On this day, March 26
1812 An earthquake devastated Caracas, Venezuela, causing an estimated 26,000 deaths, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
1945 During World War II, Iwo Jima was fully secured by U.S. forces following a final, desperate attack by Japanese soldiers.
1962 The U.S. Supreme Court, in Baker v. Carr, gave federal courts the power to order reapportionment of states’ legislative districts.
1979 A peace treaty was signed by Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and witnessed by President Jimmy Carter at the White House.
1982 Groundbreaking ceremonies took place in Washington, D.C., for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
1992 A judge in Indianapolis sentenced former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson to six years in prison for raping a Miss Black America contestant. (Tyson ended up serving three years.)
1997 The bodies of 39 members of the Heaven’s Gate techno-religious cult who committed suicide were found inside a rented mansion in Rancho Santa Fe, California.
2013 Italy’s top criminal court overturned the acquittal of American Amanda Knox in the grisly murder of British roommate Meredith Kercher and ordered Knox to stand trial again. (Although convicted in absentia, Knox was exonerated by the Italian Supreme Court in 2015.)
2014 Osama bin Laden’s son-in-law, Sulaiman Abu Ghaith), was convicted in New York for his role as al-Qaida’s fiery chief spokesman after 9/11. (He was later sentenced to life in prison.)
2018 A toxicology report obtained by The Associated Press revealed that the late pop superstar Prince had levels of fentanyl in his body that multiple experts described as “exceedingly high.”
2021 Dominion Voting Systems filed a $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News, saying the cable news giant falsely claimed that the voting company rigged the 2020 election.
Today’s birthdays: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, 89. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, 84. Author Erica Jong, 82. Journalist Bob Woodward, 81. Singer Diana Ross, 80. Rock singer Steven Tyler (Aerosmith), 76. Singer and TV personality Vicki Lawrence, 75. Comedian Martin Short, 74. Movie composer Alan Silvestri, 74. Former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, 71. Radio talk show host Curtis Sliwa, 70. TV personality Leeza Gibbons, 67. Actor Jennifer Grey, 64. College and Pro Football Hall of Famer Marcus Allen, 64. Basketball and College Basketball Hall of Famer John Stockton, 62. Actor Michael Imperioli, 58. Rock musician James Iha, 56. Country singer Kenny Chesney, 56. Movie director Martin McDonagh, 53. Actor Leslie Mann, 52. Actor T.R. Knight, 51. Actor Keira Knightley, 39.