Today in History
Today is Tuesday, March 14, the 73rd day of 2017. There are 292 days
left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On March 14, 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. 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 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. In
1939, the republic of Czechoslovakia was dissolved, opening the way for
Nazi oc'cup'ation of Czech areas and the separation of Slovakia. In
1951, during the Korean War, United Nations forces recaptured Seoul
(sohl). 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 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
1991, a British court overturned the convictions of the "Birmingham
Six," who had spent 16 years in prison for a 1974 Irish Republican Army
bombing, and ordered them released. Ten years ago: The Pentagon
released the transcript of a military hearing in which Khalid Sheikh
Mohammed (HAH'-leed shayk moh-HAH'-med) said he "was responsible for
the 9/11 operation from A to Z. President George W. Bush, speaking from
Mexico, said he was troubled by the Justice Department's misleading
explanations to Congress of why it had fired eight U.S. attorneys, but
said the firings were "entirely appropriate. Five years ago: President
Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, hosted a White House state dinner
for British Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife, Samantha.
Earlier, the two leaders announced that NATO forces would hand over the
lead combat role in Afghanistan to Afghan forces in 2013 as the U.S.
and its allies aimed to get out by the end of 2014. One year ago: The
Senate voted 49-40 to confirm John B. King Jr. as the nation's
education secretary; King had been serving as acting secretary since
Arne Duncan stepped down in Dec. 2015. Europe and Russia launched the
ExoMars probe on a joint mission to explore the atmosphere of Mars and
hunt for signs of life on the red planet. An Amtrak train traveling
from Los Angeles to Chicago derailed west of Dodge City, Kansas,
injuring 28 of the 144 people on board. (Stations: "Derrick," one name
only, is correct) Today's Birthdays: Singer Phil Phillips (Song: "Sea
of Love") is 91. Former astronaut Frank Borman is 89. Actor Michael
Caine is 84. Composer-conductor Quincy Jones is 84. Actor Raymond J.
Barry is 78. Movie director Wolfgang Petersen is 76. Country singer
Michael Martin Murphey is 72. Rock musician Walt Parazaider
(payr-ah-ZAY'-der)(Chicago) is 72. Actor Steve Kanaly is 71. Comedian
Billy Crystal is 69. Former Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., is 69.
Actor-writer-comedian-radio personality Rick Dees is 66. Country singer
Jann Browne is 63. Actor Adrian Zmed is 63. Prince Albert II, the ruler
of Monaco, is 59. Actress Laila Robins is 58. Actress Tamara Tunie
(tuh-MAH'-ruh TOO'-nee) is 58. Actress Penny Johnson Jerald is 57.
Producer-director-writer Kevin Williamson is 52. Actress Elise Neal is
51. Actor Gary Anthony Williams is 51. Actress Megan Follows is 49.
Rock musician Michael Bland is 48. Country singer Kristian Bush is 47.
Rock musician Derrick is 45. Actress Betsy Brandt is 44. Actress Grace
Park is 43. Actor Daniel Gillies is 41. Actor Corey Stoll is 41. Actor
Jake Fogelnest is 38. Actor Chris Klein is 38. Actress Kate Maberly is
35. Singer-musician Taylor Hanson (Hanson) is 34. Actor Jamie Bell is
31. Rock musician Este Haim (HY'-uhm) (Haim) is 31. Actor Ansel Elgort
is 23. Olympic gold medal gymnast Simone Biles is 20. Thought for
Today: "The man who does his work, any work, conscientiously, must
always be in one sense a great man. Dinah Maria Mulock Craik, English
novelist (1826-1887).
