TODAY IN HISTORY
Today is Sunday, March 31, the 91st day of 2024. There are 275 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On March 31, 1492, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain issued an edict expelling Jews from Spanish soil, except those willing to convert to Christianity.
On this date:
In 1814, Paris was occupied by a coalition of Russian, Prussian and Austrian forces; the surrender of the French capital forced the abdication of Emperor Napoleon.
In 1931, Notre Dame college football coach Knute Rockne 43, was killed in the crash of a TWA plane in Bazaar, Kansas.
In 1968, at the conclusion of a nationally broadcast address on Vietnam, President Lyndon B. Johnson stunned listeners by declaring, “I shall not seek, and I will not accept, the nomination of my party for another term as your President.”
In 1993, actor Brandon Lee, 28, was accidentally shot to death during the filming of a movie in Wilmington, North Carolina, when he was hit by a bullet fragment that had become lodged inside a prop gun.
In 1995, baseball players agreed to end their 232-day strike after a judge granted a preliminary injunction against club owners.
In 2004, four American civilian contractors were killed in Fallujah, Iraq; frenzied crowds dragged the burned, mutilated bodies and strung two of them from a bridge.
In 2009, Benjamin Netanyahu took office as Israel’s new prime minister after the Knesset approved his government.
In 2020, Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife Meghan officially stepped down from duties as members of the royal family.
In 2021, the Pentagon swept away Trump-era policies that largely banned transgender people from serving in the military.
Today’s Birthdays: Actor William Daniels is 97. Actor Richard Chamberlain is 90. Actor Shirley Jones is 90. Musician Herb Alpert is 89. Actor Christopher Walken is 81. Comedian Gabe Kaplan is 80. Former Vice President Al Gore is 77. Actor Rhea Perlman is 76. Actor Ed Marinaro is 74. Rock musician Angus Young (AC/DC) is 69. Actor Ewan McGregor is 53. Actor Erica Tazel is 49. Actor Judi Shekoni and rapper Tony Yayo are 46. Actor Kate Micucci is 44. Actor Brian Tyree Henry is 42. Actor Jessica Szohr is 39.