Today is Thursday, March 29, the 89th day of 2012. There are 277 days left in the year.

Today’s highlight:

On March 29, 1912, British explorer Robert Falcon Scott, his expedition stranded in an Antarctic blizzard after failing to be the first to reach the South Pole, wrote in his journal, “We shall stick it out to the end but we are getting weaker of course and the end cannot be far. It seems a pity but I do not think I can write more.” Scott concluded with: “Last entry. For Gods sake look after our people.” (Scott is presumed to have died shortly thereafter; his four companions also perished.)

On this date:

In 1638, Swedish colonists settled in present-day Delaware.

In 1790, the tenth president of the United States, John Tyler, was born in Charles City County, Va.

In 1792, Sweden’s King Gustav III died, nearly two weeks after he had been shot and mortally wounded by assassins during a masquerade party.

In 1812, the first White House wedding took place as Lucy Payne Washington, the sister of First Lady Dolley Madison, married Supreme Court Justice Thomas Todd.

In 1871, the Royal Albert Hall in London was opened by Queen Victoria.

In 1882, the Knights of Columbus was chartered in Connecticut.

In 1943, World War II rationing of meat, fats and cheese began.

In 1951, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were convicted of conspiracy to commit espionage. (They were executed in June 1953.) The Rodgers and Hammerstein musical “The King and I” opened on Broadway.

In 1962, Jack Paar hosted NBC’s “Tonight” show for the final time, although the network aired a repeat the following night. (Johnny Carson debuted as host in Oct. 1962.)

In 1971, Army Lt. William L. Calley Jr. was convicted of murdering 22 Vietnamese civilians in the My Lai massacre. (Calley ended up serving three years under house arrest.) A jury in Los Angeles recommended the death penalty for Charles Manson and three female followers for the 1969 Tate-La Bianca murders. (The sentences were later commuted.)

In 1973, the last United States combat troops left South Vietnam, ending America’s direct military involvement in the Vietnam War.

In 1992, Democratic presidential front-runner Bill Clinton acknowledged experimenting with marijuana “a time or two” while attending Oxford University, adding, “I didn’t inhale and I didn’t try it again.” More than a month after winning the Olympic gold medal in ladies figure skating, Kristi Yamaguchi of the United States won the world championship title in Oakland, Calif.

Associated Press