Today in history

OnMarch30,1135, Jewish philosopher and physician Moses Maimonides was born in Cordoba, Spain.

In1822 Florida became a U.S. territory.

In1867 U.S. Secretary of State William Seward reached agreement with Russia to purchase the territory of Alaska for $7.2 million, a deal roundly ridiculed as “Seward’s Folly.”

In1870 the 15th Amendment to the Constitution, giving black men the right to vote, was declared in effect.

In1945 the Soviet Union invaded Austrian territory in World War II. In 1981 President Ronald Reagan was shot and seriously injured outside a Washington hotel by John Hinckley Jr. (Also wounded were White House press secretary James Brady, a Secret Service agent and a District of Columbia police officer.)

In 1995 Pope John Paul II issued the 11th encyclical of his papacy, “Evangelium Vitae,” in which he condemned abortion and euthanasia as crimes that no human laws can legitimize.

In 1996 the space shuttle Atlantis narrowly avoided having tomake an emergency landing when its cargo bay doors wouldn’t open at first to release built-up heat.

In 2000 in the midst of the 2000 presidential campaign, Vice President Al Gore broke with the Clinton administration, saying he supported legislation to allow6-year-old Elian Gonzalez to remain in the country while the courts resolved his custody case.

In 2010 President Barack Obam asigned the final changes to sweeping legislation overhauling the nation’s health care industry and services; in addition, the legislation also drastically changed theway college loans are administered, cutting private banks out, easing repayment terms and expanding grants.