Today in History

Today is Thursday, March 17, the 77th day of 2016. There are 289 days left in the year. This is St. Patrick's Day.

Today's Highlight in History:

On March 17, 1966, a U.S. Navy midget submarine located a missing hydrogen bomb which had fallen from a U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber into the Mediterranean off Spain. (It took several more weeks to actually recover the bomb.)

On this date:

In 1776, the Revolutionary War Siege of Boston ended as British forces evacuated the city.

In 1861, Victor Emmanuel II was proclaimed the first king of a united Italy.

In 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt first likened crusading journalists to a man with "the muckrake in his hand" in a speech to the Gridiron Club in Washington.

In 1912, the Camp Fire Girls organization was incorporated in Washington, D.C., two years to the day after it was founded in Thetford, Vermont. (The group is now known as Camp Fire USA.)

In 1936, Pittsburgh's Great St. Patrick's Day Flood began as the Monongahela and Allegheny rivers, swollen by rain and melted snow, started exceeding flood stage; the high water was blamed for more than 60 deaths.

In 1941, the National Gallery of Art opened in Washington, D.C.

In 1956, comedian Fred Allen, 61, died in New York.

In 1969, Golda Meir became prime minister of Israel.

In 1970, the United States cast its first veto in the U.N. Security Council. (The U.S. killed a resolution that would have condemned Britain for failure to use force to overthrow the white-ruled government of Rhodesia.)

In 1976, Italian movie director Luchino Visconti ("The Leopard") died in Rome at age 69.

In 1988, Avianca Flight 410, a Boeing 727, crashed after takeoff into a mountain in Colombia, killing all 143 people on board.

In 1996, French movie director Rene Clement ("Forbidden Games") died in Monaco at age 82.

Ten years ago: Federal regulators reported the deaths of two women in addition to four others who had taken the abortion pill RU-486; Planned Parenthood said it would immediately stop disregarding the approved instructions for the drug's use. Fashion designer Oleg Cassini died on Long Island, New York, at age 92. Former Federal Reserve Chairman and former treasury secretary G. William Miller died in Washington, D.C., at age 81.

Five years ago: The U.N. Security Council paved the way for international air strikes against Moammar Gadhafi's forces, voting to authorize military action to protect civilians and impose a no-fly zone over Libya. U.S. drone missiles hit a village in Pakistan; U.S. officials said the group targeted was heavily armed and that some of its members were connected to al-Qaida, but Pakistani officials said the missiles hit a community meeting, killing four Taliban fighters and 38 civilians and tribal police. Michael Gough, the British actor best known for playing Bruce Wayne's butler Alfred in a series of Batman movies, died in England at age 94. Country music entertainer Ferlin Husky, 85, died in Westmoreland, Tennessee.

One year ago: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party won a resounding victory in parliamentary elections after an acrimonious campaign, giving him a mandate to form the next government. U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock, R-Ill., abruptly resigned following a cascade of revelations about his business deals and lavish spending on everything from overseas travel to office decor in the style of "Downton Abbey."

Today's Birthdays: The former national chairwoman of the NAACP, Myrlie Evers-Williams, is 83. Former NASA astronaut Ken Mattingly is 80. Singer-songwriter Jim Weatherly is 73. Singer-songwriter John Sebastian (The Lovin' Spoonful) is 72. Former NSA Director and former CIA Director Michael Hayden is 71. Rock musician Harold Brown (War; Lowrider Band) is 70. Actor Patrick Duffy is 67. Actor Kurt Russell is 65. Country singer Susie Allanson is 64. Actress Lesley-Anne Down is 62. Actor Mark Boone Jr. is 61. Country singer Paul Overstreet is 61. Actor Gary Sinise is 61. Actor Christian Clemenson is 58. Former basketball and baseball player Danny Ainge is 57. Actor Arye Gross is 56. Actress Vicki Lewis is 56. Actor Casey Siemaszko is 55. Writer-director Rob Sitch is 54. Actor Rob Lowe is 52. Rock singer Billy Corgan is 49. Rock musician Van Conner (Screaming Trees) is 49. Actor Mathew St. Patrick is 48. Actor Yanic Truesdale is 47. Rock musician Melissa Auf der Maur is 44. Soccer player Mia Hamm is 44. Rock musician Caroline Corr (The Corrs) is 43. Actress Amelia Heinle is 43. Country singer Keifer Thompson (Thompson Square) is 43. Actress Marisa Coughlan is 42. Rapper Swifty (D12) is 41. Actress Natalie Zea (zee) is 41. Actress Brittany Daniel is 40. Country musician Geoff Sprung (Old Dominion) is 38. Pop/rock singer/songwriter Hozier is 26. Actress Eliza Hope Bennett is 24. Actor John Boyega (Film: "Star Wars: The Force Awakens") is 24. Actor Flynn Morrison is 11.

Thought for Today: "May your neighbors respect you, trouble neglect you, the angels protect you, and heaven accept you." -- Irish saying.