TODAY IN HISTORY

Today

is Friday, March 26, the 85th day of 2021. There are 280 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History:

On March 26, 1982, groundbreaking took place in Washington, D.C., for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

On this date:

In 1812, an earthquake devastated Caracas, Venezuela, causing an estimated 26,000 deaths.

In 1917, the Seattle Metropolitans became the first U.S. team to win the Stanley Cup as they defeated the Montreal Canadiens in Game 4 of the finals 9-1.

In 1945, during World War II, Iwo Jima was fully secured by U.S. forces following a final, desperate attack by Japanese soldiers.

In 1964, the musical “Funny Girl,î” starring Barbra Streisand as Fanny Brice, opened on Broadway.

In 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.

In 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, Calif.

Today’s Birthdays: Retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor is 91. Actor Alan Arkin is 87. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is 81. Actor James Caan is 81. Author Erica Jong is 79. Journalist Bob Woodward is 78. Singer Diana Ross is 77. Rock singer Steven Tyler is 73. Comedian Martin Short is 71. TV personality Leeza Gibbons is 64. Actor Jennifer Grey is 61. College and Pro Football Hall of Famer Marcus Allen is 61. Basketball and College Basketball Hall of Famer John Stockton is 59. Actor Michael Imperioli is 55.