Today In History

Today is Saturday, March 10, the 69th day of 2018. There are 296 days left in the year. Daylight saving time will begin Sunday at 2 a.m. local time.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT

› 1876: Alexander Graham Bell’s assistant, Thomas Watson, heard Bell say over his experimental telephone: “Mr. Watson — come here — I want to see you” from the next room of Bell’s Boston laboratory.

ON THIS DATE

› 1496: Christopher Columbus concluded his second visit to the Western Hemisphere as he left Hispaniola for Spain.

› 1785: Thomas Jefferson was appointed America’s minister to France, succeeding Benjamin Franklin.

› 1848: The U.S. Senate ratified the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which ended the Mexican-American War.

› 1969: James Earl Ray pleaded guilty in Memphis, Tennessee (on his 41st birthday) to assassinating civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. (Ray later repudiated that plea, maintaining his innocence until his death.)

› 1973: The Pink Floyd album “The Dark Side of the Moon” was first released in the U.S. by Capitol Records (the British release came nearly two weeks later).

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS

Talk show host Ralph Emery is 85. Bluegrass/ country singer-musician Norman Blake is 80. Actor Chuck Norris is 78. Playwright David Rabe is 78. Former Canadian Prime Minister Kim Campbell is 71. TV personality/businesswoman Barbara Corcoran (TV: “Shark Tank”) is 69. Actress Aloma Wright is

68. Blues musician Ronnie Earl (Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters) is 65. Actress Sharon Stone is

60. Movie producer Scott Gardenhour is 57. Actress Jasmine Guy is 56. Rock musician Jeff Ament (Pearl Jam) is 55. Music producer Rick Rubin is 55. Britain’s Prince Edward is 54. Actor Jon Hamm is 47. Rapper-producer Timbaland is 46. Actor Cristian de la Fuente is

44. Rock musician Jerry Horton (Papa Roach) is

43. Actor Jeff Branson is

41. Singer Robin Thicke is 41. Rock musician Matt Asti (MGMT) is 38. Actor Thomas Middleditch is 36. Country singer Carrie Underwood is 35. Actress Olivia Wilde is

34. Rhythm and blues singer Emeli Sande is 31. Country singer Rachel Reinert is 29. Actress Emily Osment is 26.