Today in History

Today is Thursday, March 3, the 63rd day of 2016. There are 303 days left in the year.

Today's Highlights in History:

On March 3, 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.

On this date:

In 1845, Florida became the 27th state.

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

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, Indiana, along with another prisoner, Herbert Youngblood.

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

In 1959, the United States launched the Pioneer 4 spacecraft, which flew by the moon. Comedian Lou Costello died in East Los Angeles three days before his 53rd birthday.

In 1966, death claimed actor William Frawley at age 79 and actress Alice Pearce at age 48 in Hollywood.

In 1974, a Turkish Airlines DC-10 crashed shortly after takeoff from Orly Airport in Paris, killing all 346 people on board.

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. The comedy-drama series "Moonlighting," starring Cybill Shepherd and Bruce Willis, premiered on ABC-TV.

In 1996, Israel declared "total war" against the militant group Hamas after a bus bomb in Jerusalem killed 19 people, including the bomber, the third such suicide attack in eight days.

Ten years ago: President George W. Bush arrived in Pakistan to meet with top officials, including President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, to discuss the war on terror. Former U.S. Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham was sentenced by a federal judge in San Diego to more than eight years in prison for corruption. (Cunningham, whose sentence was cut by 392 days for good behavior, was fully released from custody in June 2013.)

Five years ago: Seeking to repair damaged relations, President Barack Obama and Mexican President Felipe Calderon agreed during a White House meeting to deepen their cooperation in combating drug violence and declared a breakthrough in efforts to end a long-standing dispute over cross-border trucking. Soldiers backing Ivory Coast's defiant leader, Laurent Gbagbo, mowed down women protesting his refusal to leave power in a hail of gunfire, killing seven.

One year ago: In a direct challenge to the White House, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stood before Congress and bluntly warned the U.S. that an emerging nuclear agreement with Iran would pave "Iran's path to the bomb." President Barack Obama pushed back sternly, saying the U.S. would never sign such a deal and that Netanyahu was offering no useful alternative.

Today's Birthdays: Socialite Lee Radziwill is 83. Singer-musician Mike Pender (The Searchers) is 75. Movie producer-director George Miller is 71. Actress Hattie Winston is 71. Singer Jennifer Warnes is 69. Actor-director Tim Kazurinsky is 66. Singer-musician Robyn Hitchcock is 63. Actor Robert Gossett is 62. Rock musician John Lilley is 62. Actress Miranda Richardson is 58. Rock musician John Bigham is 57. Radio personality Ira Glass is 57. Actress Mary Page Keller is 55. Olympic track and field gold medalist Jackie Joyner-Kersee is 54. Former NFL player and College Football Hall of Famer Herschel Walker is 54. Contemporary Christian musician Duncan Phillips (Newsboys) is 52. Rapper-actor Tone Loc (lohk) is 50. Actress Julie Bowen is 46. Country singer Brett Warren (The Warren Brothers) is 45. Actor David Faustino is 42. Gospel singer Jason Crabb is 39. Singer Ronan Keating (Boyzone) is 39. Rapper Lil' Flip is 35. Actress Jessica Biel is 34. Rock musician Blower (AKA Joe Garvey) (Hinder) is 32. Pop singer Camila Cabello (Fifth Harmony) is 19.

Thought for Today: "Nothing is really real unless it happens on television." -- Daniel J. Boorstin, educator and Librarian of Congress (1914-2004).