Today is Monday, March 14, the 74th day of 2016. There are 292 days left in the year.
Today’s highlight:
On March 14, 1794, Eli Whitney received a patent for his cotton gin, an invention that revolutionized America’s cotton industry.
On this date:
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 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 occupation of Czech areas and the separation of Slovakia.
In 1951, during the Korean War, United Nations forces recaptured Seoul.
In 1964, a jury in Dallas found Jack Ruby guilty of murdering Lee Harvey Oswald, the accused assassin of President John F. Kennedy, and sentenced him to death. (Both the conviction and death sentence were overturned, but Ruby died before he could be retried.)
In 1966, the wildlife drama “Born Free,” inspired by a true story, had its world premiere in London.
In 1967, the body of President John F. Kennedy was moved from a temporary grave to a permanent memorial site at Arlington National Cemetery.
In 1976, movie musical director and choreographer Busby Berkeley, 80, died in Palm Springs, California.
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: Iraqi authorities reported discovering at least 87 bodies of men shot to death, execution-style, as Iraq edged closer to open civil warfare. Israel raided a jail in the West Bank town of Jericho, seizing six militants, after the new Hamas-led Palestinian government said it would release the men. A reservoir dam in Hawaii burst, releasing a torrent of water that killed seven people.
Five years ago: In the wake of Japan’s earthquake and tsunami and mounting nuclear crisis, President Barack Obama said that he had offered the Japanese government any assistance the United States could provide. Neil Diamond, Alice Cooper, Tom Waits, Darlene Love, Dr. John and Leon Russell were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Olympic champion Evan Lysacek won the 2010 Sullivan Award, becoming the fourth figure skater to be honored as the top amateur athlete in the United States.
One year ago: Robert Durst, a wealthy eccentric linked to two killings and his wife’s disappearance, was arrested by the FBI in New Orleans on a murder warrant a day before HBO aired the final episode of a serial documentary about his life. Math enthusiasts observed “Pi Day,” in which the date — 3-14-15 — lined up with the first five digits of the mathematical constant pi: 3.1415.
Today’s birthdays: Singer Phil Phillips (Song: “Sea of Love”) is 90. Former astronaut Frank Borman is 88. Actor Michael Caine is 83. Composer-conductor Quincy Jones is 83. Former astronaut Eugene Cernan is 82. Actor Raymond J. Barry is 77. Movie director Wolfgang Petersen is 75. Country singer Michael Martin Murphey is 71. Rock musician Walt Parazaider (Chicago) is 71. Actor Steve Kanaly is 70. Comedian Billy Crystal is 68. Former Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., is 68. Actor/writer/comedian/radio personality Rick Dees is 65. Country singer Jann Browne is 62. Actor Adrian Zmed is 62. Prince Albert II, the ruler of Monaco, is 58. Actress Laila Robins is 57. Actress Tamara is 57. Actress Penny Johnson Jerald is 56. Producer-director-writer Kevin Williamson is 51. Actress Elise Neal is 50. Actor Gary Anthony Williams is 50. Actress Megan Follows is 48. Rock musician Michael Bland is 47. Country singer Kristian Bush is 46. Rock musician Derrick is 44. Actress Betsy Brandt is 43. Actress Grace Park is 42. Actor Daniel Gillies is 40. Actor Corey Stoll is 40. Actor Jake Fogelnest is 37. Actor Chris Klein is 37. Actress Kate Maberly is 34. Singer-musician Taylor Hanson (Hanson) is 33. Actor Jamie Bell is 30. Rock musician Este Haim is 30. Actor Ansel Elgort is 22.
Thought for Today: “Any fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius — and a lot of courage — to move in the opposite direction.” — Albert Einstein, German-born American physicist (born this date in 1879, died 1955).
Associated Press
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