Today is Tuesday, March 19, the 79th day of the year 2024. There are 287 days left in the year.
Today’s story highlight:
On March 19, 1995, after a 21-month hiatus, Michael Jordan returned to professional basketball with the Chicago Bulls. He would win three more NBA championships to go with the three he and the Bulls had already won.
To this date :
In 1859, the opera “Faust” by Charles Gounod was created in Paris.
In 1931, Nevada Governor Fred B. Balzar signed a measure legalizing casino gaming in the state.
In 1942, during World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered men ages 45 to 64, inclusive, to register for nonmilitary duties.
In 1945, during World War II, 724 people were killed when a Japanese dive bomber attacked the aircraft carrier USS Franklin off the coast of Japan (the ship was saved).
In 1977, the series finale of “Mary Tyler Moore” aired on CBS-TV, ending the sitcom’s seven-season run.
In 1987, televangelist Jim Bakker resigned as president of his PTL ministry organization amid a sex and financial scandal involving Jessica Hahn, a former Church secretary.
In 1991, Polish President Lech Walesa arrived in Washington for his first state visit to the United States.
In 1997, the artist Willem de Kooning, considered one of the greatest painters of the 20th century, died in East Hampton, New York, at the age of 92.
In 2003, President George W. Bush ordered the war against Iraq. (Due to the time difference, it was early March 20 in Iraq.)
In 2007, a methane explosion at a Siberian coal mine killed 110 workers.
In 2012, the Justice Department announced it had opened an investigation into the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Florida by a neighborhood watch captain, George Zimmerman. (No federal civil rights charges were filed; Zimmerman was acquitted of a second-degree murder charge after claiming self-defense.)
In 2013, Pope Francis officially began his ministry as the 266th pope, receiving the ring symbolizing the papacy and a woolen stole illustrating his role as shepherd of his 1.2 billion strong flock at a mass at the Vatican.
In 2020, President Donald Trump drew attention to a malaria drug, chloroquine, as a possible treatment for the coronavirus; the FDA released a statement saying there were “no FDA-approved therapeutic products” to treat COVID-19.
In 2022, Russian forces moved deeper into the besieged and battered Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, where heavy fighting closed a major steel plant and local authorities pleaded for more Western aid.
Today’s birthdays: Actress Renee Taylor is 91 years old. Actress Ursula Andress is 88 years old. Singer Clarence “Frogman” Henry is 87 years old. Singer Ruth Pointer (The Pointer Sisters) is 78 years old. Actor Glenn Close is 77 years old. Actor Bruce Willis is 69 years old. Actor-comedian Mary Scheer is 61 years old. Playwright Neil LaBute is 61 years old. Actor Connor Trinneer is 55 years old. Rock musician Gert Bettens (K’s Choice) is 54 years old. Rapper Bun B is 51 years old. Rock musician Zach Lind (Jimmy Eat World) is 48 years old. Actress Virginia Williams is 51 years old. 46. Actor Abby Brammell is 45 years old. MLB pitcher Clayton Kershaw is 36 years old. Actor Craig Lamar Traylor is 35 years old. Actor Philip Bolden is 29 years old.
