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Almanac ~ Thursday, 3/30/17

Happy Birthday, Vincent!

Today is Thursday, March 30th, 2017 the 90th day of the year with 276 days remaining.

  • Sunrise: 6:57am  
  • Sunset: 7:31pm

...giving us 12 hours and 34 minutes of daylight.  4% of the waxing moon will be visible, setting at 10:47pm
Tides at the Golden Gate

  • High: 1:41am/2:36pm
  • Low: 7:50am/7:56pm

Special international celebrations today…

  • Birthday of Sultan of Kelantan - Malaysia
  • Doctor's Day - USA
  • Spiritual Baptist Liberation Shouter Day - Trinidad & Tobago

It’s also…

  • Take a Walk in the Park Day
  • Doctors Day
  • Grass Is Always Browner On The Other Side Of The Fence Day
  • I Am In Control Day
  • Pencil Day
  • World Bi-polar Day:

On this day in…

1533 - Henry VIII divorced his first wife, Catherine of Aragon.

1814 - The allied European nations against Napoleon marched into Paris.

1822 - Florida became a U.S. territory.

1842 - Dr. Crawford W. Long performed the first operation while his patient was anesthetized by ether.

1855 - About 5,000 "Border Ruffians" from western Missouri invaded the territory of Kansas and forced the election of a pro-slavery legislature. It was the first election in Kansas.

1858 - Hyman L. Lipman of Philadelphia patented the pencil.

1867 - The U.S. purchased Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million dollars.

1870 - The 15th amendment, guaranteeing the right to vote regardless of race, was passed by the U.S. Congress.

1870 -Texas was readmitted to the Union.

1903 - Revolutionary activity in the Dominican Republic brought U.S. troops to Santo Domingo to protect American interests.

1905 -U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt was chosen to mediate in the Russo-Japanese peace talks.

1909 - The Queensboro bridge in New York opened linking Manhattan and Queens. It was the first double decker bridge.

1909 - In Oklahoma, Seminole Indians revolted against meager pay for government jobs.

1916 - Pancho Villa killed 172 at the Guerrero garrison in Mexico.

1936 - Britain announced a naval construction program of 38 warships.

1939 - The comic book "Detective Comics #27" appeared on newstands. This comic introduced Batman.

1940 - The Japanese set up a puppet government called Manchuko in Nanking, China.

1941 - The German Afrika Korps under General Erwin Rommel began its first offensive against British forces in Libya.

1944 - The U.S. fleet attacked Palau, near the Philippines.

1945 - The U.S.S.R. invaded Austria during World War II.

1946 - The Allies seized 1,000 Nazis attempting to revive the Nazi party in Frankfurt.

1947 - Lord Mountbatten arrived in India as the new Viceroy.

1950 - The invention of the phototransistor was announced.

1950 -U.S. President Truman denounced Senator Joe McCarthy as a saboteur of U.S. foreign policy.

1957 - Tunisia and Morocco signed a friendship treaty in Rabat.

1958 - The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater gave its initial performance.

1964 - "Jeopardy" debuted on NBC-TV.

1964 - John Glenn withdrew from the Ohio race for U.S. Senate because of injuries suffered in a fall.

1970 - "Applause" opened on Broadway.

1970 - "Another World - Somerset" debuted on NBC-TV.

1972 - The British government assumed direct rule over Northern Ireland.

1972 - The Eastertide Offensive began when North Vietnamese troops crossed into the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in the northern portion of South Vietnam.

1975 - As the North Vietnamese forces moved toward Saigon South Vietnamese soldiers mob rescue jets in desperation.

1981 -U.S. President Ronald Reagan was shot and wounded in Washington, DC, by John W. Hinckley Jr. Two police officers and Press Secretary James Brady were also wounded.

1982 - The space shuttle Columbia completed its third and its longest test flight after 8 days in space.

1984 - The U.S. ended its participation in the multinational peace force in Lebanon.

1987 - Vincent Van Gogh's "Sunflowers" was bought for $39.85 million.

1993 - In Sarajevo, two Serb militiamen were sentenced to death for war crimes committed in Bosnia.

1993 - In the Peanuts comic strip, Charlie Brown hit his first home run.

1994 - Serbs and Croats signed a cease-fire to end their war in Croatia while Bosnian Muslims and Serbs continued to fight each other.

1998 - Rolls-Royce was purchased by BMW in a $570 million deal.

2002 - An unmannedU.S. spy plan crashed at sea in the Southern Philippines.

2002 - Suspected Islamic militants set off several grenades at a temple in Indian-controlled Kashmir. Four civilians, four policemen and two attackers were killed and 20 people were injured.

2009 - The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey confirmed that the new World Trade Center building would be officially known by its legal name of "One World Trade Center."

Today’s birthday celebrants include (or included)...

  • Francisco Jose de Goya y Lucientes 1746
  • Anna Sewell 1820
  • Vincent Van Gogh 1853
  • Jo Davidson 1883
  • Ted Heath 1900
  • Frankie Laine 1913 - Singer
  • Richard Dysart 1929 - Actor
  • John Astin 1930 - Actor ("Addams Family")
  • Rolf Harris 1930 - Singer
  • Peter Marshall 1930 - Game show host ("Hollywood Squares")
  • Warren Beatty 1937 - Actor
  • Jerry Lucas 1940 - Basketball player
  • Astrud Gilberto 1940
  • Graeme Edge 1941 - Musician (Moody Blues)
  • Bobby Wright 1942
  • Ronnie Rice 1944 (New Colony 6)
  • Eric Clapton 1945 - Musician
  • Jim Dandy Mangrum 1948 - Musician (Black Oak Arkansas)
  • Robbie Coltrane 1950 - Actor
  • Dave Ball 1950 - Musician (Procol Harum)
  • Re Styles 1950 - Musician (The Tubes)
  • Lene Lovich 1954 - Singer
  • Randy VanWarmer 1955 - Singer, songwriter
  • Paul Reiser 1957 - Actor ("Mad About You"), comedian
  • M.C. Hammer (Stanley Kirk Burrell) 1963 - Rapper
  • Ian Ziering 1964 - Actor
  • Tracy Chapman 1964 - Singer
  • Celine Dion 1968 - Singer
  • Mark Consuelos 1970 - Actor
  • Norah Jones 1979 - Musician
  • Scott Moffatt 1983 - Singer, musician (The Moffats) 
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.