Today in History

Today in History

Today is Friday, March 3, the 62nd day of 2017. There are 303 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On March 3, 1931, "The Star-Spangled Banner" became the national anthem of the United States as President Herbert Hoover signed a congressional resolution.

On this date:

In 1845, Florida became the 27th state.

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

In 1887, Anne Sullivan arrived at the Tuscumbia, Alabama, home of Captain and Mrs. Arthur H. Keller to become the teacher for their deaf and blind 6-year-old daughter, Helen.

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 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 1960, Lucille Ball filed for divorce from her husband, Desi Arnaz, a day after they'd finished filming the last episode of "The Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Show" ("Lucy Meets the Mustache") on Arnaz's 43rd birthday.

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

In 1987, entertainer Danny Kaye died in Los Angeles at age 76.

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.

In 2002, voters in Switzerland approved joining the United Nations, abandoning almost 200 years of formal neutrality.

Ten years ago: President George W. Bush handed out hugs to residents who survived killer tornadoes that ripped through Alabama and Georgia and offered encouraging words at Enterprise High School, where students were grieving the loss of eight classmates.

Five years ago: Mitt Romney rolled to a double-digit victory in Washington state's Republican presidential caucuses, his fourth campaign triumph in a row. Conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh apologized on his website to Georgetown University law student Sandra Fluke, whom he had branded a "slut" and "prostitute" after she testified to congressional Democrats that she wanted her college health plan to cover her birth control. Eleven passengers and five workers were killed when two trains crashed head-on in southern Poland.

One year ago: Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz leveled withering criticism at Donald Trump's "flexible" policy positions and personal ethics during a Republican presidential debate in Detroit. President Barack Obama visited Milwaukee to highlight how his signature health insurance overhaul had helped millions of Americans gain coverage. North Korea fired six short-range projectiles into the sea hours after the U.N. Security Council approved the toughest sanctions on Pyongyang in two decades.

Today's Birthdays: Socialite Lee Radziwill is 84. Singer-musician Mike Pender (The Searchers) is 76. Movie producer-director George Miller is 72. Actress Hattie Winston is 72. Singer Jennifer Warnes is 70. Actor-director Tim Kazurinsky is 67. Singer-musician Robyn Hitchcock is 64. Actor Robert Gossett is 63. Rock musician John Lilley is 63. Actress Miranda Richardson is 59. Rock musician John Bigham is 58. Radio personality Ira Glass is 58. Actress Mary Page Keller is 56. Olympic track and field gold medalist Jackie Joyner-Kersee is 55. Former NFL player and College Football Hall of Famer Herschel Walker is 55. Actress Laura Harring is 53. Contemporary Christian musician Duncan Phillips (Newsboys) is 53. Rapper-actor Tone Loc (lohk) is 51. Actress Julie Bowen is 47. Country singer Brett Warren (The Warren Brothers) is 46. Actor David Faustino is 43. Gospel singer Jason Crabb is 40. Singer Ronan Keating (Boyzone) is 40. Rapper Lil' Flip is 36. Actress Jessica Biel is 35. Rock musician Blower (AKA Joe Garvey) (Hinder) is 33. Pop singer Camila Cabello is 20.

Thought for Today: "Happiness always looks small while you hold it in your hands, but let it go, and you learn at once how big and precious it is." -- Maxim Gorky, Russian writer (1868-1936).