TODAY IN HISTORY
Today is Friday, March 22, the 82nd day of 2024. There are 284 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History:
On March 22, 2019, former President Jimmy Carter became the longest-living chief executive in American history; at 94 years and 172 days, he exceeded the lifespan of the late former President George H.W. Bush.
On this date:
In 1765, the British Parliament passed the Stamp Act to raise money from the American colonies, which fiercely resisted the tax. (The Stamp Act was repealed a year later.)
In 1882, President Chester A. Arthur signed a measure outlawing polygamy.
In 1894, hockey’s first Stanley Cup championship game was played; home team Montreal Hockey Club defeated Ottawa Hockey Club, 3-1.
In 1941, the Grand Coulee hydroelectric dam in Washington state officially went into operation.
In 1945, the Arab League was formed with the adoption of a charter in Cairo, Egypt.
In 1963, The Beatles’ debut album, “Please Please Me,” was released in the United Kingdom by Parlophone.
In 1978, Karl Wallenda, the 73-year-old patriarch of “The Flying Wallendas” highwire act, fell to his death while attempting to walk a cable strung between two hotel towers in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
In 1993, Intel Corp. unveiled the original Pentium computer chip.
In 2012, coroner’s officials ruled singer Whitney Houston died by drowning, but that heart disease and cocaine use were contributing factors.
In 2020, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered all nonessential businesses in the state to close and nonessential workers to stay home. Kentucky Republican Rand Paul became the first member of the U.S. Senate to report testing positive for the coronavirus.
Today’s Birthdays: Actor William Shatner is 93. Actor M. Emmet Walsh is 89. Singerguitarist George Benson is 81. Writer James Patterson is 77. CNN newscaster Wolf Blitzer and composer Andrew Lloyd Webber are 76. Sportscaster Bob Costas is 72. Actor Lena Olin is 69. Actor Stephanie Mills is 67. Actor Matthew Modine is 65. Actor Keegan-Michael Key is 53. Olympic silver medal figure skater Elvis Stojko is 52. Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., is 51. Actor Reese Witherspoon is 48. Actor Constance Wu is 42.