Daniel J. Travanti in
1940 (age 77); former Disney executive Michael Eisner in 1942 (age 75);
TV evangelist Tammy Faye Bakker Messner in 1942; actor John Heard in
1945 (age 72); musician Townes Van Zandt in 1944; football Hall of fame
member Franco Harris in 1950 (age 67); football Hall of Fame member
Lynn Swann in 1952 (age 64); tennis Hall of Fame member Ivan Lendl in
1960 (age 57); comedian Wanda Sykes in 1964 (age 53); actor Rachel
Weisz in 1970 (age 47). On this date in history: In 1876, Alexander
Graham Bell was granted a patent for the telephone. In 1887, North
Carolina State University was founded. In 1936, Adolf Hitler ordered
Nazi troops into the Rhineland, violating the Treaty of Versailles. In
1945, the U.S. 1st Army crossed the Rhine at Remagen, Germany after
capturing the strategically important, Ludendorff Bridge (also known as
the Bridge at Remagen). World War II in Europe ended two months later.
In 1965, hundreds of civil rights marchers trying to cross the Edmund
Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala., were turned back by state troopers and
sheriff's deputies. Dozens of people were beaten and injured in what
became known as Bloody Sunday. Marchers voluntarily turned around on a
ceremonial walk to the bridge two days later and, on March 21, with
protection by federal and National Guard troops, the main
Selma-to-Montgomery march began. In 1984, the U.S. Senate confirmed
William Wilson as the first U.S. ambassador to the Vatican in 117
years. In 1985, We Are the World, a song composed by Michael Jackson
and Lionel Richie and recorded by a series of high-profile music stars
was released worldwide with the goal of generating funds for the USA
for Africa charity. The song and related promotions eventually raised
about $63 million. In 2002, More than 600 people were reported dead
after several days of Hindu-Muslim violence in the state of Gujarat,
India. In 2004, the openly gay V. Gene Robinson became the Episcopal
bishop of New Hampshire. In 2011, Warner Brothers removed actor Charlie
Sheen from the highly rated show Two and a Half Men, saying his
statements, conduct and condition prevented him from performing his
essential duties. In 2012, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell signed a
controversial bill requiring women seeking abortions to have an
ultrasound at least 24 hours before the procedure. In 2013, the U.S.
Senate confirmed John Brennan as director of the CIA. In 2014, Saudi
Arabia designated several organizations as terrorist groups, including
the Muslim Brotherhood, of which ex-Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi is
a member. A thought for the day: There are many little ways to enlarge
your child's world. Love of books is the best of all. -- Jacqueline
Kennedy Onassis
