Today in History

Today is Thursday, March 29, the 88th day of 2018. There are 277 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On March 29, 1943, World War II rationing of meat, fats and cheese began, limiting consumers to store purchases of an average of about two pounds a week for beef, pork, lamb and mutton using a coupon system. (The Associated Press noted, "From the customer viewpoint, the unrationed oasis of food will be the restaurant or other public eating place.")

On this date:

In 1638, Swedish colonists settled in present-day Delaware.

In 1790, the tenth president of the United States, John Tyler, was born in Charles City County, Virginia.

In 1792, Sweden's King Gustav III died, nearly two weeks after he had been shot and mortally wounded by an assassin during a masquerade party.

In 1867, Britain's Parliament passed, and Queen Victoria signed, the British North America Act creating the Dominion of Canada, which came into being the following July.

In 1912, British explorer Robert Falcon Scott, his doomed expedition stranded in an Antarctic blizzard after failing to be the first to reach the South Pole, wrote the last words of his journal: "For Gods sake look after our people."

In 1936, German Chancellor Adolf Hitler claimed overwhelming victory in a plebiscite on his policies.

In 1951, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were convicted in New York of conspiracy to commit espionage for the Soviet Union. (They were executed in June 1953.) The Rodgers and Hammerstein musical "The King and I" opened on Broadway.

In 1962, Jack Paar hosted NBC's "Tonight" show for the final time. (Johnny Carson debuted as host the following October.)

In 1971, Army Lt. William L. Calley Jr. was convicted of murdering 22 Vietnamese civilians in the 1968 My Lai massacre. (Calley ended up serving three years under house arrest.) A jury in Los Angeles recommended the death penalty for Charles Manson and three female followers for the 1969 Tate-La Bianca murders. (The sentences were later commuted.)

In 1973, the last United States combat troops left South Vietnam, ending America's direct military involvement in the Vietnam War.

In 1984, under cover of early morning darkness, the Baltimore Colts football team left its home city of three decades and moved to Indianapolis.

In 1992, Democratic presidential front-runner Bill Clinton acknowledged experimenting with marijuana "a time or two" while attending Oxford University, adding, "I didn't inhale and I didn't try it again."

Ten years ago: Anti-American Shiite militia leader Muqtada al-Sadr ordered his followers to defy orders from the Iraqi government to surrender their weapons. Zimbabweans voted in an election seen as the biggest test of Robert Mugabe's 28-year rule. (Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai claimed victory, but the Election Commission ordered a runoff; Mugabe claimed victory in that contest, which was widely denounced as a sham.)

Five years ago: President Barack Obama promoted a plan to create construction and other jobs by attracting private money to help rebuild roads, bridges and other public works projects during a visit to a Miami port that was undergoing $2 billion in upgrades paid for with government and private dollars.

One year ago: Britain filed for divorce from the European Union as Prime Minister Theresa May sent a six-page letter to EU Council President Donald Tusk. Thirteen people were killed when a small church bus collided with a pickup truck on a two-lane road about 75 miles west of San Antonio. (The driver of the pickup has pleaded not guilty to intoxication manslaughter and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon causing serious bodily injury.) Two former aides to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie were sentenced to prison for creating a colossal traffic jam at the George Washington Bridge for political revenge, a scandal that sank Christie's White House hopes.

Today's Birthdays: Author Judith Guest is 82. Former British Prime Minister Sir John Major is 75. Comedian Eric Idle is 75. Composer Vangelis is 75. Basketball Hall of Famer Walt Frazier is 73. Singer Bobby Kimball (Toto) is 71. Actor Bud Cort is 70. Actor Brendan Gleeson is 63. Actor Christopher Lawford is 63. Pro and College Football Hall of Famer Earl Campbell is 63. Actress Marina Sirtis is 63. International Gymnastics Hall of Famer Kurt Thomas is 62. Actor Christopher Lambert is 61. Rock singer Perry Farrell (Porno for Pyros; Jane's Addiction) is 59. Comedian-actress Amy Sedaris is 57. Model Elle Macpherson is 55. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., is 54. Movie director Michel Hazanavicius is 51. Rock singer-musician John Popper (Blues Traveler) is 51. Actress Lucy Lawless is 50. Country singer Regina Leigh (Regina Regina) is 50. Country singer Brady Seals is 49. Former White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs is 47. CBS News correspondent Lara Logan is 47. Actor Sam Hazeldine is 46. International Tennis Hall of Famer Jennifer Capriati is 42. Actor Chris D'Elia is 38. Rhythm and blues singer PJ Morton is 37. Actress Megan Hilty is 37. Pop singer Kelly Sweet is 30.

Thought for Today: "The fate of love is that it always seems too little or too much." -- Amelia Edith Barr, American author and journalist (1831-1919).