UPI Almanac for Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Today is Tuesday, March 19, the 79th day of 2024 with 287 to follow.

The moon is waxing. Morning stars are Mars and Venus. Evening stars are Jupiter and Uranus.

Those born on this date are under the sign of Pisces. They include Plymouth Colony Gov. William Bradford in 1590; signer of the Declaration of Independence Thomas McKean in 1734; Scottish explorer of Africa David Livingstone in 1813; British explorer Richard Burton in 1821; U.S. Marshal Wyatt Earp in 1848; U.S. Army Gen. Joseph Stilwell in 1883; Chief U.S. Supreme Court Justice Earl Warren in 1891; comedian Moms Mabley in 1894; Watergate Judge John Sirica in 1904; actor Renee Taylor in 1933 (age 91); author Philip Roth in 1933; actor Ursula Andress in 1936 (age 88); singer Clarence "Frogman" Henry in 1937 (age 87); singer Ruth Pointer in 1946 (age 78); actor Glenn Close in 1947 (age 77); film producer Harvey Weinstein in 1952 (age 72); actor Bruce Willis in 1955 (age 69); actor Mary Scheer in 1963 (age 61); actor Connor Trinneer in 1969 (age 55); musician Zach Lind in 1976 (age 48); Eduardo Saverin, co-founder of Facebook in 1982 (age 42); actor Garrett Clayton in 1991 (age 33).

On this date in history:

In 1909, financier J.P. Morgan, during a meeting with King Victor Emmanuel II of Italy in Rome, pledged to help wipe out the black hand and similar criminal societies in the United States through education.

In 1916, eight Curtiss JN-3 "Jenny" airplanes with the First Aero Squadron took off from Columbus, N.M., to aid troops that had invaded Mexico in pursuit of the bandit Pancho Villa. It was the first U.S. air combat mission in history.

In 1918, the U.S. Congress passed the Standard Time Act, which authorized the Interstate Commerce Commission to establish standard time zones and daylight saving time.

In 1931, the Nevada Legislature voted to legalize gambling.

In 1953, legendary filmmaker Cecil B. DeMille won the only Academy Award of his career when The Greatest Show on Earth, a big-budget extravaganza about circus life, was acclaimed the Best Picture.

In 1962, singer-songwriter Bob Dylan releases his debut album, Bob Dylan, on Columbia Records.

In 1987, South Carolina televangelist Jim Bakker resigned as head of the PTL Club, saying he was blackmailed after a sexual encounter with a former church secretary.

In 1991, the NFL voted to revoke the plan for Phoenix to host the 1993 Super Bowl because the city did not observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

In 2005, Pakistan successfully tested a nuclear-capable missile with a range of 1,250 miles.

In 2023, UBS agreed to take over its troubled rival, Credit Suisse, in a $3.2 billion emergency deal brokered by regulators in Switzerland to help prevent further instability in the global banking industry.

A thought for the day: "O, wind, if winter comes, can spring be far behind?" -- British poet Percy Bysshe Shelley