TODAY IN HISTORY
Today is Wednesday, March 3.
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT
On March 3, 1931, “The StarSpangled Banner” became the national anthem of the United States as President Herbert Hoover signed a congressional resolution.
ON THIS DATE
In 1791, Congress passed a measure taxing distilled spirits; it was the first internal revenue act in U.S. history.
In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln signed a measure creating the National Academy of Sciences.
In 1887, Anne Sullivan arrived at the Tuscumbia, Alabama, home of Captain and Mrs. Arthur H. Keller to become the teacher for their deafblind 6-year-old daughter, Helen.
In 1943, in London’s East End, 173 people died in a crush of bodies at the Bethnal Green tube station, which was being used as a wartime air raid shelter.
In 1945, the Allies fully secured the Philippine capital of Manila from Japanese forces during
World War II.
In 1960, Lucille Ball filed for divorce from her husband, Desi Arnaz, a day after they had finished filming the last episode of “The Lucille BallDesi Arnaz Show.”
In 1974, a Turkish Airlines DC-10 crashed shortly after takeoff from Orly Airport in Paris, killing all 346 people on board.
In 1991, motorist Rodney
King was severely beaten by Los Angeles police officers in a scene captured on amateur video. Twenty-five people were killed when a United Airlines Boeing 737-200 crashed while approaching the Colorado Springs airport. In 1996, Israel declared
“total war”against the militant group Hamas after a bus bomb in Jerusalem killed 19 people, including the bomber, the third such suicide attack in eight days. In 2001, a plane carrying members of a National Guard engineering crew crashed in heavy rain near Macon, Ga., killing all 21 people on board. In 2019, a tornado roared into the small community of Beauregard, Alabama, killing 23 people; it was the nation’s deadliest tornado in nearly six years.
Ten years ago: Seeking to repair damaged relations, President Barack Obama and Mexican President Felipe Calderon agreed during a White House meeting to deepen their cooperation in combating drug violence and declared a breakthrough in efforts to end a longstanding dispute over crossborder trucking.
Five years ago: Marco
Rubio and Ted Cruz leveled withering criticism at Donald Trump’s“flexible”policy positions and personal ethics during a Republican presidential debate in Detroit.
One year ago: In a surprise move, the Federal Reserve cut its benchmark interest rate by a half-point, its largest cut in more than a decade, to support the economy in the face of the spreading coronavirus. Stocks rallied briefly on the news, then went into another steep slide. The known virus death toll in the United States climbed to nine; most victims were residents of a Seattle-area nursing home. The number of virus patients who had died in Italy rose to 79, the most of any nation outside of China. The head of the World Health Organization asked people to stop hoarding masks, saying they were needed by health care workers.
Dear Abby: I have been on and off with a man for two years. In all this time, he has never spent a holiday or Valentine’s Day with me, or introduced me to his family or friends. He told me to stay in the bathroom at his office when his friends showed up unexpectedly. When I objected, he said, “It’s only for 20 minutes.” I was horrified.
He accuses me of picking fights and says I will never be happy with anyone when I try to talk with him about it. He breaks up with me at holiday time, never calls when he’s on vacation and our dates are always last minute. I realize he is using me for sex, but he insists I am wrong.
Two birthdays passed, and he didn’t even wish me a happy birthday, yet he buys presents and cards for every occasion for his friends and family. He blocks my number if I don’t “behave properly.” He calls me “Miss” in public, but calls waitresses “Sweetie” the few times we have gone out.
Narcissistic and emotionally abusive? Am I wrong? He tells me no one will stay with me once they know the type of woman I am.
I’m not always at fault like he wants me to believe. He buys me nothing to drink or eat when we are together. I pay my own way. I regret the day he entered my life. How can I make him see what he does is wrong? — Almost Done in New York
Dear Almost Done: This shameless man may never view what he has been doing as wrong, so don’t try to “make” him see anything. End this sorry excuse for a relationship now, because it is degrading, a waste of your time, and it’s very likely that he is married and cheating on his wife.
Dear Abby: I am 62, very healthy and youthful, and work full time as an R.N. I recently started dating a 67-year-old man I met on a dating site. We go out, do various things together, laugh and seem to be compatible. My concern is, he has significant heart disease.
He has had stents put in and is on multiple meds. He also has moderate kidney failure. I’m realizing he’s actually very preoccupied with the state of his health because he talks about it often, and he sees physicians as well as a naturopath and myofascial release specialist.
We were taking my dogs for a walk recently and he said he didn’t feel well. He fell, and his defibrillator went off. Another time we were on a trip and he couldn’t walk far before saying he needed water, and he also wanted to be sure there was a bathroom close by. Another time we were attempting to have some intimacy and his defibrillator went off, which put a damper on the mood.
Should I stay with this guy when his general health is so poor? It is affecting me — and us. I do not want to be a caretaker, although at the same time, I do have compassion for him.
— Heartstrings Pulled
Dear Heartstrings: What a sad situation. It shouldn’t take a medical background to see what the future holds, at least for him.
This is a new relationship. Not once in your letter did you mention the depth of his feelings for you or yours for him. He does need looking after. Because you stated you are not prepared to do that, tell him NOW while he’s well enough to find someone who would be.
Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Write Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.