On This Day in History - March 10th - Almanac

Today is Tuesday, March 10, the 70th day of 2020 with 296 to follow.

The moon is waning. Morning stars are Jupiter, Mars, Mercury and Saturn. Evening stars are Uranus and Venus.

Those born on this date are under the sign of Pisces. They include actor Barry Fitzgerald in 1888; poet Margaret Fishback in 1900; James Earl Ray, convicted assassin of Martin Luther King Jr., in 1928; playwright David Rabe in 1940 (age 80); actor Chuck Norris in 1940 (age 80); college basketball Coach Jim Valvano in 1946; Kim Campbell, the first female prime minister of Canada, in 1947 (age 73); journalist Bob Greene in 1947 (age 73); al-Qaida founder Osama bin Laden in 1957; actor Sharon Stone in 1958 (age 62); Olympic gold medal gymnast Mitch Gaylord in 1961 (age 59); actor Jasmine Guy in 1962 (age 58); Britain's Prince Edward in 1964 (age 56); singer Edie Brickell in 1966 (age 54); actor Paget Brewster in 1969 (age 51); actor Jon Hamm in 1971 (age 49); rapper Timbaland, born Timothy Zachery Mosley, in 1972 (age 48); singer Robin Thicke in 1977 (age 43); Olympic gold medal gymnast Shannon Miller in 1977 (age 43); singer Carrie Underwood in 1983 (age 37); actor Olivia Wilde in 1984 (age 36); singer Emeli Sande in 1987 (age 33); actor Emily Osment in 1992 (age 28).

On this date in history:

In 1862, the U.S. Treasury issued "legal tender notes" in denominations from $5 to $1,000, the first U.S. paper money.

In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell transmitted the first telephone message to his assistant in the next room: "Mr. Watson, come here. I want you."

In 1880, the Salvation Army of the United States was founded in New York City.

In 1933, Harry W. Frantz, a correspondent for United Press, penned an editorial on the current financial situation, arguing that the history of the United States "strongly suggests the possibility of a prompt recuperation from the present banking and money crisis."

In 1959, more than 300,000 Tibetans, fearing the Chinese were plotting to abduct the Dalai Lama, surround his home in Lhasa, the Potala Palace, marking the beginning of the Tibetan uprising.

In 1969, James Earl Ray pleaded guilty to the assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. Ray died in prison in 1998.

In 1977, astronomers discovered rings around the planet Uranus.

In 1987, the Vatican condemned human artificial fertilization or generation of human life outside the womb and said all reproduction must result from the "act of conjugal love."

In 1993, an anti-abortion protester shot and killed Dr. David Gunn at the Pensacola Women's Medical Services clinic in Florida.

In 2004, Lee Boyd Malvo, 19, was sentenced to life in prison without parole for his role in 10 Washington-area sniper killings in 2002. His partner, John Allen Muhammad, considered the mastermind, was executed in 2009.

In 2007, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed confessed to planning the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

In 2019, an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 crashed shortly after taking off from Addis Ababa's airport, killing all 157 aboard. Investigators blamed the crash on flaws in the planes' automated flight software, leading to the grounding of all 737 Max aircraft.

"In all modesty, we must admit that governments are not always the best doctors when it comes to diagnosing economic ailments and prescribing the right treatment." -- Canadian Prime Minister Kim Campbell