TODAY IN HISTORY

Today is Friday, March 15, the 74th day of 2019. There are 291 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History:

On March 15, 44 B.C., Roman dictator Julius Caesar was assassinated by a group of nobles that included Brutus and Cassius.

On this date:

■ In 1493, Italian explorer Christopher Columbus arrived back in the Spanish harbor of Palos de la Frontera, two months after concluding his first voyage to the Western Hemisphere.

■ In 1820, Maine became the 23rd state.

■ In 1916, a U.S. expeditionary force led by Brig. Gen. John J. Pershing entered Mexico on an ultimately futile mission to capture Pancho Villa, whose raiders had attacked Columbus, New Mexico, killing 18 U.S. citizens.

■ In 1919, members of the American Expeditionary Force from World War I convened in Paris for a three-day meeting to found the American Legion.

■ In 1937, America’s first hospital blood bank was opened at Cook County Hospital in Illinois.

One year ago: A pedestrian bridge that was under construction collapsed onto a busy Miami highway, crushing vehicles beneath massive slabs of concrete and steel; six people died and 10 were injured.

Today’s Birthdays: Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is 86. Actor Judd Hirsch is 84. Rock singer Dee Snider (Twisted Sister) is 64. Singer Terence Trent D’Arby is

57. Rock singer Bret Michaels (Poison) is 56. Rhythm-andblues singer Rockwell is 55. Actor Chris Bruno is 53. Rock singer Mark McGrath (Sugar Ray) is 51. Actress Eva Longoria is 44. Rapper-musician will.i.am (Black Eyed Peas) is 44. Rapper Young Buck is 38.

Thought for Today: “You can’t copy anybody and end with anything. If you copy, it means you’re working without any real feeling.”—Billie Holiday, American singer (1915-1959).