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March 23rd
1703 ~ Antonio Vivaldi entered the priesthood. He had asthma attacks, or faked them, when he said Mass. But he never had the same problem while conducting a church orchestra or choir.
1792 ~ Joseph Haydn's Symphony No. 94 in G Major (the "Surprise Symphony") performed publicly for the first time, in London. 1743 ~ George Frideric Handel's oratorio "Messiah" had its London premiere, at which the first "standing ovation" was recorded. King George was so inspired by the “Halleluiah” chorus that he jumped to his feet after which everyone else followed suit. 1912 ~ Birthday of Wernher von Braun, Rocket Scientist. 1919 ~ Benito Mussolini founded his Fascist political movement in Milan, Italy. 1925 ~ The state of Tennessee enacted a law that made it a crime for a teacher in any state-supported public school to teach any theory that was in contradiction to the Bible's account of man's creation. 1929 ~ Birthday of Roger Bannister, Runner who broke the “4 minute mile” barrier in 1954. 1963 ~ The Beach Boys released "Surfin' U.S.A.". 1994 ~ Wayne Gretzky broke Gordie Howe's National Hockey League (NHL) career record with his 802nd goal. 1998 ~ The movie "Titanic" won 11 Oscars at the Academy Awards. |
March 24th
1721 ~ In Germany, Johann Sebastian Bach presented six concertos to the Marburg of Brandenburg.
1765 ~ Britain passed the Quartering Act that required the American colonies to house 10,000 British troops in public and private buildings. That one showed up in the Declaration of Independence. 1855 ~ Birthday of Andrew Mellon, Financier and Industrialist. 1874 ~ Birthday of Harry Houdini, Magician and Escape Artist. 1927 ~ Chinese Communists seized Nanking and break with Chiang Kai-shek over the Nationalist goals. 1947 ~ The U.S. Congress proposed the limitation of the presidency to two terms. 1955 ~ Tennessee Williams' “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” debuted on Broadway. 1980 ~ In San Salvador, Archbishop Oscar Romero was shot to death by gunmen as he celebrated Mass. 1992 ~ Punch, Britain's oldest satirical magazine, closed after 150 years. 1999 ~ NATO launched air strikes against Yugoslavia. The attacks marked the first time in its 50-year history that NATO attacked a sovereign country. The bombings were in response to Serbia's refusal to sign a peace treaty with ethnic Albanians who were seeking independence for the province of Kosovo. |
March 25th
1306 ~ Robert the Bruce crowned king of Scotland.
1634 ~ Lord Baltimore founded the Catholic colony of Maryland. 1807 ~ The first railway passenger service began in England. 1867 ~ Birthday of Arturo Toscanini , Conductor. 1881 ~ Birthday of Béla Bartók, Composer. 1908 ~ Birthday of David Lean, Director, Producer, and Scriptwriter (The Bridge on the River Kwai, Lawrence of Arabia, Dr. Zhivago). 1942 ~ Birthday of Aretha Franklin, Singer. 1947 ~ Birthday of Elton John, Singer. 1953 ~ The USS Missouri fired on targets at Kojo, North Korea. 1992 ~ British scientists find new largest perfect number (2 756839 -1 * 2 756839). |
March 26th
1827 ~ Death of Ludwig van Beethoven, who led the musical transition from the Classical style to the Romantic.
1828 ~ In Vienna, Austrian composer Franz Schubert gave his only public concert. 1875 ~ Birthday of Robert Frost, Poet. 1886 ~ Birthday of Al Jolson, early Superstar. 1911 ~ Birthday of Thomas Lanier (Tennessee) Williams, Playwright. 1913 ~ During the Balkan War, the Bulgarians took Adrianople. Interestingly, a few years earlier, 378 AD, in a battle that established the dominance of cavalry over infantry for the next thousand years, the Goths destroyed the Roman army led by the emporer Valens. 1930 ~ Birthday of Sandra Day O'Connor, first woman Justice of the US Supreme Court. 1942 ~ The Germans began sending Jews to Auschwitz in Poland. 1971 ~ Sheikh Mujibur Rahman declared East Pakistan to be the independent republic of Bangladesh. 1989 ~ The first free elections took place in the Soviet Union. Boris Yeltsin was elected. |
March 27th
1512 ~ Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon sighted Florida.
1836 ~ The first Mormon temple was dedicated in Kirtland, OH. 1836 ~ The Mexican army massacred about 400 Texan rebels at Goliad, TX, under the order of Santa Anna. 1845 ~ Birthday of Wilhelm Röntgen, Physicist. The unit of radiation exposure is named after him. 1863 ~ Birthday of Sir Frederick Royce, Engineer, automobile pioneer. Teamed up with some guy named Charles Rolls. 1899 ~ The first international radio transmission between England and France was achieved by the Italian inventor G. Marconi. 1912 ~ The first cherry blossom trees, a gift from Japan, were planted in Washington, DC. 1927 ~ Birthday of Mstislav Rostropovich, Cellist and Conductor. 1931 ~ Actor Charlie Chaplin received France’s Legion of Honor decoration. 1995 ~ Tupac Shakur's "Me Against the World" gave him the dubious distinction of being first rap artist to debut at No. 1 on the charts while in jail for sexual assault. He was later murdered. |
March 28th
1797 ~ Nathaniel Briggs patented a washing machine.
1854 ~ The Crimean War began with Britain and France declaring war on Russia. 1899 ~ Birthday of August Busch, Brewer & Team Owner. 1903 ~ Birthday of Rudolph Serkin, Pianist. 1930 ~ The Turkish cities of Constantinople and Angora changed their names to Istanbul and Ankara respectively. 1939 ~ The Spanish Civil War ended as Madrid fell to Francisco Franco. 1945 ~ Germany launched the last of the V-2 rockets against England. 1970 ~ Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young's "Woodstock" was released. 1979 ~ A major accident occurred at Pennsylvania's Three Mile Island nuclear power plant. A nuclear power reactor overheated and suffered a partial meltdown. 1986 ~ More than 6,000 radio stations of all format varieties played "We are the World" simultaneously at 10:15 a.m. EST. |
March 29th
1867 ~ The British Parliament passed the North America Act to create the Dominion of Canada.
1903 ~ A regular news service began between New York and London on Marconi's wireless. 1918 ~ Birthday of Pearl Bailey, Jazz Singer. 1918 ~ Birthday of Sam Walton (Wal-Mart), Retailer. 1943 ~ Birthday of John Major, English Prime Minister. 1951 ~ Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were convicted of conspiracy to commit espionage. They were executed in June 19, 1953. 1951 ~ A Rodgers & Hammerstein triumph, “The King and I” opened on Broadway, with Yul Brynner and Gertrude Lawrence in the principal roles. 1973 ~ The last US combat troops left South Vietnam. 1976 ~ Bruce Springsteen jumped a fence at Graceland in an attempt to see his idol, Elvis Presley. 1992 ~ Democratic presidential front-runner Bill Clinton said "I didn't inhale and I didn't try it again" in reference to when he had experimented with marijuana. |
March 30th
1492 ~ King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella signed a decree expelling all Jews from Spain.
1746 ~ Birthday of Francisco Jose de Goya y Lucientes, Painter 1820 ~ Birthday of Anna Sewell, Author (Black Beauty) 1853 ~ Birthday of Vincent Van Gogh, Painter 1900 ~ Birthday of Ted Heath, English Big Band Leader - really! 1945 ~ Birthday of Eric Clapton, Musician 1947 ~ Lord Mountbatten arrived in India as the new Viceroy. 1950 ~ President Truman denounced Senator Joe McCarthy as a saboteur of U.S. foreign policy. 1981 ~ Ronald Reagan was shot by John W. Hinckley Jr. 1998 ~ Rolls-Royce was purchased by BMW in a $570 million deal. |
March 31st
1596 ~ Birthday of René Descartes, Philosopher & Mathematician.
1621 ~ Birthday of Andrew Marvell, Metaphysical Poet. 1732 ~ Birthday of Franz Joseph Haydn, Composer. 1811 ~ Birthday of Robert Bunsen, Chemist and inventor of the Bunsen burner. 1889 ~ Eiffrel Tower inaugurated. 1928 ~ Birthday of Gordie Howe, Athlete. 1943 ~ Rodgers and Hammerstein’s "Oklahoma!" opened on Broadway 1945 ~ ”The Glass Menagerie” opened on Broadway. 1959 ~ The spiritual leader of Tibet, the Dalai Lama, crossed the border into India after a 15-day journey on foot from the Tibetan capital, Lhasa, over the Himalayan mountains. 1995 ~ Selena was killed by the president of her fan club, Yolanda Saldivar. |
April 1st
1578 ~ Birthday of William Harvey, Scientist (circulatory system).
1735 ~ Handel's "Organ Concerto in F major”, Op. 4 No. 4 premiered. 1815 ~ Birthday of Otto von Bismarck, founder of the German Empire. 1873 ~ Birthday of Sergei Rachmaninoff, Composer, Pianist & Conductor. 1883 ~ Birthday of Lon Chaney, Actor (The Hunchback Of Notre Dame, The Phantom Of The Opera). 1905 ~ The British East African Protectorate became the colony of Kenya. 1918 ~ The Royal Air Force (RAF) formed by the merger of the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Navy Air Service. 1924 ~ Adolf Hitler sentenced to five years in prison for high treason in the "Beer Hall Putsch”. 1948 ~ The Big Bang theory was proposed in a letter to the Physical Review by Alpher, Bethe & Gamow. 1957 ~ The BBC's "Panorama" airs a piece on the Swiss Spaghetti Harvest. http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/70000...prilfool_vi.ram |
April 2nd
1725 ~ Birthday of Giovanni Casanova, Libertine
1800 ~ Beethoven's Symphony No. 1 first performed for Baron von Swieten. 1805 ~ Birthday of Hans Christian Andersen, Author. 1875 ~ Birthday of Walter Chrysler, Industrialist (Chrysler Corp.). 1905 ~ The Simplon rail tunnel officially opened. The tunnel went under the Alps and linked Switzerland and Italy. 1914 ~ Birthday of Alec Guinness, Actor (The Bridge on the River Kwai, Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago, Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi). 1953 ~ Francis Crick and James Watson described a double helix structure for DNA in the journal “Nature”. 1964 ~ The Beach Boys recorded "I Get Around." 1998 ~ Former French cabinet minister Maurice Papon been found guilty of war crimes for his part in deporting Jews from France during World War II. 1982 ~ Argentina invaded the British territory of the Falkland Islands in the south Atlantic. |
April 3rd
1783 ~ Birthday of Washington Irving, Author (The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Rip Van Winkle).
1829 ~ James Carrington, sometimes called “Saint Carrington” patented the coffee mill. 1888 ~ Birthday of Ma Rainey, the "Mother of the Blues". 1924 ~ Birthday of Marlon Brando, Actor (Streetcar Named Desire, On The Waterfront, The Godfather, Last Tango in Paris). 1930 ~ Birthday of Helmut Kohl, last Chancellor of West Germany & first Chancellor of the reunified Germany. 1934 ~ Birthday of Jane Goodall , Ethologist. 1936 ~ Richard Hauptmann executed for the kidnapping and death of the son of Charles and Anne Lindbergh. 1946 ~ Lt. General Masaharu Homma, the Japanese commander responsible for the Bataan Death March was executed. 1973 ~ The first portable phone call was placed by inventor Martin Cooper. 1989 ~ Pepsi dismissed Madonna as a spokesperson after her "Like a Prayer" video was called "blasphemous" by the Vatican. |
April 4th
1541 ~ Ignatius of Loyola became the first superior-general of the Jesuits.
1581 ~ Frances Drake completed the circumnavigation of the world. 1884 ~ Birthday of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, planner of the December 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. 1887 ~ Susanna Salter became mayor of Argonia, KS, making her the first woman mayor in the U.S. 1895 ~ Birthday of Arthur Murray, Dance Instructor, burlesqued in one of the “Avengers” episodes. 1915 ~ Blues legend McKinley Morganfield, better known as Muddy Waters. 1917 ~ Birthday of Gregory Peck, Actor. 1949 ~ Delegates from 12 countries met in Washington to sign the North Atlantic Treaty, creating NATO. 1968 ~ U.S. civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was shot to death. 1969 ~ Dr. Denton Cooley implanted the first total artificial heart. |
April 5th
1588 ~ Birthday of Thomas Hobbes, Materialist Philosopher.
1614 ~ Pocahontas marries colonist John Rolfe. 1827 ~ Birthday of Sir Joseph Lister, surgeon and medical scientist who was the founder of antiseptic medicine. 1843 ~ Queen Victoria proclaimed Hong Kong to be a British crown colony. 1895 ~ Playwright Oscar Wilde lost his criminal libel case against the Marquess of Queensberry. 1900 ~ Birthday of Spencer Tracy, Actor. 1908 ~ Birthday of Bette Davis, Actress. 1953 ~ Jomo Kenyatta was convicted and sentenced to 7 years in prison for orchestrating the Mau-Mau rebellion in Kenya. 1955 ~ Sir Winston Churchill resigned as British PM. 1985 ~ John McEnroe said "Any man can beat any woman at any sport, especially tennis". |
April 6th
1862 ~ The U.S. Civil War’s Battle of Shiloh began. There was a two day toll of 23,746 casualties.
1890 ~ Birthday of Anthony Fokker, Aircraft Manufacturer. 1896 ~ The first modern Olympic Games began in Athens, Greece. 1928 ~ Birthday of James Watson, Biophysicist. 1929 ~ Birthday of André Previn, Pianist & Conductor. 1930 ~ Hostess Twinkies were invented. 1957 ~ Elvis Presley's "All Shook Up" was released. 1989 ~ British government announced it would repeal legislation which guaranteed Dockers' 'jobs for life’. 1994 ~ The presidents of Rwanda and Burundi were killed in a plane crash near the Rwandan capital, Kigali. This led to the massacre of at least 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus. 1998 ~ Pakistan successfully tested medium-range missiles capable of attacking neighboring India. |
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