TODAY IN HISTORY

March 16, 2010 03:09 EDT

Today is Tuesday, March 16, the 75th day of 2010. There are 290 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On March 16, 1850, Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel "The Scarlet Letter" was first published.

On this date:

In A.D. 37, Roman emperor Tiberius died; he was succeeded by Caligula.

In 1751, James Madison, fourth president of the United States, was born in Port Conway, Va.

In 1802, President Thomas Jefferson signed a measure authorizing the establishment of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.

In 1915, the Federal Trade Commission began operations.

In 1926, rocket science pioneer Robert H. Goddard successfully tested the first liquid-fueled rocket, in Auburn, Mass.

In 1935, Adolf Hitler decided to break the military terms set by the Treaty of Versailles by ordering the rearming of Germany.

In 1968, during the Vietnam War, the My Lai Massacre of Vietnamese civilians was carried out by U.S. Army troops; estimates of the death toll vary between 347 and 504.

In 1978, Italian politician Aldo Moro was kidnapped by left-wing urban guerrillas, who later murdered him.

In 1984, William Buckley, the CIA station chief in Beirut, was kidnapped by terrorists .

In 1985, Terry Anderson, chief Middle East correspondent for The Associated Press, was abducted in Beirut; he was released in Dec. 1991.

Ten years ago: Independent Counsel Robert Ray said he found no credible evidence that Hillary Rodham Clinton or senior White House officials had sought FBI background files of Republicans. Thomas Wilson Ferebee, the Enola Gay bombardier who dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, died in Windermere, Fla. at age 81.

Five years ago: A jury in Los Angeles acquitted actor Robert Blake of murder in the shooting death of his wife, Bonny Lee Bakley, four years earlier. A judge in Redwood City, Calif. sent Scott Peterson to death row for the slaying of his pregnant wife, Laci. Norway's Robert Sorlie won his second Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in one of the closest races in years.

One year ago: Joining a wave of public anger, President Barack Obama blistered insurance giant AIG for "recklessness and greed" for handing its executives $165 million in bonuses after taking billions in federal bailout money. British actress Natasha Richardson, 45, was fatally injured in a skiing accident at a resort in Quebec; she died two days later at a Manhattan hospital. Austrian Josef Fritzl pleaded guilty at the start of his trial to imprisoning his daughter for 24 years and fathering her seven children.

Today's Birthdays: Comedian-director Jerry Lewis is 84. Country singer Ray Walker is 76. Movie director Bernardo Bertolucci is 69. Game show host Chuck Woolery is 69. Singer-songwriter Jerry Jeff Walker is 68. Country singer Robin Williams is 63. Actor Erik Estrada is 61. Actor Victor Garber is 61. Actress Kate Nelligan is 59. Country singer Ray Benson is 59. Rock singer-musician Nancy Wilson is 56. Golfer Hollis Stacy is 56. Actress Isabelle Huppert is 55. Actor Clifton Powell is 54. Rapper-actor Flavor Flav is 51. Rock musician Jimmy DeGrasso is 47. Folk singer Patty Griffin is 46. Actress Lauren Graham is 43. Actor Judah Friedlander is 41. Actor Alan Tudyk is 39. Actor Tim Kang is 37. Rhythm-and-blues singer Blu Cantrell is 34. Actress Brooke Burns is 32. Rock musician Wolfgang Van Halen is 19.

Thought for Today: "Nearly all our disasters come from a few fools having the 'courage of their convictions."' -- Coventry Patmore, English poet .

NATIONAL HEADLINES

Ivy League's Cornell responds to 3 gorge deaths

Probation camp teacher accused of allowing fights

Autopsy reports released in AZ sweat lodge deaths

State issues report on 2009 Calif. prison riot

Sebelius confident health care bill will pass

Warrant issued for Lil Wayne in Arizona case

Michelle Obama to food makers in fight against obesity: "step it up"

Body parts found along Northern Calif. river

Conyers gets court-appointed lawyer for appeal

Obama fills out tournament bracket again for ESPN

BUSINESS NEWS

Fed decision due today

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Debate is heating up within the Federal Reserve over how and when to signal that interest rates are eventually headed higher.

CONSUMER INFO

SCIENCE/TECH NEWS

IN THE NEWS: FCC UNVEILS HIGH-SPEED INTERNET ACCESS PLAN

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The federal government is out with its blueprint for how to expand the nation's access to high-speed Internet surfing.

GET THIS

YOUTUBE PAYOFF

FAIRMONT, W.Va. (AP) -- You never know what you might find on YouTube -- from a dancing bird to a piano playing cat.