Today in History: 3/26/04

Published 4:00 pm Thursday, March 25, 2004

Today is Friday, March 26, the 86th day of 2004. There are 280 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History:

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

On this date:

In 1804, the Louisiana Purchase was divided into the Territory of Orleans and the District of Louisiana.

In 1827, composer Ludwig van Beethoven died in Vienna.

In 1874, poet Robert Frost was born in San Francisco.

In 1892, poet Walt Whitman died in Camden, N.J.

In 1911, playwright Tennessee Williams was born in Columbus, Miss.

In 1958, the U.S. Army launched America’s third successful satellite, Explorer III.

In 1962, the U.S. Supreme Court gave federal courts the power to order reapportionment of seats in a state legislature, a decision that eventually led to the doctrine of “one man, one vote.”

In 1964, the musical play “Funny Girl,” starring Barbra Streisand, opened on Broadway.

In 1971, East Pakistan proclaimed its independence, taking the name Bangladesh.

In 1979, the Camp David peace treaty was signed by Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat at the White House.

Ten years ago: U.N. peacekeepers in Bosnia-Herzegovina destroyed a Serb bunker following a seven-hour exchange of fire. The Senate passed President Clinton’s education reform measure, the “Goals 2000” bill, 63-22.

Five years ago: American-led NATO forces launched a third night of airstrikes against Yugoslavia. Dr. Jack Kevorkian was convicted in Pontiac, Mich., of second-degree murder for giving a patient with Lou Gehrig’s disease a lethal injection, an action videotaped and broadcast on television. A cunning computer virus named “Melissa” began infecting computers across the country.

One year ago: The Senate approved a $2.2 trillion budget that provided less than half the $726 billion in tax cuts President Bush wanted. Former Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, D-N.Y., died in Washington, D.C., at age 76. Interpol issued an international call for the arrest of former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori on charges of murder and kidnapping in Peru.

Today’s Birthdays: Retired Army Gen. William C. Westmoreland is 90. Jazz musician James Moody is 79. Conductor-composer Pierre Boulez is 79. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor is 74. Actor-director Leonard Nimoy is 73. Actor Alan Arkin is 70. Actor James Caan is 64. Author Erica Jong is 62. Journalist Bob Woodward is 61. Singer Diana Ross is 60. Actor Johnny Crawford is 58. Rock singer Steven Tyler (Aerosmith) is 56. Singer and TV personality Vicki Lawrence is 55. Singer Teddy Pendergrass is 54. Comedian Martin Short is 54. Country singer Ronnie McDowell is 54. Country singer Dean Dillon is 49. Country singer Charly McClain is 48. TV personality Leeza Gibbons is 47. Actress Jennifer Grey is 44. Basketball player John Stockton is 42. Actor Michael Imperioli is 38. Rock musician James Iha is 36. Country singer Kenny Chesney is 36. Rapper Juvenile is 29. Actress Amy Smart is 28. Actress Keira Knightley is 19.

Thought for Today: “The proof of a poet is that his country absorbs him as affectionately as he has absorbed it.” – Walt Whitman (1819-1892).