Today in History
Today’s highlight:
On March 19, 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.
On this date:
1918: Congress passed the first law establishing daylight saving time in the United States, with clocks to be moved forward one hour from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in
October. This law was repealed in August 1919.
1953: The Academy Awards ceremony was televised for the first time; “The Greatest Show on Earth” was named best picture of 1952.
1979: The U.S. House of Representatives began televising its floor proceedings; the live feed was carried by C-SPAN, which was making its debut.
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.
2003: President George W. Bush ordered the start of war against Iraq. Because of the time difference, it was early March 20 in Iraq.
2005: Police in Citrus County, Florida, found the body of 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford, more than three weeks after she’d disappeared from her bedroom. Convicted sex offender John Evander Couey was later sentenced to death for kidnapping, raping and burying Jessica alive; he died of natural causes in September 2009.
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.
Ten years ago: An Austrian jury sentenced Josef Fritzl, 73, to life in a psychiatric ward for locking his daughter in a dungeon for 24 years, fathering her seven children and letting an eighth die in captivity as a newborn.
Five years ago: In her first news conference as Federal Reserve chair, Janet Yellen said with the job market still weak, the Fed intended to keep short-term rates near zero for a “considerable” time and would raise them only gradually. Toyota agreed to pay $1.2 billion to settle an investigation by the U.S. government, admitting that it had hidden information about defects that caused Toyota and Lexus vehicles to accelerate unexpectedly, resulting in injuries and deaths.
One year ago: Speaking in New Hampshire, a state ravaged by opioids, President Donald Trump called for stiffer penalties for drug traffickers, including the death penalty. Former tennis star Martina Navratilova said she was “extremely angry” to learn that the BBC paid
John McEnroe at least 10 times more than her for their broadcasting roles at Wimbledon. Former “Sex and the City” star Cynthia Nixon announced that she would challenge New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in a Democratic primary in September. Cuomo easily beat back the challenge.