Epic Idiot's what happened
On This Day

March 31

2004
Air America Radio: The liberal, left-wing radio network begins service.

1993
Life imitates Art: Actor Brandon Lee is killed while filming his death scene in the movie The Crow, when a prop gun accidentally fires a real bullet.

1980
Pres. Carter signs a bill deregulating the banking industry.

1968
Pres. Johnson announces he will not seek reelection.

1967
Jimi Hendrix: The legendary musician lights his guitar on fire in concert for the first time, during a performance at London's Finsbury Park.

1966
Luna 10: The space probe is launched by the Soviet Union.  It would become the first probe to enter the moon's orbit.

1958
Nuclear Weapons: The Soviet Union announces it will suspend nuclear weapons testing.

1943
Oklahoma!: The Rogers and Hammerstein musical opens in New York.

1933
The Civilian Conservation Corps is established, creating jobs through reforestation projects.

1923
First dance marathon: The marathon begins in New York City's Audubon Ballroom. Alma Cummings won after six partners and 27 hours of continuous dancing.

1918
First U.S. Daylight savings time begins. This version of the law was later repealed.

1917
Virgin Islands: The U.S. takes possession after purchasing them from Denmark of $25 million. They are the only place in the U.S. where traffic drives on the left.

1912
First person injured during an airplane attack, an Italian bomber shot by Arab ground forces.

1903
Heavier-than-air flight: Richard Pearse, a New Zealand farmer, reportedly flies his monoplane craft several hundred feet and lands atop a 12-foot-high hedge - eight months before the Wright Brothers.

1870
First black to vote under the 15th Amendment: Thomas Peterson-Mundy in a Perth Amboy, New Jersey special election for a city charter.

1854
Japan: It first opens its ports to U.S. trade.

1840
10-hour work day: Pres. Van Buren establishes the new work day for federal employees, with no reduction in pay.

1971
Ewan McGregor, Scottish actor.  Film: Trainspotting (1996), Moulin Rouge! (2001), and the Star Wars movies as the young Obi-Wan Kenobi

1957
Mark McClure, American actor. Film: The Superman movies (Jimmie Olsen) and the Back to the Future movies (Dave McFly).

1955
Angus Young, Scottish-born rock guitarist with AC/DC.

1951
Ed Marinaro, American actor, football player. TV: Hill Street Blues (Officer Joe Coffey).

1948
Rhea Perlman, American Emmy-winning actress. TV: Cheers (Carla Tortelli).

1948
Albert Gore, Jr., 45th U.S. Vice-President (1993-2001).

1945
Gabe Kaplan, American actor. TV: Welcome Back, Kotter (Mr. Kotter).

1943
Christopher Walken, American Oscar-winning actor. Film: The Deer Hunter (1978, Oscar) and A View to a Kill (1985, Max Zorin).

1935
Richard Chamberlain, American actor. TV: Dr. Kildare (title role) and star of numerous TV miniseries.

1935
Herb Alpert, American musician, with the Tijuana Brass. He also co-founded A&M Records.

1934
Shirley Jones, American Oscar-wining actress. Film: Elmer Gantry (1960, Oscar). TV: The Partridge Family (the mom).  She was once married to Jack Cassidy, the father of David Cassidy who played Keith in The Partridge Family.

1929
Liz Claiborne, Belgian-born fashion designer.

1928
Gordon Howe, Canadian Hall of Fame hockey player, "Mr. Hockey."  He is considered one of the all-time greatest players.

1927
William Daniels, American Emmy-winning actor. TV: St. Elsewhere (Dr. Mark Craig) and Knight Rider (voice of Kitt).

1927     d. 1993
César Chávez, Mexican-American labor leader, activist, founder of the National Farm Workers Association.

1924     d. 1998
Leo Buscaglia, American educator, author, hugger.

1922
Richard Kiley, American Emmy-winning actor. TV: The Thorn Birds (Emmy) and A Year in the Life (Emmy).

1915     d. 1994
Henry Morgan, American caustic comedian, know for his trademark radio sign-on: "Good evening, anybody. Here's Morgan." TV: What's My Line and I've Got a Secret.

1878     d. 1946
Jack Johnson, American boxer. He was the first black heavyweight champion (1908-15). He was the first person prosecuted under the Mann Act. He had encouraged Lucille Cameron, a white woman, to leave a brothel and they subsequently crossed state lines. Even though he married her, and took her away from a brothel, he was still prosecuted and sentenced to a year in prison.

1854     d. 1932
Sir Dugald Clerk (aka Clark), Scottish engineer. He built the first two-stroke engine (1878).

1811     d. 1899
Robert Wilhelm Bunsen, German chemist. He invented the Bunsen burner and discovered the elements caesium and rubidium.

1732     d. 1809
Franz Haydn, Austrian composer, "Father of the Symphony." He composed about 120 symphonies.

1675     d. 1758
Benedict XIV, Italian religious leader, 247th Pope (1740-58).

1596     d. 1650
Rene Descartes, French scientist, philosopher, "Father of Modern Philosophy." He is remembered for his famous proposition "I think, therefore I am."

1499     d. 1565
Pius IV, Italian religious leader, 224th Pope (1559-65). He reopened the Council of Trent (1562).

2005     b. 1963
Terri Schiavo, American medical case. After an accident that left her brain damaged, a major legal battle ensued over the right of her husband to have her feeding tube removed..

1998     b. 1920
Bella Abzug, American politician and leader of the women's movement.  She was the first Jewish woman elected to the U.S. Congress (House of Representatives, New York 1971-77).

1995     b. 1971
Selena (Selena Quintanilla Pérez), Mexican-American singer.  She was murdered by the president of her fan club.

1993     b. 1965
Brandon Lee, American actor, son of Bruce Lee. He was killed, while filming the movie The Crow (1994) when the gun being used accidentally fired a real bullet.

1986     b. 1937
O'Kelly Isley, American Grammy-winning singer, with the Isley Brothers. Music: Twist and Shout (1962), This Old Heart of Mine (1966), and It's Your Thing (1970, Grammy).

1985     b. 1933
The Singing Nun (Jeanine Deckers), Belgian nun. Her song Dominique (1963) went to #1 on the U.S. charts.

1981     b. 1889
Enid Bagnold, English novelist. Writings: National Velvet (1935) and The Chalk Garden (1956).

1980     b. 1913
Jesse Owens (James Cleveland Owens), American track star. He won four gold medals in the 1936 Olympics. At the 1935 Big Ten meet, he set three world records and tied a fourth - all within a span of 45 minutes. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom (1976).

1978     b. 1899
Charles Herbert Best, Canadian scientist. While working as an undergraduate student, he assisted F.G. Banting in the discovery of insulin (1921). He also introduced the use of heparin to reduce blood clotting during heart surgery.

1956     b. circa 1883
Ralph De Palma, Italian-born American auto racer. With 2,557 wins out 2,889 races, he was the world's winningest race car driver.

1931     b. 1888
Knute Kenneth Rockne, Norwegian-born American football coach. His effective use of the forward pass, while a player at Notre Dame, forever changed college football. His record as Notre Dame coach (1914-31) was 105 wins, 12 losses, and 5 ties.

1917     b. 1854
Emil von Behring, German Nobel-winning physiologist, bacteriologist. He discovered tetanus and diphtheria vaccines (1890).

1913     b. 1837
John Pierpont Morgan, American financier.

1911     b. 1858
Otto Ringling, American circus operator, with Ringling Brothers Circus.

1903     b. 1826
Ebenezer Butterick, American inventor. He and his wife Ellen invented tissue paper clothing patterns (1863).

1855     b. 1816
Charlotte Brontë, English novelist. Writings: Jane Eyre (1847).

1850     b. 1782
John Caldwell Calhoun, 7th U.S. Vice-President (1824-32). After a disagreement with Pres. Jackson, he became the first U.S. Vice-President to resign. He then went on to fill a vacancy in the U.S. Senate.

1830     b. 1781
Johann Rudolf Wyss, Swiss author. Writings: The Swiss Family Robinson (1813). He also wrote the Swiss national anthem.

1631     b. 1573
John Donne, English poet. He is best remembered for the line "No man is an island..." from Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions (1624). (Source: An Almanac of the Christian Church)

1621     b. 1578
Philip III, King of Spain (1598-1621). He was weak ruler who spent enormous sums on court festivities.

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