Today in history

Today is Thursday, March 21, the 80th day of 2019 and the second day of spring.

Today’s Highlights in History: In 1788, a fire destroyed most of the city of New Orleans.

▪ In 1963, the federal penitentiary on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay was closed.

▪ In 1980, President Jimmy Carter announced that the United States would boycott the Moscow Olympic Games.

▪ In 2006, the social media site Twitter was founded.

▪ In 2011, a team of 30 surgeons and other physicians at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston completed the first full face transplant in the U.S.

Today’s Fact: Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones completed the first nonstop hot air balloon flight around the world on this day in 1999.

Today’s Sports: In 1989, an investigative report by Sports Illustrated revealed evidence that Major League Baseball player-manager Pete Rose had illegally gambled on baseball games.

Today’s Quote: “A bit of trash now and then is good for the severest reader. It provides the necessary roughage in the literary diet.” — Phyllis McGinley

Today’s Number: 14 — attempted escapes, involving 36 inmates, from Alcatraz Prison over the 29 years that the prison operated. None of the attempts are believed to have been successful.

Today’s Moon: Between full moon (March 20) and last quarter moon (March 27).

Birthdays

Benito Juarez (1806-1872), Mexican president; Florenz Ziegfeld (18671932), theater producer; Phyllis McGinley (1905-1978), author; Timothy Dalton (1946- ), actor; Gary Oldman (1958- ), actor; Ayrton Senna (19601994), race car driver; Matthew Broderick (1962- ), actor; Rosie O’Donnell (1962- ), actress/talk show host; Ronaldinho (1980- ), soccer player; Adrian Peterson (1985- ), football player.