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Almanac ~ Friday, 3/3/17

Hina Matsuri (Doll Festival) in Japan today

Today is Friday March 3, 2017, the 62nd day of the year, with 303 days remaining

  • Sunrise: 6:38am
  • Sunset: 6:06pm

21% of the waxing crescent moon will be visible, setting at 11:58pm

Tides at the Golden Gate

  • High: 2:44am/3:42pm
  • Low: 9:01am/8:57pm

Special international celebrations today:

  • Declaration of Establishment of Authority of the People - Libya
  • Martyr's Day - Malawi
  • Mother's Day - Georgia
  • National Anthem Day – USA
  • National Day – Bulgaria, Morocco
  • National Unity Day - Sudan
  • Hina Matsuri (Doll Festival) - Japan
  • Fete Du Trone – Morocco

It’s also…

  • I Want You To Be Happy Day
  • International Ear Care Day
  • National Day of Action (Peace Corps)
  • National Mulled Wine Day
  • National Cold Cuts Day
  • Princess Day
  • Shabbat Across America/Canada
  • Dress in Blue Day
  • Employee Appreciation Day
  • National Day of Unplugging
  • World Day of Prayer
  • World Wildlife Day

On this day in…

1791 - The US Congress passed a resolution that created the US Mint.

1803 - The first impeachment trial of a US Judge, John Pickering, began.

1812 - The US Congress passed the first foreign aid bill.

1817 - The first commercial steamboat route from Louisville to New Orleans was opened.

1845 – Florida became the 27th state.

1845 – The US Congress passed legislation overriding a U.S. President’s veto. It was the first time the Congress had achieved this.

1845 - An Act of Congress established uniform postal rates throughout the nation. The act went into effect on July 1, 1845.

1849 - The US Department of the Interior was established.

1849 - The Gold Coinage Act was passed by the US Congress. It allowed the minting of gold coins.

1849 - The US Congress created the territory of Minnesota.

1851 - The US Congress authorized the 3-cent piece. It was the smallest US silver coin.

1857 - Britain and France declared war on China.

1863 - Free city delivery of mail was authorized by the US Postal Service.

1875 – The US Congress authorized the 20-cent piece. It was only used for 3 years.

1878 - Russia and the Ottomans signed the treaty of San Stenafano. The treaty granted independence to Romania, Serbia, Montenegro, and the autonomy of Bulgaria.

1885 - The American Telephone and Telegraph (AT&T) was incorporated in New York as a subsidiary of the American Bell Telephone Company.

1885 – The US Post Office began offering special delivery for first-class mail.

1894 - The "Atlantis" was first published. It was the first Greek newspaper in America.

1900 - Striking miners in Germany returned to work.

1903 - In St. Louis, MO, Barney Gilmore was arrested for spitting.

1903 – The US imposed a $2 head tax on immigrants.

1904 - Wilhelm II of Germany made the first recording of a political document with Thomas Edison's cylinder.

1905 - The Russian Czar agreed to create an elected assembly.

1906 - A Frenchman tried the first flight in an airplane with tires.

1908 - The US government declared open war on US anarchists.

1909 - Aviators Herring, Curtiss and Bishop announced that airplanes would be made commercially in the US.

1910 - J.D. Rockefeller Jr. announced his withdrawal from business to administer his father's fortune for an "uplift in humanity". He also appealed to the US Congress for the creation of the Rockefeller Foundation.

1910 - In New York, Robert Forest founded the National Housing Association to fight deteriorating urban living conditions.

1910 - Nicaraguan rebels admitted defeat in open war and resorted to guerrilla tactics in the hope of US intervention.

1915 - The motion picture "Birth of a Nation" debuted in New York City.

1918 - The Treaty of Brest Litovsky was signed by Germany, Austria and Russia. The treaty ended Russia's participation in World War I.

1923 - The first issue of Time magazine was published.

1930 - "Flying High" opened at the Apollo Theatre in New York City.

1931 - The "Star Spangled Banner," written by Francis Scott Key, was adopted as the American national anthem. The song was originally a poem known as "Defense of Fort McHenry."

1938 - A world record for the indoor mile run was set by Glenn Cunningham. He ran the distance in 4 minutes, 4.4 seconds.

1939 - In Bombay, Ghandi began a fast to protest the state's autocratic rule.

1941 - Moscow denounced the Axis rule in Bulgaria.

1945 - Superman encountered Batman and Robin for the first time on the Mutual Broadcasting System.

1945 - During World War II, Finland declared war on the Axis.

1952 - "Whispering Streets" debuted on ABC Radio.

1952 – The US Supreme Court upheld New York's Feinberg Law that banned Communist teachers.

1956 - Morocco gained its independence.

1959 - The San Francisco Giants had their new stadium officially named Candlestick Park.

1969 - Apollo 9 was launched by NASA to test a lunar module.

1969 - Sirhan Sirhan testified in a Los Angeles court that he killed Robert Kennedy.

1972 - NASA's Pioneer 10 spacecraft was launched.

1973 - Japan disclosed its first defense plan since World War II.

1974 - About 350 people died when a Turkish Airlines DC-10 crashed just after takeoff from Orly Airport in Paris.

1978 - The remains of Charles Chaplin were stolen from his grave in Cosier-sur-Vevey, Switzerland. The body was recovered 11 weeks later near Lake Geneva.

1980 - The submarine Nautilus was decommissioned. The vessels final voyage had ended on May 26, 1979.

1985 - Women Against Pornography awarded its ‘Pig Award’ to Huggies Diapers. The activists claimed that the TV ads for diapers had "crossed the line between eye-catching and porn."

1985 - The TV show "Moonlighting" premiered.

1987 - The U.S. House of Representatives rejected a package of $30 million in non-lethal aid for the Nicaraguan Contras.

1991 - 25 people were killed when a United Airlines Boeing 737-200 crashed while on approach to the Colorado Springs airport.

1991 - Rodney King was severely beaten by Los Angeles police officers. The scene was captured on amateur video.

1994 - The Mexican government reached a peace agreement with the Chiapas rebels.

1995 - A U.N. peacekeeping mission in Somalia ended. Several gunmen were killed by US Marines in Mogadishu while overseeing the pull out of peacekeepers.

1999 - In Egypt, 19 people were killed when a bus plunged into a Nile canal. Birthday celebrants today include (or included)…

Birthday celebrants today include (or included)

  • Alexander Graham Bell 1847
  • Shalom Alekhem 1859
  • Rupert Brooke 1887
  • Matthew Ridgway 1895
  • Mayo Methot 1904
  • Jean Harlow 1911
  • Robert Whitehead 1916
  • Julius Boros 1920
  • James Doohan 1920
  • Diana Barrymore 1921
  • Doc Watson 1923- Musician, singer
  • George Pullman 1831
  • Paul Clayton 1933
  • Princess Radziwill 1933
  • Gia Scala 1934
  • Willie Chambers 1938 - Musician (The Chambers Brothers)
  • John Thomas 1941
  • Mike Pender 1942 - Musician (The Searchers)
  • Jance Garfat 1944 - Musician (Dr. Hook)
  • George Miller 1945 - Director, producer
  • Jennifer Warnes 1947 - Singer
  • Dave Mount 1947 - Musician (Mud)
  • David Pritchard 1949
  • Blue Weaver 1949 - Musician (Amen Corner)
  • Tim Kazurinsky 1950 - Actor, director
  • Robyn Hitchcock 1953 - Musician
  • Dale Bozzio 1955 - Singer (Missing Persons)
  • Miranda Richardson 1958 - Actress
  • Mary Page Keller 1961
  • Herschel Walker 1962
  • Jackie Joyner-Kersee 1962 - Olympic track and field gold medalist
  • Tone-Loc 1966
  • Brian Leetch 1968 - Hockey player
  • John Bingham 1969 - Musician (Fishbone)
  • Julia Bowen 1970 - Actress ("Ed", "Boston Legal")
  • David Faustino 1974 - Actor ("Married With Children")
  • Danny Masterson 1976
  • Jessica Biel 1982 - Actress ("7th Heaven")
  • Santonio Holmes 1984 - Football player
David Latulippe is host of On the Arts, KALW's weekly radio magazine of the performing arts, as well as for Explorations in Music, and the Berkeley Symphony broadcasts. He has also hosted and produced the radio series From the Conservatory, Music from Mills, and Music at Menlo, and is principal guest host for Revolutions Per Minute.