This Day in History

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Today, Saturday, March 13, is the 72nd day of 2009. There are 293 days left in the year.

Today's highlight

1781: The planet Uranus is discovered by Sir William Herschel just past the planet Saturn. It was the first of three planets to be sighted during the next two hundred years.

Other Notable Events

1325: Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec Empire, is founded.

1639: Harvard University is named for clergyman John Harvard.

1884: Using Greenwich, England as the commencement point from which all time will be measured, an international time standard is adopted throughout the US.

1913: New Australian federal capital officially named Canberra.

1938: Austria is annexed by Germany a day after Nazi troops march in.

1974: The Arab nations agree to end their five-month oil embargo on sales to the US. Their sanction crippled both the American industry and economy.

1992: A 6.2 magnitude earthquake rocks Turkey, claiming at least 570 lives.

1998: South Korean President Kim Dae-jung, himself once imprisoned for his political beliefs, grants amnesty to some 5 million South Koreans, including six elderly political prisoners.

2000: Alcoa Inc. settles a government lawsuit by agreeing to spend US$8.8 million to clean up the Mississippi River and reduce pollution.

2002: Angola's government announces a cease-fire in its 27-year civil war against the rebel National Union for the Total Independence of Angola, known as UNITA.

2007: Somalia's President Abdullahi Yusuf comes under mortar attack in his palace just hours after moving in upon his return from southern stronghold Baidoa. He escapes unharmed in the assault, which kills seven people, including a 12-year-old boy.

2008: Serbia's president dissolves parliament and calls an early election to determine whether the country aligns itself with the European Union and other Western groups or returns to its isolationist past.

2009: Under pressure from the US and other troubled economies, the Swiss government announces that it will cooperate in international tax investigations, breaking with a long-standing tradition of protecting wealthy foreigners accused of hiding billions of dollars.

Today's Birthdays

Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II (1741-1790); Hugo Wolf, Austrian composer (1860-1903); George Seferis, Greek poet and diplomat, Nobel literature laureate (1900-1971); Kofi Awoonor, Ghanaian poet (1935-); Neil Sedaka, US singer (1939-); William H Macy, US actor (1950-); Dana Delany, US actress (1956-); Adam Clayton, bassist with rock group U2 (1960-).

Did you watch American football's Super Bowl on Sunday?
	Yes, but just for the advertisements
	Yes, just for the game itself
	Yes, for both the game and advertisements
	No, I did not watch the Super Bowl.

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This Day in History