Epic Idiot's what happened
On This Day

March 28

1993
One of the largest supernovas of the century is discovered by an amateur astronomer in Spain. The exploding red giant star is located 12,000,000 miles from earth.

1984
First birth from a frozen embryo, Melbourne, Australia.

1979
Three Mile Island nuclear reactor has a partial meltdown.

1956
Josef Stalin is denounced by Pravda, the Communist party newspaper, for excesses committed in his later years.

1920
Hollywood legends Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. are married. They divorced in 1936.

1895
First U.S. municipal subway: The city of Boston begins construction of the Tremont Street Subway. It opened to traffic in 1897.

1889
First electric-chair execution: William Kemmler of New York murders his common-law wife, for which he was executed the following year.

1881
The Barnum and Bailey Circus is formed.

1845
Mexico breaks off diplomatic relations with the U.S. over the disputed territory of Texas.

1802
Second discovery of an asteroid, Pallas, by German astronomer Wilhelm Olbers.

1797
First washing machine patent is issued, to Nathaniel Briggs of New Hampshire.

1955
Reba McEntire, American country singer. She won the Country Music Association's Female Vocalist of the Year four years in a row.

1945
Guy Colwell, cartoonist known for his realism, creator of Inner City Romance (1972).

1925
Dorothy DeBorba, American actress, one of the Little Rascals (Chubby's little sister). She appeared in 24 Our Gang films.

1924
Freddie Bartholomew Frederick Llewellyn), English child actor. Film: David Copperfield (1935, Copperfield as a young boy) and Little Lord Fauntleroy (1936).

1914
Edmund S. Muskie, American politician, former U.S. Senator, and Secretary of State.

1907     d. 1993
Irving "Swifty" Lazar, American talent agent. Clients: Cole Porter, Ernest Hemingway, Faye Dunaway, Michael Caine, Vladimir Nabokov, Truman Capote, Pres. Nixon, Tennessee Williams, and Neil Simon. He was known for his yearly star-studded parties on Oscar Awards night.

1905     d. 1986
Marlin Perkins, American zoo director, TV personality, host of Wild Kingdom for 23 years.

1899     d. 1989
August Anheuser Busch Jr., American beer-company executive, built the world's largest brewery.

1842     d. 1908
Sgt.William Harvey Carney, American soldier, the first black to receive the Medal of Honor (1900) for bravery in 1863. During the Civil War assault on Fort Wagner in Charleston, South Carolina, Carney, although wounded four times, struggled across the battlefield and retrieved the Union flag. This battle is portrayed in the film Glory (1989).

1811     d. 1860
John Nepomucene Neumann, Bohemian-born American Roman Catholic Bishop (Philadelphia, 1852). He was the first American male saint (1977).

1793     d. 1864
Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, American explorer, discovered the source of the Mississippi (1832).

2006     b. 1917
Caspar Weinberger, American politician, secretary of health, education, and welfare (1973-75), secretary of defense under President Ronald Reagan. He was indicted in the Iran-contra affair but pardoned by President George H. Bush.

1994     b. 1912
Eugene Ionesco, Romanian-born playwright. Writings: The Bald Soprano (1950) and The Lesson (1950).

1987     b. 1905
Maria von Trapp, Austrian-born singer, matriarch of the singing von Trapp family whose life story inspired the movie The Sound of Music.

1979     b. 1898
Emmett Kelly, American circus clown, known as Weary Willie. He became the mascot for the Brooklyn Dodgers after leaving Ringling Bros.

1976     b. 1900
Richard Arlen (Richard Cornelius van Mattimore), American actor. Film: Star of the first Oscar-winning film (Wings, 1927).

1969     b. 1890
Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th U.S. President (1953-61) and 5-star general. He was the first president to conduct a televised news conference.

1958     b. 1873
W.C. Handy (William Christopher Handy), American composer, musician, Father of the Blues. He composed Memphis Blues (1912) which was the first blues song published in the U.S.

1953     b. 1888
Jim Thorpe (Bright Path), American athlete, considered the greatest athlete of the first half of the 20th century. He played professional football and baseball, and excelled in boxing, wrestling, gymnastics, swimming, hockey, basketball, and track.

1941     b. 1882
Virginia Woolf, English author, women's rights activist. Writings: Jacob's Room (1922).

1929     b. 1859
Katharine Lee Bates, American poet. She wrote the words to the national hymn America the Beautiful (1911).

1868     b. 1797
Seventh Earl of Cardigan (James Thomas Brudenell), English soldier. He led the charge of the Light Brigade (1854) and for whom cardigan sweaters are named.

1828     b. 1759
Dr. William Thornton, British-born American architect, physician. He designed the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. (1793).

1285     b. ????
Martin IV, French-born religious leader, 189th Pope (1280-85).

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