Italy Will Miss Third Straight World Cup

Picture of the FIFA World Cup Trophy, which presented to the champions of the World Cup tournament.

This story is not an April Fool's trick. 

Italy, once one of the elite teams in football/soccer, lost a penalty kick shootout yesterday to Bosnia-Herzegovina.  

Just a few years ago, Italy managed to win the Euro tournament, in 2020. Yet, they shockingly missed the World Cup just two years earlier, in 2018. Then they followed up that highly impressive Euro title by missing the World Cup in 2022.

But a third straight time seemed highly unlikely. First of all, they were surely going to be fired up. Secondly, FIFA expanded the number of teams participating in the World Cup tournament from 32 to 48. so really, this time, no way that Italy misses for a third time, right?

Yet here we are. Italy, one of the most decorated international sides in the world, will miss the World Cup tournament for a third time. It seems impossible, but that is the reality. This will be yet another World Cup without the Italian side participating.

Now, they earn the dubious distinction as the only former World Cup champion to miss the World Cup tournament three times in a row. 

April 1st: This Day in History

 

Once again, it should be reiterated, that this does not pretend to be a very extensive history of what happened on this day (nor is it the most original - the links can be found down below). If you know something that I am missing, by all means, shoot me an email or leave a comment, and let me know!

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history

On this day in 374, Comet 1P/374 E1 (Halley) approached within 0.0884 AUs of Earth. In 527 on this day, Byzantine Emperor Justin I named his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne. On this day in 1572, the Watergeuzen (the Sea Beggars) led by Guillaume de la Marck landed in Holland and captured the small town of Brielle from the Spanish during the Eighty Years' War. Thus, they managed to gain their first foothold on land for what would become the Dutch Republic. In 1578 on this day, English physician William Harvey discovered blood circulation. The Pilgrim-Wampanoag peace treaty was signed at the Plymouth settlement in present-day Massachusetts, on this day in 1621. The leaders of the Plymouth colonists, acting on behalf of King James I, made this defensive alliance with Massasoit, chief of the Wampanoags. On this day in 1700, the modern annual tradition of April Fools' Day was popularized by English pranksters playing practical jokes on each other. British satirist Jonathan Swift published Drapier's letters on this day in 1724. In 1748 on this day, the ruins of Pompeii were discovered. Volcano Unsen on Japan erupted on this day in 1793, killing about 53,000. Charles Darwin aboard The HMS Beagle, with British Botanist Charles Darwin on board, reached the Cocos Islands on this day in 1836. In 1854 on this day, Hard Times began serialisation in Charles Dickens magazine, Household Words. Herman Melville published The Confidence-Man on this day in 1857. On this day in 1866, the United States Congress rejected a presidential veto by President Andrew Johnson, thus passing the civil rights amendment officially granting equal rights to all regardless of race. Singapore, Penang & Malakka became British crown colonies on this day in 1867. In 1905 on this day, British East African Protectorate officially came to be known as the colony of Kenya. The British Crown took over Northern Rhodesia from the British South Africa Company on this day in 1924. On this day in 1924, Adolf Hitler was sentenced for his role during the Beer Hall Putsch of November 8, 1923, although General Ludendorff was acquitted. The Putsch helped to foster Hitler's eventual rise to power in Germany. The Royal Canadian Air Force was created on this day in 1924. In 1936 on this day, Orissa constituted a province of British India. US forces invaded Okinawa on this day in 1945 during World War II. In 1948 on this day, the Faroe Islands received autonomy from Denmark. On this day in 1952, the Big Bang theory was proposed in Physical Review by Alpher, Bethe & Gamow. South Africa worker's union leader Henry Fazzie was sentenced to 10 years on this day in 1965. 

Here's a more detailed look at events that transpired on this date throughout history:

• On this day in 374, Comet 1P/374 E1 (Halley) approached within 0.0884 AUs of Earth.

• In 527 on this day, Byzantine Emperor Justin I named his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne.

705 - Greek pope John VII chosen as successor to John VI

1064 - Body of bishop Eleutherius of Blandain moved to Doornik

1318 - Berwick-upon-Tweed is captured by the Scottish from the English.

1340 - Niels Ebbesen kills Gerhard III of Holstein in his bedroom, ending the 1332-1340 interregnum in Denmark.

1504 - English guilds/corp goes under state control

• On this day in 1572, the Watergeuzen (the Sea Beggars) led by Guillaume de la Marck landed in Holland and captured the small town of Brielle from the Spanish during the Eighty Years' War. Thus, they managed to gain their first foothold on land for what would become the Dutch Republic.

• In 1578 on this day, English physician William Harvey discovered blood circulation. 

1581 - Portugese Cortes subjects himself on Philip II

• The Pilgrim-Wampanoag peace treaty was signed at the Plymouth settlement in present-day Massachusetts, on this day in 1621. The leaders of the Plymouth colonists, acting on behalf of King James I, made this defensive alliance with Massasoit, chief of the Wampanoags. The agreement, in which both parties promised to not "doe hurt" to one another, was the first treaty between a Native American tribe and a group of American colonists. According to the treaty, if a Wampanoag broke the peace, he would be sent to Plymouth for punishment; if a colonist broke the law, he would likewise be sent to the Wampanoags.    In November 1620, the Mayflower arrived in the New World, carrying 101 English settlers, commonly known as the pilgrims. The majority of the pilgrims were Puritan Separatists, who traveled to America to escape the jurisdiction of the Church of England, which they believed violated the biblical precepts of true Christians. After coming to anchor in what is today Provincetown harbor in the Cape Cod region of Massachusetts, a party of armed men under the command of Captain Myles Standish was sent to explore the immediate area and find a location suitable for settlement. In December, the explorers went ashore in Plymouth, where they found cleared fields and plentiful running water; a few days later the Mayflower came to anchor in Plymouth harbor, and settlement began.    The first direct contact with a Native American was made in March 1621, and soon after, Chief Massasoit paid a visit to the settlement. After an exchange of greetings and gifts, the two peoples signed a peace treaty that lasted for more than 50 years.

1663 - Gemert fines unwed motherhood (50 guilder penalty)

• On this day in 1700, the modern annual tradition of April Fools' Day was popularized by English pranksters playing practical jokes on each other.    Although the day, also called All Fools' Day, has been celebrated for several centuries by different cultures, its exact origins remain a mystery. Some historians speculate that April Fools' Day dates back to 1582, when France switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar, as called for by the Council of Trent in 1563. People who were slow to get the news or failed to recognize that the start of the new year had moved to January 1 and continued to celebrate it during the last week of March through April 1 became the butt of jokes and hoaxes. These included having paper fish placed on their backs and being referred to as "poisson d'avril" (April fish), said to symbolize a young, easily caught fish and a gullible person.    Historians have also linked April Fools' Day to ancient festivals such as Hilaria, which was celebrated in Rome at the end of March and involved people dressing up in disguises. There's also speculation that April Fools' Day was tied to the vernal equinox, or first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, when Mother Nature fooled people with changing, unpredictable weather.    April Fools' Day spread throughout Britain during the 18th century. In Scotland, the tradition became a two-day event, starting with "hunting the gowk," in which people were sent on phony errands (gowk is a word for cuckoo bird, a symbol for fool) and followed by Tailie Day, which involved pranks played on people's derrieres, such as pinning fake tails or "kick me" signs on them.    In modern times, people have gone to great lengths to create elaborate April Fools' Day hoaxes. Newspapers, radio and TV stations and Web sites have participated in the April 1 tradition of reporting outrageous fictional claims that have fooled their audiences. In 1957, the BBC reported that Swiss farmers were experiencing a record spaghetti crop and showed footage of people harvesting noodles from trees; numerous viewers were fooled. In 1985, Sports Illustrated tricked many of its readers when it ran a made-up article about a rookie pitcher named Sidd Finch who could throw a fastball over 168 miles per hour. In 1996, Taco Bell, the fast-food restaurant chain, duped people when it announced it had agreed to purchase Philadelphia's Liberty Bell and intended to rename it the Taco Liberty Bell. In 1998, after Burger King advertised a "Left-Handed Whopper," scores of clueless customers requested the fake sandwich.

1724 - Henry Pelham becomes English minister of War

• British satirist Jonathan Swift published Drapier's letters on this day in 1724.

• In 1748 on this day, the ruins of Pompeii were discovered.

1776 - Friedrich von Klinger's "Sturm und Drang," premieres in Leipzig

1778 - Oliver Pollock, a New Orleans businessman, creates "$" symbol

1789 - House of Reps 1st full meeting, NYC, F Muhlenberg 1st speaker

1792 - Gronings feminist Etta Palm demands women's right to divorce

• Volcano Unsen on Japan erupted on this day in 1793, killing about 53,000.

• On this day in 1803, French law rules the use of intention

Satirist Jonathan SwiftSatirist Jonathan Swift 1826 - Samuel Mory patents internal combustion engine

British Botanist Charles Darwin

• Charles Darwin aboard The HMS Beagle, with British Botanist Charles Darwin on board, reached the Cocos Islands on this day in 1836.

1850 - SF County government established

1853 - Cincinnati became 1st US city to pay fire fighters a regular salary

Bust of Charles Dickens

• In 1854 on this day, Hard Times began serialisation in Charles Dickens magazine, Household Words.

• Herman Melville published The Confidence-Man on this day in 1857.

1862 - Shenandoah Valley campaign, Jackson's Battle of Woodstock, VA

1863 - 1st wartime conscription law in US goes into effect

1865 - -9] Battle at Blakely Alabama

1865 - Battle of 5 Forks Virginia, signalling end of Lee's army

• On this day in 1866, the United States Congress rejected a presidential veto by President Andrew Johnson, thus passing the civil rights amendment officially granting equal rights to all regardless of race.

1867 - Blacks vote in municipal election in Tuscumbia, Alabama

1867 - International Exhibition opens in Paris

• Singapore, Penang & Malakka became British crown colonies on this day in 1867.

1868 - Hampton Institute opens

Moby Dick Author Herman MelvilleMoby Dick Author Herman Melville 

1872 - 1st edition of The Standard

1873 - British White Star steamship Atlantic sinks off Nova Scotia, 547 die

1873 - Mehmed Kemals play "Vatan" premeres in Constantinople

1876 - 1st official NL baseball game (Boston-6, Phila-5)

1881 - Anti-Jewish riots in Jerusalem

1881 - Kingdom post office in Netherlands opens

1888 - Soccer team Sparta forms in Rotterdam

1889 - 1st dishwashing machine marketed (Chicago)

1891 - London-Paris telephone connection opens

1891 - Painter Gauguin leaves Marseille for Tahiti

1891 - The Wrigley Company is founded in Chicago, Illinois.

1899 - NC Mutual opens doors for business

1900 - 1st edition of Dutch newspaper "The People"

• In 1905 on this day, British East African Protectorate officially came to be known as the colony of Kenya.

1910 - Dumitru Dan (Romania) completes a 62,137 mile (100,000 m) walk

1912 - The Greek athlete Konstantinos Tsiklitiras breaks the world record -in standing long jump jumping 3.47 meters.

1914 - UVS Soccer team forms in Lead

1916 - 1st US national women's swiming championships held

1918 - United Kingdom's Royal Flying Corps replaced by Royal Air Force

Author Henry MillerAuthor Henry Miller 1918 - Henry Miller's Theater opens at 124 W 43rd St NYC

1920 - Church disforms in Wales

• The British Crown took over Northern Rhodesia from the British South Africa Company on this day in 1924. 

• On this day in 1924, Adolf Hitler was sentenced for his role during the Beer Hall Putsch of November 8, 1923, although General Ludendorff was acquitted. The Putsch helped to foster Hitler's eventual rise to power in Germany.      The attempted coup in Munich by right-wing members of the army and the Nazi Party was foiled by the government, and Hitler was charged with high treason. Despite his conviction, Hitler was out of jail before the end of the year, with his political position stronger than ever.    Germany was in the midst of a national crisis in the early 1920s. After World War I, its economy was in shambles, and hyperinflation caused widespread discontent. Hitler and the Nazis stepped into this breach with often-racist demagoguery that attracted a significant following throughout the nation.    The failed coup turned out to be quite a boon for Adolf Hitler. His trial brought him more attention and publicity than ever before. With a crowd of thousands-including press from around the world-watching the proceedings, Hitler made the most of this opportunity by going on the offensive.    Taking every chance to turn the subject away from the putsch itself, Hitler frequently made speeches about Germany's postwar plight. He blamed the Jews, Marxism, and France for all of the country's problems, repeatedly returning to his theme of hypernationalism. The conservative-leaning judges did nothing to stop Hitler or keep the focus on the attempted coup. The prosecutors, who had been threatened by Hitler's student followers, shrank from challenging the defendant.    It soon became evident that Hitler was winning the public relations battle by using the 25-day trial as a showcase for his extreme right-wing views, even if he was technically losing the case. In his closing argument, Hitler declared that he would ignore the court's verdict because the "Eternal Court of History" would acquit him.    After his conviction, Hitler spent the remainder of the year in prison writing the first volume of Mein Kampf. By the time he was released, he had become more popular than ever, and within eight years he had taken over Germany.

1924 - Imperial Airways forms in Britain

• The Royal Canadian Air Force was created on this day in 1924.

1925 - 1st transmission of Danish state radio

1925 - Hebrew University, Jerusalem dedicated [see May 9, 1925]

1926 - Halsteren Soccer team forms in Halsteren

1927 - 1st automatic record changer introduced by His Master's Voice

1928 - Chiang Kai-shek's army crosses Yang-tse

1929 - Austrian government of Ignaz Seipel falls

1929 - Doorne's trailer factory in Einsdhoven Netherlands opens

1929 - Louie Marx introduces Yo-Yo

Dictator of Nazi Germany Adolf HitlerDictator of Nazi Germany Adolf Hitler 1929 - Luis Buñuel releases "Un Chien Andalou," 24-minute film

1929 - Morehouse College, Spellman College & Atlanta University affiliate

1930 - "Blue Angel," starring unknown Marlene Dietrich, premieres in America

1931 - Earthquake devastate Managua Nicaragua, kills 2,000

1931 - Jackie Mitchell became 1st female in professional baseball

1933 - Hammond scores 336* v NZ at Auckland, 47 fours 10 sixes

1933 - Heinrich Himmler becomes Police Commander of Germany

1933 - Nazi Germany begins persecution of Jews boycotting Jewish businesses

1934 - Bonnie & Clyde kill 2 police officers

1935 - 1st radio tube made of metal announced, Schenectady, NY

• In 1936 on this day, Orissa constituted a province of British India.

1937 - Aden becomes British crown colony

1938 - Baseball Hall of Fame opens in Cooperstown, NY

1938 - Joe Louis KOs Harry Thomas in 5 for heavyweight boxing title

1939 - US recognizes Franco government in Spain at end of Spanish civil war Pope Pius XII congratulates Generalissimo Franco's victory in Spain

Spanish Dictator and General Francisco FrancoSpanish Dictator and General Francisco Franco 1941 - Lillian Hellman's "Watch on the Rhine," premieres in NYC

1941 - Navy takes over Treasure Island (SF Bay)

1941 - Nazi's forbid Jews access to cafés

1941 - Pro-German Rashid Ali al-Ghailani grabs power in Iraq

1941 - The Blockade Runner Badge for German navy is instituted.

1942 - Allied air raid on harbor city Kupang Timor

1942 - Mexico changes from 3 time zones to 2

1944 - German Abwehr ends England spiel, after 132 killed

1944 - Japanese troops conquer Jessami, East-India

1945 - 1st edition of Indonesia Merdeka publishes

1945 - Canadian troop free Doetinchem, Enschede, Borculo & Eibergen

1945 - Ruhrgebied sealed off by US 1st & 9th army

1945 - Sons of Elburger Soccer team forms in Elburg

• US forces invaded Okinawa on this day in 1945 during World War II.

1946 - 400,000 US mine workers strike

1946 - Tsunamis generated by a quake in Aleutian Trench strike Hilo Hawaii

1946 - Van Acker forms Belgian government (without CVP)

1946 - Weight Watchers forms

1946 - Formation of the Malayan Union.

1947 - 1st Jewish immigrants to Israel disembark at Port of Eilat

1948 - H H H Johnson bowls WI to win v England 10-96 match on debut

• In 1948 on this day, the Faroe Islands received autonomy from Denmark. 

• On this day in 1952, the Big Bang theory was proposed in Physical Review by Alpher, Bethe & Gamow.

1952 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site

1953 - J van Bale appointed governor of New Guinea

1953 - KXMC TV channel 13 in Minot, ND (CBS/ABC) begins broadcasting

1953 - Walcott Worrell & Weekes all make centuries in innings v India

1954 - 1st Dutch motorway, Amsterdam-Utrecht, opens

1954 - 1st army helicopter battalion forms, Fort Bragg, NC

1954 - Earthquake/tsunami ravage Aleutians, 200 killed

1954 - US Air Force Academy forms

1954 - WQED TV channel 13 in Pittsburgh, PA (PBS) begins broadcasting

1955 - Armed military action taken against bureaucratic strike in Amsterdam

1955 - EOKA-bomb attacks against British government buildings in Cyprus

1955 - WTVT TV channel 13 in Tampa-St Petersburg, FL (CBS) 1st broadcast

1956 - 10th Tony Awards: Diary of Anne Frank & Damn Yankees win

1956 - KPIC TV channel 4 in Roseburg, OR (CBS) begins broadcasting

1956 - Violent clashes in Algeria, kills at least 380

1957 - Trial begins in Budapest against participants october uprising

1957 - WYES TV channel 12 in New Orleans, LA (PBS) begins broadcasting

1957 - World's biggest glass oven used

1958 - KVIQ TV channel 6 in Eureka, CA (NBC/ABC/CBS) begins broadcasting

1958 - Marshal Boelganin becomes director of Russian Staatsbank

1960 - Census determines the resident population of the United States to be 179,245,000

1960 - 2nd French atom bomb explodes (Sahara)

1960 - France performs nuclear test at Reggane Proving Grounds Algeria

1960 - Mabry Harper catches a 25 lb Walleye in Tennessee

1960 - U Nu elected premier of Burma

1960 - 1st weather satellite launched (TIROS 1)

1963 - NY Mets purchase Duke Snider from the Dodgers for $40,000

1963 - NYC's newspapers resume publishing after a 114 day strike

1963 - Soap operas "General Hospital" & "Doctors" premier on TV

1964 - 10°F lowest temperature ever recorded in Cleveland in April

Musician and Beatle John LennonMusician and Beatle John Lennon 1964 - John Lennon is reunited with his father Freddie after 17 years

1964 - Robert Lowell's "Benito Cereno," premieres in NYC

This was a picture (which I have since cropped) of the new South Africa flag of the post-apartheid era. I actually took this one at the apartheid museum, as this was the final display, if you will, of the museum, the symbol of the emergence of a "new South Africa."

• South Africa worker's union leader Henry Fazzie was sentenced to 10 years on this day in 1965. 

1965 - Syncom 3, 1st geosynchronous communications satellite, passes from civilian to military control

1966 - 1st world festival of black art (Dakar Senegal)

1966 - China premier Tsjoe en-Lai starts "Cultural revolution"

1967 - 1st British ombudsman sir Edward Compton begins work

1967 - The United States Department of Transportation begins operation.

1968 - KEMO (now KOFY) TV channel 20 in San Francisco, CA (IND) 1st broadcast

1969 - Royal Canadian Mint formally forms as a Crown Corp

1969 - Seattle Pilots trade minor league outfielder Lou Piniella to Royals

1969 - The Hawker Siddeley Harrier enters service with the RAF.

1970 - Bud Selig becomes CEO of Milwaukee Brewers

1970 - John & Yoko release hoax they are having dual sex change operations

1970 - Milwaukee Brewers Baseball Club, headed by Bud Selig, purchases the Seattle Pilots for $10,800,000 Although negotiations were conducted over a period of months, it was not until March 13 when a federal bankruptcy referee declared the Pilots bankrupt

1970 - Pres Nixon signs bill limiting cigarette advertisements on 1/1/71

1971 - US/Canada ISIS 2 launched to study ionosphere

1971 - United Kingdom lifts all restrictions on gold ownership

1972 - 30,000 attend Mar Y Sol rock concert, Vega Baja, Puerto Rico

1972 - Major league baseball players stages 1st collective strike

1973 - Betsy Cullen wins LPGA Alamo Ladies Golf Classic

1973 - Japan allows its citizens to own gold

1973 - John & Yoko form a new country with no laws or boundaries, called Nutopia, its national anthem is silence

1974 - Ayatollah Khomeini calls for an Islamic Republic in Iran

1974 - Pioneer Hall opens

1974 - Yourdon, Inc forms

1974 - In the United Kingdom, the Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties come into being.

1975 - Cambodia President Lon Nol flees for Red Khmer

Apple Co-founder Steve JobsApple Co-founder Steve Jobs 1976 - Stephen Wozniak & Steven Jobs found Apple Computer

1976 - Conrail takes over operations from six bankrupt railroads in the northeastern U.S..

1976 - Jovian-Plutonian gravitational effect is first reported by the astronomer Patrick Moore.

1977 - Attempt for Moslem state in Chad fails

1977 - NFL decides to experiment with a 7th official in some preseason games

1978 - Philippine College of Commerce, through a presidential decree, becomes the Polytechnic University of the Philippines.

1979 - Iran proclaimed an Islamic Republic following fall of Shah

1979 - Joanne Carner wins LPGA Women's Kemper Golf Open

1980 - Baseball Players' Association votes to cancel 92 remaining exhibition games

1980 - Failed assassination attempt on Iraqi vice-premier Tariq Aziz

1980 - France performs nuclear test

1980 - Wayne Gretzky breaks Bobby Orr's record with 103rd assist

1980 - New York City's Transit Worker Union 100 begins a strike lasting 11 days.

1981 - CNN airs a videotape that shows that Tamara Rand predicted that Reagan is in danger from someone named Jack Humley (a hoax)

1981 - Daylight saving time is introduced in the USSR.

US President & Actor Ronald ReaganUS President & Actor Ronald Reagan 1982 - Anguilla (dependent territory of UK) adopts constitution

• 1982 - US formally transfers Canal Zone to Panama

1983 - Anti-nuke demonstrators link arms in 14-mile human chain in England

• Apr 1, 1984: Marvin Gaye is shot and killed by his own father  At the peak of his career, Marvin Gaye was the Prince of Motown—the soulful voice behind hits as wide-ranging as "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)" and "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)." Like his label-mate Stevie Wonder, Gaye both epitomized and outgrew the crowd-pleasing sound that made Motown famous. Over the course of his roughly 25-year recording career, he moved successfully from upbeat pop to "message" music to satin-sheet soul, combining elements of Smokey Robinson, Bob Dylan and Barry White into one complicated and sometimes contradictory package. But as the critic Michael Eric Dyson put it, the man who "chased away the demons of millions...with his heavenly sound and divine art" was chased by demons of his own throughout his life. That life came to a tragic end on this day 1984, when Marvin Gaye was shot and killed by his own father one day short of his 45th birthday.    If the physical cause of Marvin Gaye's death was straightforward—"Gunshot wound to chest perforating heart, lung and liver," according to the Los Angeles County Coroner—the events that led to it were much more tangled. On the one hand, there was the longstanding conflict with his father dating back to childhood. Marvin Gay, Sr., (the "e" was added by his son for his stage name) was a preacher in the Hebrew Pentecostal Church and a proponent of a strict moral code he enforced brutally with his four children. He was also, by all accounts, a hard-drinking cross-dresser who personally embodied a rather complicated model of morality. By some reports, Marvin Sr. harbored significant envy over his son's tremendous success, and Marvin Jr. clearly harbored unresolved feelings toward his abusive father.    Those feelings spilled out for the final time in the Los Angeles home of Marvin Gay, Sr., and his wife Alberta. Their son the international recording star had moved into his parents' home in late 1983 at a low point in his struggle with depression, debt and cocaine abuse. Only one year removed from his first Grammy win and from a triumphant return to the pop charts with "Sexual Healing," Marvin Gaye was in horrible physical, psychological and financial shape, and now he found himself living in the same house as the man who must have been at the root of many of his struggles.    After an argument between father and son escalated into a physical fight on the morning of April 1, 1984, Alberta Gay was trying to calm her son in his bedroom when Marvin Sr. took a revolver given to him by Marvin Jr. and shot him three times in his chest. Marvin Gaye's brother, Frankie, who lived next door, and who held the legendary singer during his final minutes, later wrote in his memoir that Marvin Gaye's final, disturbing statement was, "I got what I wanted....I couldn't do it myself, so I made him do it."   

1985 - 47th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Villanova beats Georgetown 84-75

1986 - Delhi beat Haryana by innings & 141 to win Ranji Trophy

1986 - US sub Nathaniel Green runs aground in Irish Sea

1986 - World oil prices dip below $10 a barrel

1989 - 1st NY Met-NY Yankee game in NYC since 1983, Yanks win 4-3

1989 - A Bartlett Giamatti replaces Ueberroth as 7th commissioner of baseball

1990 - "Ha!" comedy Channel on cable TV begins transmitting

1990 - 19th Nabisco Dinah Shore Golf Championship won by Betsy King

1990 - 2nd Seniors Golf Tradition: Jack Nicklaus wins

1990 - 9th NCAA Women's Basketball Championship: Stanford beats Auburn 88-81

1990 - CBS fires sportscaster Brent Mussburger

1990 - It becomes illegal in Salem Oregon to be within 2' of nude dancers

1990 - Jack Nicklaus wins 1st start on Senior PGA tour

1990 - Wrestlemania VI, 67,678 in Toronto, Ultimate Warrior beats Hulk Hogan

1991 - 53rd NCAA Mens Basketball Championship: Duke Bluedevils beats Kansas 72-65

1991 - Dwight Gooden signs $5.15 million 3 year contract with NY Mets

1991 - Iran releases British hostage Roger Cooper after 5 years

1991 - Supreme Court rules jurors can't be barred from serving due to race

1991 - US minimum wage goes from $3.80 to $4.25 per hour

1991 - Warsaw Pact officially dissolves

1992 - 5th Largest wrestling crowd (64,287-Toronto SkyDome)

1992 - Battleship USS Missouri (on which, Japan surrendered) decommissioned

1992 - Last defendant in St John sex assault case sentenced to 3 yrs prob

1992 - NFL decides to stay with 17 week sched instead of expanded 18 games

1992 - NHL players begin 1st strike in 75-year history

1992 - Rocker Billy Idol fined $2,000 for hitting a woman

1992 - WA beat NSW by 44 runs to win the Sheffield Shield Final

1992 - World's 7 wealthiest nations agree on $24B aid for former USSR

1993 - Alan Bennett's "Madness of George III," premieres in London

1994 - Bob Feller Statue on Indians Plaza, dedicated

1995 - Carlson Wagonlit Travel Agency begins charging $15 service fee

1995 - NY Islanders retire Bobby Nystrom's uniform #23

1996 - 58th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Kentucky beats Syracuse 76-67

1996 - Howard Stern Radio Show premieres in Boston MA on WBCN 104.1 FM (morn)

1996 - The Halifax Regional Municipality in Nova Scotia is created.

1997 - 69 year old Gordie Howe begins playing AHL game with Syracuse Crunch

1997 - Comet Hale-Bopp Perihelion (0.914 AU)

1998 - World Ice Pairs Figure Skating Championship in Minn

1999 - Nunavut is established as a Canadian territory carved out of the eastern part of the Northwest Territories.

2001 - 20th NCAA Women's Basketball Championship: at St Louis

2001 - Same-sex marriage becomes legal in the Netherlands, which is the first country to allow it.

2001 - Former president of Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Slobodan Milošević surrenders to police special forces, to be tried on charges of war crimes.

2002 - 64th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: at Georgia Dome Atlanta

2002 - The Netherlands legalizes euthanasia, becoming the first nation in the world to do so.

2004 - Google introduces its Gmail product to the public. The launch is met with scepticism on account of the launch date.

2006 - The Serious Organised Crime Agency, dubbed the 'British FBI', is created in the United Kingdom.

• 2009 - Croatia and Albania joined NATO

• 2011 - After protests against the burning of the Quran turned violent, a mob attacked a United Nations compound in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan and killed thirteen people, including eight foreign workers.

2012 - Plane crash in Western Siberia kills at least 31 people ( UTair Aviation ATR-72)

2012 - 32nd Golden Raspberry Awards: Jack and Jill wins

2013 - 9 people are killed by a suicide bombing in Tikrit, Iraq

2013 - The world’s first smelling TV screen is unveiled in Japan

0527 - Justinianus became the emperor of Byzantium.   1572 - The Sea Beggars under Guillaume de la Marck landed in Holland and captured the small town of Briel.   1578 - William Harvey of England discovered blood circulation.   1621 - The Plymouth, MA, colonists created the first treaty with Native Americans.   1724 - Jonathan Swift published Drapier's letters.   1748 - The ruins of Pompeii were found.   1778 - Oliver Pollock, a New Orleans businessman, created the "$" symbol.   1789 - The U.S. House of Representatives held its first full meeting in New York City. Frederick Muhlenberg of Pennsylvania was elected the first House Speaker.   1793 - In Japan, the volcano Unsen erupted killing about 53,000.   1826 - Samuel Mory patented the internal combustion engine.   1853 - Cincinnati became the first U.S. city to pay fire fighters a regular salary.   1863 - The first wartime conscription law goes into effect in the U.S.   1864 - The first travel accident policy was issued to James Batterson by the Travelers Insurance Company.   1865 - At the Battle of Five Forks in Petersburg, VA, Gen. Robert E. Lee began his final offensive.   1867 - Blacks voted in the municipal election in Tuscumbia, AL.   1867 - The International Exhibition opened in Paris.   1867 - Singapore, Penang & Malakka became British crown colonies.   1868 - The Hampton Institute opened.   1872 - The first edition of "The Standard" was published.   1873 - The British White Star steamship Atlantic sank off Nova Scotia killing 547.   1873 - Mehmed Kemals play "Vatan" premiered in Constantinople.   1881 - Anti-Jewish riots took place in Jerusalem.   1881 - Kingdom post office in Netherlands opened.   1889 - The first dishwashing machine was marketed (in Chicago).   1891 - The London-Paris telephone connection opened.   1905 - The British East African Protectorate became the colony of Kenya.   1905 - Paris and Berlin were linked by telephone.   1916 - The first U.S. national women's swimming championships were held.   1918 - England's Royal Flying Corps was replaced by the Royal Air Force.   1924 - Adolf Hitler was sentenced to five years in prison for high treason in relation to the "Beer Hall Putsch."   1924 - Imperial Airways was formed in Britain.   1927 - The first automatic record changer was introduced by His Master's Voice.   1928 - China's Chiang Kai-shek began attacking communists.   1929 - Louie Marx introduced the Yo-Yo.   1930 - Leo Hartnett of the Chicago Cubs broke the altitude record for a catch by catching a baseball dropped from the Goodyear blimp 800 feet over Los Angeles, CA.   1931 - An Earthquake devastated Managua Nicaragua killing 2,000.   1931 - Jackie Mitchell became the first female in professional baseball when she signed with the Chattanooga Baseball Club.   1933 - Nazi Germany began the persecution of Jews by boycotting Jewish businesses.   1934 - Bonnie & Clyde killed 2 police officers.   1935 - The first radio tube to be made of metal was announced.   1937 - Aden became a British colony.   1938 - The first commercially successful fluorescent lamps were introduced.   1938 - The Baseball Hall of Fame opened in Cooperstown, NY.   1939 - The U.S. recognized the Franco government in Spain at end of Spanish civil war.   1941 - The first contract for advertising on a commercial FM radio station began on W71NY in New York City.   1945 - U.S. forces invaded Okinawa during World War II. It was the last campaign of World War II.   1946 - Weight Watchers was formed.   1946 - A tidal wave (tsunami) struck the Hawaiian Islands killing more than 170 people.   1948 - The Berlin Airlift began.   1949 - "Happy Pappy" premiered. It was the first all-black-cast variety show.   1950 - Italian Somalia became a United Nations trust territory under Italian administration.   1952 - The Big Bang theory was proposed in "Physical Review" by Alpher, Bethe & Gamow.   1953 - The U.S. Congress created the Department of Health Education and Welfare.   1954 - The U.S. Air Force Academy was formed in Colorado.   1955 - "One Man's Family" was seen on TV for the final time after a six-year run on NBC-TV.   1960 - France exploded 2 atom bombs in the Sahara Desert.   1960 - The U.S. launched TIROS-1. It was the first weather satellite.   1963 - Workers of the International Typographical Union ended their strike that had closed nine New York City newspapers. The strike ended 114 days after it began on December 8, 1962.   1963 - The Soap operas "General Hospital" and "Doctors" premiered on television.   1970 - The U.S. Army charged Captain Ernest Medina in the My Lai massacre.   1970 - U.S. President Nixon signed the bill, the Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act, that banned cigarette advertisements to be effective on January 1, 1971.   1971 - The United Kingdom lifted all restrictions on gold ownership.   1972 - North Vietnamese and Viet Cong troops renewed their offensive in South Vietnam.   1973 - Japan allowed its citizens to own gold.   1976 - Apple Computer began operations.   1979 - Iran was proclaimed to be an Islamic Republic by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini after the fall of the Shah.   1980 - A failed assassination attempt against Iraqi vice-premier Tariq Aziz occurred.   1982 - The U.S. transferred the Canal Zone to Panama.   1983 - New York Islander Mike Bossy became the first National Hockey League (NHL) player to score 60 goals in 3 consecutive seasons.   1985 - World oil prices dropped below $10 a barrel.   1986 - The U.S. submarine Nathaniel Green ran aground in the Irish Sea.   1987 - Steve Newman became the first man to walk around the world. The walk was 22,000 miles and took 4 years.   1987 - U.S. President Reagan told doctors in Philadelphia, "We've declared AIDS public health enemy No. 1."   1991 - Iran released British hostage Roger Cooper after 5 years.   1991 - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that jurors could not be barred from serving due to their race.   1991 - The Warsaw Pact was officially dissolved.   1992 - Players began the first strike in the 75-year history of the National Hockey League (NHL).   1996 - U.S. President Bill Clinton threw out the first ball preceding a game between the Kansas City Royals and the Baltimore Orioles.   1997 - David Carradine received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.   1998 - A federal judge dismissed the Paula Jones' sexual harassment lawsuit against U.S. President Clinton saying that the claims fell "far short" of being worthy of a trial.   1999 - In Zhytomyr, Ukraine, Anatoliy Onoprienko was sentenced to death for the deaths of 52 men, women and children. 43 of the killings occurred in a 6-month period.   1999 - The Canadian territory of Nunavut was created. It was carved from the eastern part of the Northwest Territories and covered about 772,000 square miles.   2001 - China began holding 24 crewmembers of a U.S. surveillance plane. The EP-3E U.S. Navy crew had made an emergency landing after an in-flight collision with a Chinese fighter jet. The Chinese pilot was missing and presumed dead. The U.S. crew was released on April 11, 2001.   2001 - Former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic was arrested on corruption charges after a 26-hour standoff with the police at his Belgrade villa.   2003 - North Korea test-fired an anti-ship missile off its west coast.   2003 - Jason Mewes was ordered to complete drug rehabilitation or face five years in jail stemming from a drug conviction in 1999.   2004 - U.S. President George W. Bush signed the Unborn Victims of Violence Act. The bill made it a crime to harm a fetus during an assault on a pregnant woman.   2004 - Gateway Inc. announced that it would be closing all of its 188 stores on April 9.   2009 - Albania and Croatia joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).   2010 - The U.S. Congress cut Medicare reimbursements to physicians by 21%.

1789 Frederick Muhlenberg of Pennsylvania was elected the first Speaker of the House of Representatives. 1933 The Nazi persecution of Jews began in Germany with a boycott of Jewish businesses. 1945 American forces landed on Okinawa during World War II. 1960 The first U.S. weather satellite, TIROS-1, was launched from Cape Canaveral. 1970 President Nixon signed a bill into law banning cigarette ads from radio and television. 1976 Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs founded Apple Computer. 1979 Ayatollah Khomeini proclaimed the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran. 2001 Former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic arrested on corruption charges. 2003 Pvt. Jessica Lynch was rescued by U.S. commandos in a raid on an Iraqi hospital. 2004 President Bush signed the "Laci Peterson" bill making it a separate federal crime to harm a fetus during an attack on the mother. 2009 Sweden becomes the fifth European country to legalize same-sex marriage. The other countries with the same rights are The Netherlands, Norway, Belgium and Spain.

The following links are to web sites that were used to complete this blog entry:

http://www.historyorb.com/today/events.php

http://on-this-day.com/onthisday/thedays/alldays/apr01.htm

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history

http://www.infoplease.com/dayinhistory

Trump Retreats From Iran, Admits That War Was "Just a Really Bad Idea"

On Tuesday, President Trump admitted that the current conflict with Iran was not going according to plan.

"Earlier, I had declared victory in the war," the president said.

"Apparently, the Iranians themselves never got that memo. They keep attacking neighboring countries. And it's making us look bad."

As a result, Trump has decided to withdraw from Iran. 

"With no clear strategy, with no obvious objectives, it was the only sensible thing that the administration could do," conceded Steve Bannon, as Stephen Miller nodded in agreement. 

"Let's be reasonable. Nobody thinks that getting involved in another forever war in the Middle East is actually good for this country, or for the world," Trump stated. "This stupid war, which I frankly never should have started...it was just a really bad idea."

The president continued, "I mean, I don't know...I'm just sick of all of the attention being on the Epstein Files. I mean, the one time that I don't want my name in headlines or associated with a story, and it's the one story that people cannot seem to get enough of. So I started this war with Iran...but man, that turned out to be a fiasco, didn't it?

He then reflect on his own presidency.

"It's obvious that I'm not getting into heaven, and it's also clear that I will be viewed as a very bad president. Terrible! The worst!"

When asked to expand, Trump hesitated, then explained his thought process:

"Look, I promised the world, promised everything. Over and over again, these campaign promises which were simply too good to be true. And everyone should have known that they were too good to be true, that I couldn't possibly deliver on them. 

"I mean, come on. did you really believe that I could build the wall and get Mexico to pay for it? Or that I would pay the debt off in eight years? Or end the years long war in Ukraine in just a day? Or lower the price of gas and groceries?"

"Spoiler alert: the answer was no. Is no. Forever will be no."

He looked out the window of the Oval Office, then laughed.

"Fucking morons," he mutters, shaking his head, "What a bunch of losers."

"Come on. Once a scam artist, always a scam artist. Geez, I thought people would have figured that out. Frankly, I'm surprised people voted me into office in the first place. But ten years of pulling the wool over people's eyes? That surprised even me. I know people can often be stupid, but I mean, come on! How much more proof do they need that I'm nothing but a con artist?"

"At least I was the best in something, though, right?"

"But," he continued, "there's got to be limits, right? So this is it. We took over Venezuela, and launched an attack on Iran. But the war is going badly, and I'm getting out before people figure out that I don't know what the fuck I'm doing. Before people figure out just how unqualified I am to be president."

This has been an April Fool's Exclusive.

Spring is Back!

Yes, indeed! Spring is back.

The weather has been unseasonably warm for the past couple of days. And even while it's supposed to dip back down within a few days, it nevertheless has been very pleasant. Neither too warm nor too cool.

Just right.

This has gotten me back into walking, Not sure that I am quite on level with the peak of my walking last year. But at least I am back to doing it on a daily basis, which feels good.

On those walks, there have been some visible signs of spring. And it seemed like a good idea to share some of these here.

Enjoy.

Book Review - Providence: The Story of a Fifty-Year Vision Request

  

Another review of a book which I have already read.

Yet, I read it many years ago, and somehow did not get nearly as much out of it then as I did this time, with the more current reading. There have to be reasons for this, and maybe it would be worth exploring by going into greater detail.

Before I go any farther, however, let me give the usual warnings to stop reading if you intend to read this book, because there will be spoilers ahead.

SPOILER ALERT

SPOILER ALERT

SPOILER ALERT

Okay, so by now if you are still reading this, I have to imagine that you either are familiar with this story already, or perhaps you do not mind the spoilers. Please just don't say that you were not given advanced warning. 

So yeah, as already mentioned, I did not get nearly as much from my previous reading as I did this time around. My guess is because I then viewed it as how it was described: the background for how author Daniel Quinn came about his revolutionary theories. Also, he expands on some of these theories, and goes in-depth with some aspects which troubled him.

Indeed, it does delve into the background of his own life. Specifically, of how he came to need to know how the world came to be precisely as it turned out. To this end, there were two visions (not really dreams) which he describes. The first was as a little kid, when he saw a tree serving as a bridge into the wilderness, and had animals almost urging him to come over. The second was after he had been stuck inside a Trappist monastery for days, when he was sure that he wanted to be a Trappist monk. He had been looking forward to outdoor work, not having seen or felt the outdoors for so long, but then this was taken away from him. Then just as quickly, he was urged to go outside after all, and when he went outside, he saw the world blazing with the fire of life. His description is fascinating stuff. It faded after maybe an hour, but influenced him for the duration of his days, clearly influencing his life and work and words. 

His description of what being a monk is was rather fascinating. Far from the peaceful, secluded life of a recluse which most of us picture, he says that monks are actually more like soldiers. They are on the frontlines of a battle, of a war, actually. And the war is against evil, or what they perceive as evil. It is a life of strict discipline and sacrifice, in more ways than merely material.

Quinn also delves into some aspects of religion, specifically the Church. This is to be expected, since he already did exactly that in his first work, Ishmael. Also, he was to be a Trappist monk. That, he felt when younger, was his life's calling, until it wasn't.

What he says is that Jesus declared the Church would not be of rock, but rather of individuals. So whatever the structures, what really mattered was the passing of the Word through people, generation after generation. Again, something which i had never really thought about beforehand. A fascinating observation. 

Quinn struggled with acceptance all of his life. From his earliest school days to the attempt to join a Trappist monastery, it was all about being accepted. Then, after being rejected and sent home from the Trappist monastery, he tried to find a new direction. He married and worked, had kids. But still, there were problems, because he never did get the validation he was actually seeking.

Eventually, he met his wife, Rennie. Together, they found happiness. At one point, he mentions that they moved to New Mexico and worked with a couple of other people on the East Mountain News. They lived in virtual poverty, at least in comparison to their prior life in the city (Chicago). Yet, they were content. He goes into a bit of detail about how they were, in many senses, a tribe. They were not too big and relied on each other to make a living. This is part of his overall model of how humanity can save itself by being part of a tribe, of being reliant on a small group of people with a common cause.

There are other fascinating ideas, including Quinn imagining how education could be like, or another way it could work. He points out the absurd tendency of our modern society to see things like schools and infrastructure and crime continually failing, yet the answer repeatedly being to throw more money at it, despite a well-establish history of failing. So his version of education looks very different, by way of comparison. He likens it to a circus, in the tribal sense, as a circus is one of the few modern versions of tribalism well-known to our modern society. 

Of course, there is much more to this book. Again, though, I enjoyed it very much on this second reading, much more than the first time. In fact, I approached it with hesitation, but found myself quite taken by it once I actually did start to read it again. And I read it quite quickly, almost unable to put it down.

Highly recommended. 

March 31st: This Day in History

 

Once again, it should be reiterated, that this does not pretend to be a very extensive history of what happened on this day (nor is it the most original - the links can be found down below). If you know something that I am missing, by all means, shoot me an email or leave a comment, and let me know!

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history

On this day in 1889, one of my personal favorite structures, the Eiffel Tower, opened to the public. 

It seemed fitting to share some of my own pictures of this iconic landmark for his historical marker. Those pictures will be posted below, in the more detailed section of the history.

Here are some other major things which happened on this day in history:

On this day in 1084, Anti-pope Clemens was crowned German Emperor Hendrik IV. In 1146 on this day, Bernard of Clairvaux preached his famous sermon in a field at Vézelay, urging the necessity of a Second Crusade. Louis VII was present, and joined the Crusade. Queen Isabella of Castilia & Ferdinand of Aragon expelled all Jews from Spain on this day in 1492 via a royal edict. The nation's Catholic rulers declared that all Jews who refuse to convert to Christianity would be expelled from the country. Henry II succeeded Francois I as King of France on this day in 1547. In 1683 on this day, Emperor Leopold I/Poland signed a covenant against the Ottoman Empire. On this day in 1796, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's "Egmont," premiered in Weimar. In 1822 on this day, there was a massacre of the population of the Greek island of Chios by soldiers of the Ottoman Empire following a rebellion attempt, depicted by the French artist Eugène Delacroix. On this day in 1831, the city of Montréal, in the present day province of Québec, became a distinct political entity after it was officially incorporated. It obtained its first charter, and the city was divided into eight districts for council representation.  In 1854 on this day, the Treaty of Kanagawa was signed with Japan after Commodore Perry forced Japan to open its ports to the United States. Great Britain declared Bechuanaland (modern day Botswana) a protectorate on this day in 1885. On this day in 1889, the 300 meter tall Eiffel Tower - which would hold the distinction as the tallest manmade structure in the world for over four decades - was dedicated in Paris in a ceremony presided over by Gustave Eiffel, the tower's designer, and attended by French Prime Minister Pierre Tirard, a handful of other dignitaries, and 200 construction workers. The tower was to serve as the centerpiece of the 1889 Paris World's Fair (Exposition Universelle), which commemorated the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. On this day in 1920, the British parliament accepted Irish "Home Rule" law. Hungary ordered all Jews to wear the distinctive yellow stars (Star of David) during the occupation by Nazi Germany during World War II on this day in 1944. The first election in Greece after the end of World War II took place on this day in 1946. On this day in 1948, the U.S. Congress passed the Marshall Aid Act to rehabilitate war-torn Europe after the end of World War II. Newfoundland (with Labrador, which was part of Newfoundland) officially became Canada's 10th province on this day in 1949. In 1954 on this day, the USSR (Soviet Union) offered to join NATO. On this day in 1959, the Dalai Lama, fleeing the Chinese suppression of a national uprising in Tibet, crossed the border into India, where he was granted political asylum. He has been in exile ever since. The last British soldier left the Maltese Islands on this day in 1979. Malta then declared its Freedom Day (Jum il-Helsien). On this day in 1991, the Warsaw Pact - the military alliance on the eastern side of the Iron Curtain which was the Communist Bloc's answer to NATO - dissolved after 36 years.

Here's a more detailed look at events that transpired on this date throughout history:

• On this day in 1084, Anti-pope Clemens was crowned German Emperor Hendrik IV.

• In 1146 on this day, Bernard of Clairvaux preached his famous sermon in a field at Vézelay, urging the necessity of a Second Crusade. Louis VII was present, and joined the Crusade.

• Queen Isabella of Castilia & Ferdinand of Aragon expelled all Jews from Spain on this day in 1492 via a royal edict. The nation's Catholic rulers declared that all Jews who refuse to convert to Christianity would be expelled from the country. Most Spanish Jews chose exile rather than the renunciation of their religion and culture, and the Spanish economy suffered with the loss of an important portion of its workforce. Many Spanish Jews went to North Africa, the Netherlands, and the Americas, where their skills, capital, and commercial connections were put to good use. Among those who chose conversion, some risked their lives by secretly practicing Judaism, while many sincere converts were nonetheless persecuted by the Spanish Inquisition. The Spanish Muslims, or Moors, were ordered to convert to Christianity in 1502

• 1504 - France & Spain signs ceasefire

• 1521 - Magelhaes takes possession of Homohon, Archipelago of St Lazarus

Royal France

• Henry II succeeded Francois I as King of France on this day in 1547.

• 1644 - Pope Urbanus VIII & duke of Parma signs Peace of Ferrara

• 1651 - Great earthquake at Cuzco Peru

• 1657 - English Humble Petition offers Lord Protector Cromwell the crown

• 1667 - France/England signs anti-Dutch military accord

• In 1683 on this day, Emperor Leopold I/Poland signed a covenant against the Ottoman Empire.

• 1717 - A sermon on "The Nature of the Kingdom of Christ" by Benjamin Hoadly, the Bishop of Bangor, provoked the Bangorian Controversy.

• 1745 - Jews are expelled from Prague

• 1776 - Abigail Adams wrote to her husband John that women were "determined to foment a rebellion" if the new Declaration of Independence failed to guarantee their rights.  

Bust of Social Philosopher Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

• On this day in 1796, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's "Egmont," premiered in Weimar.

• 1808 - French created Kingdom of Westphalia orders Jews to adopt family names

• 1814 - Forces allied against Napoleon capture Paris

• In 1822 on this day, there was a massacre of the population of the Greek island of Chios by soldiers of the Ottoman Empire following a rebellion attempt, depicted by the French artist Eugène Delacroix.

• 1831 - Mainzer Rijnvaart Convention ends

Some pictures of Montréal from past visits:

• On this day in 1831, the city of Montréal, in the present day province of Québec, became a distinct political entity after it was officially incorporated. It obtained its first charter, and the city was divided into eight districts for council representation. 

• 1841 - 1st performance of Robert Schumann's 1st Symphony in B

• 1849 - Col John W Geary arrives as 1st postmaster of SF

• 1850 - US population hits 23,191,876 (Black population: 3,638,808 (15.7%))

• 1854 - Treaty of Kanagawa: Commodore Perry forces Japan to opens ports to US

• In 1854 on this day, the Treaty of Kanagawa was signed with Japan after Commodore Perry forced Japan to open its ports to the United States.  In Tokyo, Commodore Matthew Calbraith Perry, representing the U.S. government, signs the Treaty of Kanagawa with the Japanese government, opening the ports of Shimoda and Hakodate to American trade and permitting the establishment of a U.S. consulate in Japan.  In July 1853, Commodore Perry sailed into Tokyo Bay with a squadron of four U.S. vessels. For a time, Japanese officials refused to speak with Perry, but eventually they accepted letters from U.S. President Millard Fillmore, making the United States the first Western nation to establish relations with Japan since it was declared closed to foreigners in 1683.  After giving Japan time to consider the establishment of external relations, Perry returned to Tokyo in March 1854, and on March 31 signed the Treaty of Kanagawa, which opened Japan to trade with the United States, and thus the West. In April 1860, the first Japanese diplomats to visit a foreign power reached Washington, D.C., and remained in the U.S. capital for several weeks discussing expansion of trade with the United States.

1861 - Confederacy takes over mint at New Orleans

1862 - Civil War action at Island #10 on Mississippi River

1863 - Battle of Grand Gulf MS & Dinwiddie Court House VA

1865 - Battle of Boydton, VA (White Oaks Roads, Dinwiddie C H)

1865 - Gen Pickette moves to 5 Forks, abandoning the defense of Peterburg

1866 - The Spanish Navy bombs the harbor of Valparaíso, Chile.

1868 - Chinese Embassy arrives aboard steamship China

1870 - 1st black to vote in US (Thomas P Mundy of Perth Amboy NJ)

1877 - British high director/governor sir Bartle Frere arrives in Capetown

1877 - Test Cricket debut of Fred "Demon" Spofforth, Aust v Eng MCG

1877 - The family with samurai antecedents who responded to the Saigo army in Ōita Nakatsu rebels.

1880 - 1st town completely illuminated by electric lighting (Wabash, IN)

1883 - 1st performance of Caesar Franck's "Le Chasseur Maudit"

1883 - Utrecht begins water pipe system

• Great Britain declared Bechuanaland (modern day Botswana) a protectorate on this day in 1885.

Some pictures of the Eiffel Tower taken during trips in fairly recent years:

• On this day in 1889, the 300 meter tall Eiffel Tower - which would hold the distinction as the tallest manmade structure in the world for over four decades - was dedicated in Paris in a ceremony presided over by Gustave Eiffel, the tower's designer, and attended by French Prime Minister Pierre Tirard, a handful of other dignitaries, and 200 construction workers. The tower was to serve as the centerpiece of the 1889 Paris World's Fair (Exposition Universelle), which commemorated the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution.  In 1889, to honor of the centenary of the French Revolution, the French government planned an international exposition and announced a design competition for a monument to be built on the Champ-de-Mars in central Paris. Out of more than 100 designs submitted, the Centennial Committee chose Eiffel's plan of an open-lattice wrought-iron tower that would reach almost 1,000 feet above Paris and be the world's tallest man-made structure. Eiffel, a noted bridge builder, was a master of metal construction and designed the framework of the Statue of Liberty that had recently been erected in New York Harbor.  Eiffel's tower was greeted with skepticism from critics who argued that it would be structurally unsound, and indignation from others who thought it would be an eyesore in the heart of Paris. Unperturbed, Eiffel completed his great tower under budget in just two years. Only one worker lost his life during construction, which at the time was a remarkably low casualty number for a project of that magnitude. The light, airy structure was by all accounts a technological wonder and within a few decades came to be regarded as an architectural masterpiece.  The Eiffel Tower is 984 feet tall and consists of an iron framework supported on four masonry piers, from which rise four columns that unite to form a single vertical tower. Platforms, each with an observation deck, are at three levels. Elevators ascend the piers on a curve, and Eiffel contracted the Otis Elevator Company of the United States to design the tower's famous glass-cage elevators.  The elevators were not completed by March 31, 1889, however, so Gustave Eiffel ascended the tower's stairs with a few hardy companions and raised an enormous French tricolor on the structure's flagpole. Fireworks were then set off from the second platform. Eiffel and his party descended, and the architect addressed the guests and about 200 workers. In early May, the Paris International Exposition opened, and the tower served as the entrance gateway to the giant fair.  The Eiffel Tower remained the world's tallest man-made structure until the completion of the Chrysler Building in New York in 1930. Incredibly, the Eiffel Tower was almost demolished when the International Exposition's 20-year lease on the land expired in 1909, but its value as an antenna for radio transmission saved it. It remains largely unchanged today and is one of the world's premier tourist attractions.

The Voortrekker Monument in Pretoria, South Africa.

• On this day in 1900, Brigadier-General Robert Broadwood's troops fell into guerrilla hands.

Le Drapeau Tricolore (Tricour Flag) which was a product of the French Revolution, and which remains the national flag of France to this day.

• 1900 - In France, the National Assembly passed a law reducing the workday for women and children to 11 hours.

1903 - Richard Pearse flies monoplane several hundred yards (NZ)

• 1904 - In India, hundreds of Tibetans were slaughtered by the British.   

• On this day in 1905, German Emperor Kaiser Wilhelm arrived in Tangier proclaiming support for an independent state of Morocco. 

1906 - GB Shaws German version of "Caesar & Cleopatra," premieres in Berlin"

1907 - Romanian Army puts down Moldavian farmers' revolt

1909 - Baseball rules players who jump contracts are suspended for 5 years

1909 - Gustav Mahler conducts NY Philharmonic for his 1st time

1916 - Dutch government ends all milt engagements

1917 - US purchases Danish West Indies for $25M & renames them Virgin Islands

1918 - 1st daylight savings time in US goes into effect

1919 - Strike against Ruhrgebied government of Scheidemann

• On this day in 1920, the British parliament accepted Irish "Home Rule" law.

1921 - British coal miners goes on strike

1922 - KFI-AM in Los Angeles CA begins radio transmissions

1922 - Prince Hendrik opens trade fair building in Amsterdam

1923 - 1st dance marathon-NYC-Alma Cummings sets record of 27 hrs

1923 - French soldiers fire on workers at Krupp factory in Essen; 13 die

1923 - Stanley Cup: Ottawa Senators (NHL) sweep Edm Eskimos (WCHL) in 2 games

1924 - Croydon Airport: 1st British mig aircraft Imperial established

1924 - London public transport strike ends

1925 - WOWO-AM, Ft Wayne Indiana begins radio transmission (500 watts)

1926 - German Special Court of Justice for state security disbands

1930 - The Motion Pictures Production Code is instituted, imposing strict guidelines on the treatment of sex, crime, religion and violence in film for the next thirty eight years.

1932 - 150 wild swans die in Niagara waterfall

1932 - Ford publicly unveils its V-8 engine

1933 - 1st newspaper published on pine pulp paper, "Soperton News" (Ga)

1933 - Congress authorizes Civilian Conservation Corps

Dictator of Nazi Germany Adolf HitlerDictator of Nazi Germany Adolf Hitler 

1933 - German Republic gives power to Hitler

1934 - Netherlands Indies BC Ltd begins radio transmission (Indonesia)

1935 - Fusahige Suzuki runs world record marathon (2:27:49)

1939 - Britain & France agree to support Poland if invaded by Germany

1940 - Karelo-Finnish SSR becomes 12th Soviet republic (until 1956)

1941 - Ground broken for Union Square Garage, SF

1943 - US errantly bombs Rotterdam, kills 326

• Hungary ordered all Jews to wear the distinctive yellow stars (Star of David) during the occupation by Nazi Germany during World War II on this day in 1944.

1945 - 3rd Algerian division crosses the Rhine

1945 - Sicherheitsdienst murders 10 political prisoners in Zutphen

1945 - Tennessee Williams' "Glass Menagerie," premieres in NYC

1945 - US artillery lands on Keise Shima/begins firing on Okinawa

1946 - Belgian government of Acker, forms

• The first election in Greece after the end of World War II took place on this day in 1946.

• On this day in 1948, the U.S. Congress passed the Marshall Aid Act to rehabilitate war-torn Europe after the end of World War II.

The flag of Newfoundland.

• Newfoundland (with Labrador, which was part of Newfoundland) officially became Canada's 10th province on this day in 1949.

Statue of soldier, author and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in Parliament Square, London

• In 1949 on this day, Winston Churchill declared that the A-bomb was the only thing that kept the U.S.S.R. from taking over Europe.  

1951 - US tanks exceed 38° of latitude in Korea

1953 - Department of Health, Education & Welfare established

1953 - UN Security Council nominates Dag Hammarskjoeld secretary-general

1954 - US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs Colo, established

• In 1954 on this day, the USSR (Soviet Union) offered to join NATO.

1955 - Collie Smith scores 104 on cricket debut WI v Aust, Kingston

1955 - US Assay Office in Seattle, Washington closes Chase National (3rd largest bank) & Bank of the Manhattan Company (15th largest bank) merge to form Chase Manhattan

1958 - US Navy forms atomic sub division

1958 - USSR suspends nuclear weapons tests, & urges US & Britain to do same

• On this day in 1959, the Dalai Lama, fleeing the Chinese suppression of a national uprising in Tibet, crossed the border into India, where he was granted political asylum. He has been in exile ever since. Born in Taktser, China, as Tensin Gyatso, he was designated the 14th Dalai Lama in 1940, a position that eventually made him the religious and political leader of Tibet. At the beginning of the 20th century, Tibet increasingly came under Chinese control, and in 1950 communist China invaded the country. One year later, a Tibetan-Chinese agreement was signed in which the nation became a "national autonomous region" of China, supposedly under the traditional rule of the Dalai Lama but actually under the control of a Chinese communist commission. The highly religious people of Tibet, who practice a unique form of Buddhism, suffered under communist China's anti-religious legislation.  After years of scattered protests, a full-scale revolt broke out in March 1959, and the Dalai Lama was forced to flee as the uprising was crushed by Chinese troops. On March 31, 1959, he began a permanent exile in India, settling at Dharamsala in Punjab, where he established a democratically based shadow Tibetan government. Back in Tibet, the Chinese adopted brutal repressive measures against the Tibetans, provoking charges from the Dalai Lama of genocide. With the beginning of the Cultural Revolution in China, the Chinese suppression of Tibetan Buddhism escalated, and practice of the religion was banned and thousands of monasteries were destroyed.  Although the ban was lifted in 1976, protests in Tibet continued, and the exiled Dalai Lama won widespread international support for the Tibetan independence movement. In 1989, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in recognition of his nonviolent campaign to end the Chinese domination of Tibet.

1960 - Gore Vidal's "Best Man," premieres in NYC

1961 - Aklilou Habtewold becomes 1st premier of Ethiopia

1963 - LA ends streetcar service after 90 years

The flag of Brazil.

1964 - Pres Jango Goulart of Brazil chased out of office by military

1965 - US ordered the 1st combat troops to Vietnam

1965 - Iberia Airlines Convair 440, crashed into the sea on approach to Tangier killing 47 of 51 occupants.

1966 - 25,000 anti war demonstrators march in NYC

1966 - Labour Party wins British parliamentary election

1966 - USSR launches Luna 10, 1st lunar orbiter

Rock Guitarist Jimi HendrixRock Guitarist Jimi Hendrix 

1967 - 1st time Jimi Hendrix burns his guitar (London)

• 1967 - U.S. President Lyndon Johnson signed the Consular Treaty, the first bi-lateral pact with the Soviet Union since the Bolshevik Revolution. 

Bust of American President Lyndon B. Johnson

• In 1968 on this day, American President Lyndon B. Johnson announced during a nationally televised speech that he would not seek re-election.

1968 - Mickey Wright wins LPGA Palm Beach County Golf Open

1968 - Pirate Radio Station Pegaus (NZ) begins transmitting

1968 - Seattle's AL club is named Pilots

1969 - George Harrison & Patti Boyd are fined £250 each for illegal drugs

1970 - Federal bankruptcy court allows Seattle Pilots to be sold to Milwaukee

1970 - Explorer 1 re-enters the Earth's atmosphere (after 12 years in orbit).

1971 - South Africa national debt hits 5.45 billion

1971 - William Calley sentenced to life for Mi Lai Massacre

1972 - Official Beatles Fan Club, closes down

1973 - Flyers score 8 goals in 1 period vs Islanders, on 60 shots

1973 - Ken Norton defeats Muhammad Ali in a 12 round split decision

1975 - 37th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: UCLA beats Kentucky 92-55

1975 - John Wooden's final game, UCLA, wins 10th NCAA championship in 12 yrs

Heavyweight Boxing Champion Muhammad AliHeavyweight Boxing Champion Muhammad Ali 1976 - Cleveland Cavaliers clinch their 1st ever NBA playoff bearth

1976 - NJ Court rules Karen Anne Quinlan may be disconnected from respirator

1977 - Michael Cristofer's "Shadow Box," premieres in NYC

1978 - Red Rum wins 3rd consecutive Grand National & retires

1978 - USSR launches Kosmos 1000 navigational satellite

1978 - Wings release "London Town" album

The flag of Malta

• The last British soldier left the Maltese Islands on this day in 1979. Malta then declared its Freedom Day (Jum il-Helsien).

1980 - Larry Holmes TKOs Leroy Jones in 8 for heavyweight boxing title

1980 - Mike Weaver KOs John Tate in 15 for heavyweight boxing title

Picture of a bust of late American President Jimmy Carter

• On this day in 1980, American President Jimmy Carter deregulated the banking industry.

1980 - The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific railroad operates its final train after being ordered to liquidate its assets due to bankruptcy and debt owed to creditors.

1981 - 1st Golden Raspberry Awards: Can't Stop the Music wins

1981 - 53rd Academy Awards - "Ordinary People," R De Niro & Sissy Spacek win

1982 - Arkas tanker at Montz La, spills 1.47 million gallons of oil

1982 - Rock group Doobie Brothers split up

1983 - Earthquake in Colombia kills some 5,000 people

1983 - Marsha Norman's "'night, Mother," premieres in NYC

1984 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site

1985 - 15th Easter Seal Telethon raises $27,400,000

1985 - 4th NCAA Women's Basketball Championship: Old Dominion beats Ga 70-65

1985 - El Salvador's Pres Duartes Christian-Democrats win election

1985 - Wrestlemania I at Madison Square Garden NY, Hogan & Mr T beat Piper & Orndorf

1986 - 167 die when Mexicana Airlines Boeing 727 crashes

1986 - 48th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Louisville beats Duke 72-69

1986 - English Hampton Court palace destroyed by fire, 1 dead

1986 - Six metropolitan county councils are abolished in England.

1987 - 49th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Indiana beats Syracuse 74-73

1988 - Last East Limburg coal mine closes in Gent Belgium

1988 - NY Islanders celebrate Denis Potvin night

1988 - Pulitzer prize awarded to Toni Morrison for "Beloved"

Businessman & T.V. Personality Donald TrumpBusinessman & T.V. Personality Donald Trump 1989 - Donald Trump purchases Eastern's Northeast Shuttle

1990 - "Carol & Company" starring Carol Burnette premieres on NBC-TV

1990 - Dionisio Castro cycles world record 20km (57:18.4)

1990 - Riots began in London over the new poll tax laws

1991 - 10th NCAA Women's Basketball Championship: Tennessee beats Virginia 70-67

1991 - 20th Nabisco Dinah Shore Golf Championship won by Amy Alcott

1991 - Albania offers 1st multi-party election in 50 years

1991 - Danny Bonaduce attacks a transvestite prostitute in Phoenix Az

1991 - Georgian SSR votes on whether to remain in the Soviet Union

1991 - Musical "Will Rogers Follies," premieres in NYC

1991 - Soviet Rep of Georgia endorsed independence; Warsaw Pact dissolves

• On this day in 1991, the Warsaw Pact - the military alliance on the eastern side of the Iron Curtain which was the Communist Bloc's answer to NATO - dissolved after 36 years. The Warsaw Pact—the military alliance between the Soviet Union and its eastern European satellites—comes to an end. The action was yet another sign that the Soviet Union was losing control over its former allies and that the Cold War was falling apart.  The Warsaw Pact was formed in 1955, primarily as a response to the decision by the United States and its western European allies to include a rearmed West Germany in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). NATO had begun in 1949 as a defensive military alliance between the United States, Canada, and several European nations to thwart possible Soviet expansion into Western Europe. In 1954, NATO nations voted to allow a rearmed West Germany into the organization. The Soviets responded with the establishment of the Warsaw Pact. The original members included the Soviet Union, East Germany, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, and Albania. Although the Soviets claimed that the organization was a defensive alliance, it soon became clear that the primary purpose of the pact was to reinforce communist dominance in Eastern Europe. In Hungary in 1956, and then again in Czechoslovakia in 1968, the Soviets invoked the pact to legitimize its interventions in squelching anticommunist revolutions.  By the late-1980s, however, anti-Soviet and anticommunist movements throughout Eastern Europe began to crack the Warsaw Pact. In 1990, East Germany left the Warsaw Pact in preparation for its reunification with West Germany. Poland and Czechoslovakia also indicated their strong desire to withdraw. Faced with these protests—and suffering from a faltering economy and unstable political situation—the Soviet Union bowed to the inevitable. In March 1991, Soviet military commanders relinquished their control of Warsaw Pact forces. A few months later, the pact's Political Consultative Committee met for one final time and formally recognized what had already effectively occurred—the Warsaw Pact was no more.

1991 - St Louis Blues Brett Hull scores his 86th goal

1991 - The Establishment of Islamic Constitutional Movement - Hadas in Kuwait.

1992 - Delhi beat Tamil Nadu on 1st innings to win cricket Ranji Trophy

Flag of the United Nations

• 1992 - UN Security Council voted to ban flights & arms sales to Libya

1994 - James Farentino pleads no contest to stalking ex-girl Tina Sinatra

1994 - Walkway from Cleveland's Tower City to Jacobs Field officially opens

• 1994 - Human evolution: The journal Nature reports the finding in Ethiopia of the first complete Australopithecus afarensis skull.

1995 - 1st game at Coors Stadium Colo (replacement Rockies beat Yanks 4-1)

1995 - Bombay beat Punjab on 1st innings to win cricket Ranji Trophy

1995 - Federal judge orders injunction to end baseball strike

1996 - "Getting Away With Murder" closes at Broadhurst NYC after 17 perfs

1996 - "Midsummer Night's Dream" opens at Lunt-Fontanne NYC for 66 perfs

1996 - Radio Canada International's final shortwave broadcast

1996 - Space Shuttle STS 76 (Atlantis 16), lands

1996 - Wrestlemania XII - Shawn Michaels beats Brett Hart for WWF title

1997 - "Daytime to Remember" a series showing old soaps premieres on ABC-TV

1997 - Pioneer 10, ends its mission

2004 - In Fallujah, Iraq, 4 American private military contractors working for Blackwater USA, are killed and their bodies mutilated after being ambushed.

• 2007 - In Sydney, Australia, 2.2 million people take part in the first Earth Hour.

2008 - Aloha Airlines, a bankrupt airline, permanently ends passenger service

2012 - Fiji Floods kill 2 people and force thousands to be evacuated

2013 - 14 Boko Haram suspects are killed in a Nigerian Army raid

2013 - 11 people are killed in flooding at Port Louis, Mauritius

2013 - 2 people die from bird flu (type H7N9) in China

1492 - King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain issued the Alhambra edict expelling Jews who were unwilling to convert to Christianity.   1779 - Russia and Turkey signed a treaty concerning military action in Crimea.   1831 - Quebec and Montreal were incorporated as cities.   1854 - The U.S. government signed the Treaty of Kanagawa with Japan. The act opened the ports of Shimoda and Hakotade to American trade.   1862 - Skirmishing between Rebels and Union forces took place at Island 10 on the Mississippi River.   1870 - In Perth Amboy, NJ, Thomas Munday Peterson became the first black to vote in the U.S.   1880 - Wabash, IN, became the first town to be completely illuminated with electric light.   1889 - In Paris, the Eiffel Tower officially opened.   1900 - The W.E. Roach Company was the first automobile company to put an advertisement in a national magazine. The magazine was the "Saturday Evening Post".    1901 - In Russia, the Czar lashed out at Socialist-Revolutionaries with the arrests of 72 people and the seizing of two printing presses.   1902 - In Tennessee, 22 coal miners were killed by an explosion.    1906 - The Conference on Moroccan Reforms in Algerciras ended after two months with France and Germany in agreement.   1906 - The Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States was founded to set rules in amateur sports. The organization became the National Collegiate Athletic Association in 1910.   1908 - 250,000 coal miners in Indianapolis, IN, went on strike to await a wage adjustment.   1909 - Serbia accepted Austrian control over Bosnia-Herzegovina.   1917 - The U.S. purchased and took possession of the Virgin Islands from Denmark for $25 million.   1918 - For the first time in the U.S., Daylight Saving Time went into effect.   1921 - Great Britain declared a state of emergency because of the thousands of coal miners on strike.   1923 - In New York City, the first U.S. dance marathon was held. Alma Cummings set a new world record of 27 hours.   1932 - The Ford Motor Co. debuted its V-8 engine.   1933 - The U.S. Congress authorized the Civilian Conservation Corps to relieve rampant unemployment.   1933 - The "Soperton News" in Georgia became the first newspaper to publish using a pine pulp paper.   1939 - Britain and France agreed to support Poland if Germany threatened invasion.   1940 - La Guardia airport in New York officially opened to the public.   1941 - Germany began a counter offensive in North Africa.   1945 - "The Glass Menagerie" by Tennessee Williams opened on Broadway.   1946 - Monarchists won the elections in Greece.   1947 - John L. Lewis called a strike in sympathy for the miners killed in an explosion in Centralia, IL, on March 25, 1947.   1948 - The Soviets in Germany began controlling the Western trains headed toward Berlin.   1949 - Newfoundland entered the Canadian confederation as its 10th province.   1958 - The U.S. Navy formed the atomic submarine division.   1959 - The Dalai Lama (Lhama Dhondrub, Tenzin Gyatso) began exile by crossing the border into India where he was granted political asylum. Gyatso was the 14th Daila Lama.   1960 - The South African government declared a state of emergency after demonstrations lead to the death of more than 50 Africans.   1966 - An estimated 200,000 anti-war demonstrators march in New York City. (New York)   1966 - The Soviet Union launched Luna 10, which became the first spacecraft to enter a lunar orbit.   1967 - U.S. President Lyndon Johnson signed the Consular Treaty, the first bi-lateral pact with the Soviet Union since the Bolshevik Revolution.   1970 - The U.S. forces in Vietnam down a MIG-21, it was the first since September 1968.   1976 - The New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that Karen Anne Quinlan could be disconnected from a respirator. Quinlan remained comatose until 1985 when she died.      1981 - In Bangkok, Thailand, four of five Indonesian terrorists were killed after hijacking an airplane on March 28.   1985 - ABC-TV aired the 200th episode of "The Love Boat."   1986 - 167 people died when a Mexicana Airlines Boeing 727 crashed in Los Angeles.   1987 - HBO (Home Box Office) earned its first Oscar for "Down and Out in America".   1989 - Canada and France signed a fishing rights pact.   1991 - Albania offered a multi-party election for the first time in 50 years. Incumbent President Ramiz Alia won.   1991 - Iraqi forces recaptured the northern city of Kirkuk from Kurdish guerillas.   1993 - Brandon Lee was killed accidentally while filming a movie.   1994 - "Nature" magazine announced that a complete skull of Australppithecus afarensis had been found in Ethiopia. The finding is of humankind's earliest ancestor.   1998 - U.N. Security Council imposed arms embargo on Yugoslavia.   1998 - Buddy Hackett received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.   1998 - For the first time in U.S. history the federal government's detailed financial statement was released. This occurred under the Clinton administration.   1999 - Three U.S. soldiers were captured by Yugoslav soldiers three miles from the Yugoslav border in Macedonia.   1999 - Fabio was hit in the face by a bird during a promotional ride of a new roller coaster at the Busch Gardens theme park in Williamsburg, VA. Fabio received a one-inch cut across his nose.   2000 - In Uganda, officials set the number of deaths linked to a doomsday religious cult, the Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments, at more than 900. In Kanungu, a March 17 fire at the cult's church killed more than 530 and authorities subsequently found mass graves at various sites linked to the cult.   2004 - Air America Radio launched five stations around the U.S.   2004 - Google Inc. announced that it would be introducing a free e-mail service called Gmail.

1492 Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain expelled Jews who would not accept Christianity. 1889 The Eiffel Tower in Paris officially opened. 1917 The United States took possession of the Virgin Islands. 1918 Daylight Saving Time went into effect in the United States. 1949 Newfoundland became Canada's tenth province. 1959 The Dalai Lama, fleeing Chinese repression of an uprising in Tibet, arrived at the Indian border and was granted political asylum. 1968 President Lyndon Johnson announced that he would not run for re-election. 1995 Mexican-American singer Selena Quintanilla-Perez, 23, is shot by the president of her fan club in Corpus Christi, Texas. 1995 Major League Baseball players agreed to end the sport’s longest strike in history after a judge ordered a preliminary injunction against team owners. 2005 Terry Schiavo died 13 days after her feeding tube was removed.

The following links are to web sites that were used to complete this blog entry:

http://www.historyorb.com/today/events.php

http://on-this-day.com/onthisday/thedays/alldays/mar31.htm

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history

http://www.infoplease.com/dayinhistory