Today in History

Today is Monday, March 3, the 62nd day of 2014. There are 303 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On March 3, 1974, a Turkish Airlines DC-10 crashed shortly after takeoff from Orly Airport in Paris, killing all 346 people on board. A faulty cargo door had blown open, resulting in sudden decompression that caused part of the jetliner's floor to collapse, severely damaging the plane's control cables.

On this date:

In 1845, Florida became the 27th state.

In 1849, the U.S. Department of the Interior was established.

In 1894, British Prime Minister William Gladstone submitted his resignation to Queen Victoria, ending his fourth and final premiership.

In 1913, more than 5,000 suffragists marched down Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington D.C., a day before the presidential inauguration of Woodrow Wilson.

In 1923, Time magazine, founded by Briton Hadden and Henry R. Luce, made its debut.

In 1931, "The Star-Spangled Banner" became the national anthem of the United States as President Herbert Hoover signed a congressional resolution.

In 1934, bank robber John Dillinger escaped from the Lake County Jail in Crown Point, Ind., along with another prisoner, Herbert Youngblood.

In 1943, in London's East End, 173 people died in a crush of bodies at the Bethnal Green tube station, which was being used as a wartime air raid shelter.

In 1945, the Allies fully secured the Philippine capital of Manila from Japanese forces during World War II.

In 1969, Apollo 9 blasted off from Cape Kennedy on a mission to test the lunar module.

In 1985, coal miners in Britain voted to end a year-long strike that proved to be the longest and most violent walkout in British history.

In 1991, motorist Rodney King was severely beaten by Los Angeles police officers in a scene captured on amateur video. Twenty-five people were killed when a United Airlines Boeing 737-200 crashed while approaching the Colorado Springs airport.

Ten years ago: Multnomah County, Ore., began issuing same-sex marriage licenses. The Walt Disney Co.'s board voted to strip Michael Eisner of his chairman's post while retaining him as CEO.

Five years ago: U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, during a visit to Israel, promised to work with the incoming government, but said movement toward establishment of a Palestinian state was "inescapable." Guinea-Bissau's parliamentary leader Raimundo Pereira was sworn in as the country's new president, following the assassination of Joao Bernardo "Nino" Vieira. Sydney Chaplin, Charles Chaplin's son and himself a Tony-winning actor, died in Rancho Mirage, Calif. at age 82.

One year ago: Vice President Joe Biden led civil rights leaders and national political figures in a ceremonial crossing of a Selma, Ala., bridge where voting rights marchers were beaten by law enforcement officers in 1965. The SpaceX company's Dragon capsule made good on its latest shipment to the International Space Station, overcoming earlier mechanical difficulty to deliver a ton of supplies. Bobby Rogers, a founding member of Motown group The Miracles and a songwriting collaborator with Smokey Robinson, died at his suburban Detroit home; he was 73.

Today's Birthdays: Socialite Lee Radziwill is 81. Movie producer-director George Miller is 69. Actress Hattie Winston is 69. Singer Jennifer Warnes is 67. Actor-director Tim Kazurinsky is 64. Singer-musician Robyn Hitchcock is 61. Actor Robert Gossett is 60. Rock musician John Lilley is 60. Actress Miranda Richardson is 56. Radio personality Ira Glass is 55. Actress Mary Page Keller is 53. Olympic track and field gold medalist Jackie Joyner-Kersee is 52. College Football Hall of Famer Herschel Walker is 52. Contemporary Christian musician Duncan Phillips (Newsboys) is 50. Rapper-actor Tone Loc is 48. Rock musician John Bigham is 45. Actress Julie Bowen is 44. Country singer Brett Warren (The Warren Brothers) is 43. Actor David Faustino is 40. Gospel singer Jason Crabb is 37. Singer Ronan Keating (Boyzone) is 37. Rapper Lil' Flip is 33. Actress Jessica Biel is 32. Rock musician Blower (AKA Joe Garvey) (Hinder) is 30.

Thought for Today: "Some people stay longer in an hour than others do in a month." -- William Dean Howells, American author and editor (1837-1920).

Copyright 2014, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.