On this day, March 19
1859 The opera “Faust” by Charles Gounod premiered in Paris.
1931 Nevada Gov. Fred B. Balzar signed a measure legalizing casino gambling.
1942 During World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered men between the ages of 45 and 64, inclusive, to register for non-military duty. 1945 During World War II, 724 people were killed when a Japanese dive bomber attacked the carrier USS Franklin off Japan (the ship was saved). Adolf Hitler ordered the destruction of German facilities that could fall into Allied hands in his so-called “Nero Decree,” which was largely disregarded.
1977 The series finale of “Mary Tyler Moore” aired on CBS-TV, ending the situation comedy’s seven-season run. 1987 Televangelist Jim Bakker resigned as chairman of his PTL ministry organization amid a sex and money scandal involving Jessica Hahn, a former church secretary.
1991 Polish President Lech Walesa arrived in Washington for his first state visit to the United States.
1995 After a 21-month hiatus, Michael Jordan returned to professional basketball with his former team, the Chicago Bulls.
1997 Artist Willem de Kooning, considered one of the 20th century’s greatest painters, died in East Hampton, New York, at age 92.
2003 President George W. Bush ordered the start of war against Iraq. (Because of the time difference, it was early March 20 in Iraq.)
2007 A methane gas explosion in a Siberian coal mine killed 110 workers. 2013 Pope Francis officially began his ministry as the 266th pope, receiving the ring symbolizing the papacy and a wool stole exemplifying his role as shepherd of his 1.2-billion strong flock during a Mass at the Vatican.
2018 Speaking in New Hampshire, a state ravaged by opioids, President Donald Trump called for stiffer penalties for drug traffickers, including the death penalty.
2020 President Donald Trump focused attention on a malaria drug, chloroquine, as a possible coronavirus treatment; the FDA issued a statement saying that there were “no FDA-approved therapeutics” to treat COVID-19.
2022 Russian forces pushed deeper into Ukraine’s besieged and battered port city of Mariupol, where heavy fighting shut down a major steel plant and local authorities pleaded for more Western help. Four U.S. Marines were killed when their Osprey aircraft crashed in a Norwegian town in the Arctic Circle during a NATO exercise unrelated to the Ukraine war. Today’s birthdays: Actor Renee Taylor, 90. Actor Ursula Andress, 87. Singer Clarence “Frogman” Henry, 86. Singer Ruth Pointer (The Pointer Sisters), 77. Actor Glenn Close, 76. Actor Bruce Willis, 68. Actor-comedian Mary Scheer, 60. Playwright Neil LaBute, 60. Actor Connor Trinneer, 54. Rock musician Gert Bettens (K’s Choice), 53. Rapper Bun B, 50. Rock musician Zach Lind (Jimmy Eat World), 47. Actor Virginia Williams, 45. Actor Abby Brammell, 44. MLB pitcher Clayton Kershaw, 35. Actor Craig Lamar Traylor, 34. Actor Philip Bolden, 28.