On This Day March 31

Click each item below to learn more!

History Highlights
History Highlights

1492 – Spain’s King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella issue the Alhambra Decree, also known as the The Edict of Expulsion, mandating that all Jews be expelled from the country by the end of that July.

1889 – The iconic Eiffel Tower, built for the Paris International Exhibition, is formally dedicated. Engineer Gustave Eiffel, who designed the massive structure, presides at the ceremony with French Prime Minister Pierre Tirard, other dignitaries and 200 construction workers.

1959 – The Dalai Lama flees Chinese suppression in Tibet, and after an epic 15-day journey on foot over the Himalayan mountains, is granted political asylum in India.

1968 – During a national address to provide an update on the status of the Vietnam War, President Lyndon B. Johnson stuns Americans by announcing that he will not seek a second term in office. 

1981 – Robert De Niro wins the Best Actor Oscar for his role in “Raging Bull,” in which he portrays former World Middleweight Champion Jake LaMotta. De Niro gained more than 60 pounds to portray LaMotta’s retirement years. Directed by Martin Scorsese, the movie also features performances by Joe Pesci and Cathy Moriarty.

1995 – Tejano superstar Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, known as the “Mexican Madonna,” is shot and killed by Yolanda Saldívar, the president of her fan club. Selena was the first female Tejano artist to win a Grammy, in the Best Mexican-American album category, for her 1993 album “Selena Live!” At the time of her murder, at age 23, Selena was on the brink of international fame, recording her first English language album.

1999 – The sci-fi thriller “The Matrix,” starring Keanu Reeves and Laurence Fishburne, opens in movie theaters and goes on to become a cult classic followed, in 2003, by sequels “The Matrix Reloaded” and “The Matrix Revolutions.”

On This Day March 30

Click each item below to learn more!

History Highlights
History Highlights

1814 – European forces allied against Napoleonic France march triumphantly into Paris, formally ending a decade of French domination on the continent.

1842 – Anesthesia is used for the first time in an operation by Dr. Crawford Long. 

1858 – The first wooden pencil featuring a built-in rubber eraser on top is patented by Philadelphia inventor Hymen Lipman, who later sells his patent for $100,000 (about $2 million in today’s market). In 1875, The Supreme Court invalidates the patent, ruling that because the pencil combined two existing devices, it was not a legitimate invention. Nevertheless, this is observed as National Pencil Day.

1867 – U.S. Secretary of State William H. Seward signs a treaty with Russia for the purchase of Alaska for $7.2 million. Despite the bargain price of roughly two cents an acre, the Alaskan purchase is ridiculed in Congress and in the press as “Seward’s Folly.” 

1964 – The popular game show “Jeopardy!” premieres on NBC with host Art Fleming. Alex Trebek takes over in 1984 and continues hosting until his death in 2020.

1981 – President Ronald Reagan is shot in the chest outside a Washington, D.C. hotel by John Hinckley, Jr., who claims he was seeking to gain the attention of actress Jodie Foster. Hinckley is found not guilty by reason of insanity and committed to a psychiatric hospital until 2016, when he is allowed to live with his mother in her Virginia home. Reagan is released from the hospital less than two weeks after the attempted assassination.

2009 – President Barack Obama issues an ultimatum to struggling American automakers General Motors (GM) and Chrysler: In order to receive additional bailout loans from the government, he says, the companies need to dramatically change the way they run their businesses. 

On This Day March 29

Click each item below to learn more!

Celebrity Birthdays
Celebrity Birthdays

1790 – Tenth U.S. President John Tyler, who was the first VP to succeed a president that died, and the first president to wed while in office (d. 1862)

1867 – Legendary pitcher Cy Young, after whom Major League Baseball named its annual top honor for pitching (the Cy Young Award) (d. 1955)

1918 – Entrepreneur and Walmart/Sam’s Club founder Sam Walton (d. 1992)

1918 – Tony Award-winning actress-singer Pearl Bailey (“Carmen Jones,” “House of Flowers,” “Hello, Dolly!,” “Porgy and Bess”) (d. 1990)

1940 – Brazilian singer Astrud Gilberto, who sang the popular, Grammy-winning 1964 hit, “The Girl From Ipanema”

1943 – Comedian, actor and author Eric Idle, best known as part of the creative team behind the “Monty Python” comedy franchise and its Broadway spinoff, “Spamalot”

1945 – Retired NBA star Walt “Clyde” Frazier 

1955 – Pro football Hall of Fame running back and 1977 Heisman Trophy winner Earl Campbell, who played for the NFL’s Houston Oilers and New Orleans Saints

1955 – Actor-director Brendan Gleeson, who played Alastor “Madeye” Moody in the “Harry Potter” movies (“In Bruges,” “28 Days Later,” “Live Die Repeat: Edge of Tomorrow,” “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs,” “Paddington 2”)

1960 – Actress Annabella Sciorra (“Cadillac Man,” “Jungle Fever,” “The Hand That Rocks The Cradle,” “The Sopranos”)

1964 – Supermodel and actress Elle Macpherson 

1976 – Former pro tennis star Jennifer Capriati 

On This Day March 28

Click each item below to learn more!

On This Day March 27

Click each item below to learn more!

On This Day March 26

Click each item below to learn more!

On This Day March 25

Click each item below to learn more!

On This Day March 24

Click each item below to learn more!

On This Day March 23

Click each item below to learn more!

On This Day March 22

Click each item below to learn more!

page 1 of 4