Today in History

Today is Tuesday, March 4, the 63rd day of 2014. There are 302 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On March 4, 1789, the Constitution of the United States went into effect as the first Federal Congress met in New York. (The lawmakers then adjourned for lack of a quorum.)

On this date:

In 1791, Vermont became the 14th state.

In 1861, Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated as the 16th president of the United States. The U.S. Government Printing Office began operation. The Confederate States of America adopted as its flag the original version of the Stars and Bars.

In 1863, the Idaho Territory was created.

In 1913, the "Buffalo nickel" officially went into circulation.

In 1930, Coolidge Dam in Arizona was dedicated by its namesake, former President Calvin Coolidge.

In 1944, mobsters Louis Capone, Louis "Lepke" Buchalter and Emanuel Weiss were executed in the electric chair at Sing Sing Prison in Ossining, N.Y., for the murder of business owner Joseph Rosen.

In 1952, Ronald Reagan and Nancy Davis were married in San Fernando Valley, Calif.

In 1964, Teamsters president James Hoffa and three co-defendants were found guilty by a federal court in Chattanooga, Tenn., of jury tampering.

In 1974, the first issue of People magazine, then called People Weekly, was published by Time-Life Inc.; on the cover was actress Mia Farrow, then co-starring in "The Great Gatsby."

In 1989, Time Inc. and Warner Communications Inc. announced plans for a huge media merger.

In 1994, in New York, four extremists were convicted of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing that killed six people and injured more than a thousand. Actor-comedian John Candy died in Durango, Mexico, at age 43.

In 1999, Supreme Court Justice Harry A. Blackmun, who wrote the 1973 decision that legalized abortion nationwide, died in Arlington, Va., at age 90.

Ten years ago: Mounir el Motassadeq, convicted in Germany in connection with the 9/11 attacks, won a retrial from an appeals court. (El Motassadeq was later convicted of helping three of the suicide hijackers and was sentenced to 15 years in prison, the maximum possible under German law.)

Five years ago: British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, addressing a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress, called on Americans to look beyond their own tumbling financial markets to see a world gripped by an "economic hurricane" that could be turned around with U.S. help. Playwright Horton Foote, who'd won an Oscar for his screen adaptation of "To Kill a Mockingbird," died in Hartford, Conn. at age 92.

One year ago: Cardinals from around the world gathered inside the Vatican for their first round of meetings before the conclave to elect the next pope, following the retirement of Benedict XVI. Kenya's presidential election drew millions of eager voters, but the balloting was marred by deadly violence. (Uhuru Kenyatta beat seven other presidential candidates with 50.07 percent of the vote.) Five-time Grand Slam singles champion Martina Hingis headed the 2013 class for the International Tennis Hall of Fame; also named were Cliff Drysdale, Charlie Pasarell, and Ion Tiriac. (Australian player Thelma Coyne Long's election was announced earlier.)

Today's Birthdays: Actress Paula Prentiss is 76. Movie director Adrian Lyne is 73. Singer Bobby Womack is 70. Rock musician Chris Squire (Yes) is 66. Singer Shakin' Stevens is 66. Author James Ellroy is 66. Texas Gov. Rick Perry is 64. Singer Chris Rea is 63. Actor/rock singer-musician Ronn Moss is 62. Actress Kay Lenz is 61. Musician Emilio Estefan is 61. Movie director Scott Hicks is 61. Actress Catherine O'Hara is 60. Actor Mykelti Williamson is 57. Actress Patricia Heaton is 56. Actor Steven Weber is 53. Rock musician Jason Newsted is 51. Actress Stacy Edwards is 49. Rapper Grand Puba is 48. Rock musician Patrick Hannan (The Sundays) is 48. Rock singer Evan Dando (Lemonheads) is 47. Actress Patsy Kensit is 46. Gay rights activist Chaz Bono is 45. Actress Andrea Bendewald is 44. Actor Nick Stabile is 44. Rock musician Fergal Lawler (The Cranberries) is 43. Country singer Jason Sellers is 43. Jazz musician Jason Marsalis is 37. Actress Jessica Heap is 31. TV personality Whitney Port is 29. Actress Margo Harshman is 28. Actor Joshua Bowman is 26. Actress Andrea Bowen is 24. Actress Jenna Boyd is 21.

Thought for Today: "I am glad that I paid so little attention to good advice; had I abided by it I might have been saved from some of my most valuable mistakes." -- Edna St. Vincent Millay, American author and poet (1892-1950).

Copyright 2014, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.