On this day in History - Mar. 21

• 1349 - 3,000 Jews were killed in Black Death riots in Efurt Germany.
• 1556 - Thomas Cranmer, the Archbishop of Canterbury, was burned at the stake at Oxford after retracting the last of seven recantations that same day.
• 1685 - Johann Sebastian Bach, was born in Eisenach (d. 1750). German composer and organist; one of the greatest and most influential composers of the Western world. He brought polyphonic baroque music to its culmination, creating masterful and vigorous works in almost every musical form known in his period.
• 1768 - Jean Baptiste Joseph Fourier, was born. Mathematician and physicist.
• 1788 - Almost the entire city of New Orleans, LA, was destroyed by fire. 856 buildings were destroyed.
• 1790 - Thomas Jefferson reported to U.S. President George Washington as the new secretary of state.
• 1801 - Vitória britânica sobre os franceses na Baía de Aboukir, no Egipto.
• 1804 - The French civil code, the Code Napoleon, was adopted.
• 1806 - Benito Juarez, was born. Mexican Statesman and national hero, (d. 1872) .
• 1813 - James Jesse Strang was born.
• 1824 - A fire at a Cairo ammunitions dump killed 4,000 horses.
• 1826 - The Rensselaer School in Troy, NY, was incorporated. The school became known as Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and was the first engineering college in the U.S.
• 1835 - Charles Darwin & Mariano Gonzales met at Portillo Pass.
• 1839 - Modest Mussorgsky, was born. Composer.
• 1846 - Nascimento de Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro, desenhador e ceramista. Personagem sempre ligada a uma certa rebeldia, é autor da famosa figura do «Zé Povinho».
• 1851 - Emperor Tu Duc ordered that Christian priests be put to death.
• 1851 - Yosemite Valley was discovered in California.
• 1857 - An earthquake hit Tokyo killing about 107,000.
• 1858 - British forces in India lift the siege of Lucknow, ending the Indian Mutiny.
• 1859 - In Philadelphia, the first Zoological Society was incorporated.
• 1868 - The Sorosos club for professional women was formed in New York City by Jennie June. It was the first of its kind.
• 1869 - Florenz Ziegfeld, was born. Theatrical producer.
• 1871 - Journalist Henry M Stanley began his famous expedition to Africa.
• 1882 - Bascom Lunsford was born.
• 1887 - Celebração do Jubileu do imperador alemão Guilherme I.
• 1887 - Nasce Luís Filipe, Duque de Bragança (m. 1908)
• 1902 - In New York, three Park Avenue mansions were destroyed when a subway tunnel roof caved in.
• 1904 - The British Parliament vetoed a proposal to send Chinese workers to Transvaal.
• 1905 - Sterilization legislation was passed in the State of Pennsylvania. The governor vetoed the measure.
• 1905 - Phyllis McGinley, was born. Poet.
• 1906 - Ohio passed a law that prohibited hazing by fraternities after two fatalities.
• 1907 - The U.S. Marines landed in Honduras to protect American interests in the war with Nicaragua.
• 1907 - The first Parliament of Transvaal met in Pretoria.
• 1908 - A passenger was carried in a bi-plane for the first time by Henri Farman of France.
• 1909 - Russia withdrew its support for Serbia and recognized the Austrian annexation of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Serbia accepted Austrian control over Bosnia-Herzegovina on March 31, 1909.
• 1910 - The U.S. Senate granted ex-President Teddy Roosevelt a yearly pension of $10,000.
• 1910 - Julio Gallo was born (d. 02 May 1993).Vintner: Ernest & Julio Gallo Winery, Modesto, CA;
• 1915 - Foi publicado o primeiro número da revista portuguesa Orpheu .
• 1918 - During World War I, the Germans launched the Somme Offensive.
• 1919 - Foi proclamada a República Soviética .
• 1921 - Fonty Flock (Truman Fontello) was born.
• 1923 - Mort Lindsey was born. Bandleader: The Merv Griffin Show; composer of score: 40 Pounds of Trouble.
• 1927 - Hans-Dietrich Genscher, politician
• 1928 - U.S. President Calvin Coolidge gave the Congressional Medal of Honor to Charles Lindbergh for his first trans-Atlantic flight.
• 1928 - James Coco was born (d. 25 Feb 1987). Actor: The Chair, Ensign Pulver, Man of La Mancha;
• 1934 - Al Freeman, Jr. was born. Actor: A Patch of Blue, Roots: The Next Generation, Hot L Baltimore, Malcolm X, Finian’s Rainbow, Ensign Pulver) .
• 1934 - A fire destroyed Hakodate, Japan, killing about 1,500.
• 1935 - Incubator ambulance service began in Chicago, IL.
• 1939 - Kathleen Widdoes, was born .
• 1941 - The last Italian post in East Libya, North Africa, fell to the British.
• 1944 - Timothy Dalton, was born. British James Bond actor.
• 1944 - Marie-Christine Barrault, was born. Actress.
• 1945 - Rose Stone (Sly & the Family Stone) was born .
• 1945 - During World War II, Allied bombers began four days of raids over Germany.
• 1946 - The Los Angeles Rams signed Kenny Washington. Washington was the first black player to join a National Football League team since 1933.
• 1946 - The United Nations set up a temporary headquarters at Hunter College in New York City.
• 1947 - Bill Plummer, was born.
• 1950 - Roger Hodgson., musician (Supertramp) was born.
• 1951 - Conrad Lozano (Los Lobos), was born.
• 1951 - Russell Thompkins, Jr. (The Stylistics) was born .
• 1953 - The Boston Celtics beat Syracuse Nationals (111-105) in four overtimes to eliminate them from the Eastern Division Semifinals. A total of seven players (both teams combined) fouled out of the game.
• 1956 - 28th Academy Awards - "Marty," Anna Magnani and Ernest Borgnine win .
• 1957 - Shirley Booth made her TV acting debut in "The Hostess with the Mostest" on CBS.
• 1958 - Gary Oldman, was born.
• 1958 - Sabrina LeBeauf was born .
• 1960 - Robert Sweet (Stryper) was born .
• 1960 - About 70 people were killed in Sharpeville, South Africa, when police fired upon demonstrators.
• 1960 - Ayrton Senna, automobile racer F1 (d. 1994)
  1961 - Lothar Matthäus, German soccer player
• 1962 - Matthew Broderick, was born. Actor.
• 1962 - Rosie O'Donnell, was born. Comedienne.
• 1963 - Alcatraz Island, the federal penitentiary in San Francisco Bay, CA, closed.
• 1965 - The U.S. launched Ranger 9. It was the last in a series of unmanned lunar explorations.
• 1965 - More than 3,000 civil rights demonstrators led by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. began a march from Selma to Montgomery, AL.
• 1966 - Cynthia Geary was born .
• 1967 - MC Maxim (Prodigy) was born .
• 1967 - Jonas Berggren (Ace of Base) was born.
• 1968 - Andrew Copeland (Sister Hazel) was born.
• 1970 - In Amsterdam, Netherlands, Dana wins the fifteenth Eurovision Song Contest for Ireland singing "All Kinds of Everything".
• 1971 - Two U.S. platoons in Vietnam refused their orders to advance.
• 1972 - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states could not require one year of residency for voting eligibility.
• 1973 - Antoni Szalowski, composer, dies at 65.
• 1974 - An attempt was made to kidnap Princess Anne in London's Pall Mall.
• 1979 - Egyptian Parliament unanimously approve peace treaty with Israel.
• 1980 - U.S. President Jimmy Carter announced to the U.S. Olympic Team that they would not participate in the 1980 Summer Games in Moscow as a boycott against Soviet intervention in Afghanistan.
• 1980 - Ronaldinho, was born. Brazilian football player.
• 1984 - A Soviet submarine crashed into the USS Kitty Hawk off the coast of Japan.
• 1984 - Sir Michael Redgrave, dies (b. 1908) . Actor.
• 1985 - In Langa, South Africa, at least 21 demonstrators were killed at a march to mark the 25th anniversary of the Sharpeville shootings.
• 1985 - Larry Flynt offered to sell his pornography empire for $26 million or "Hustler" magazine alone for $18 million.
• 1985 - Police in Langa, South Africa, opened fire on blacks marching to mark the 25th anniversary of the Sharpeville shootings. At least 21 demonstrators were killed.
• 1987 - Dean Paul Martin, actor (Billy-Misfits of Science), dies at 35.
• 1988 - 23rd Academy of Country Music Awards: Randy Travis and Hank Williams, Jr.
• 1988 - La derechista Alianza Republicana Nacionalista gana las elecciones municipales y legislativas de El Salvador.
• 1989 - Randall Dale Adams was released from a Texas prison after his conviction was overturned. The documentary "The Thin Blue Line" had challenged evidence of Adams' conviction for killing a police officer.
• 1989 - Regresa a su país, tras 42 años de exilio, el escritor paraguayo Augusto Roa Bastos.
• 1990 - "Normal Life" with Moon Unit & Dweezil Zappa premiered on CBS-TV.
• 1990 - Australian businessman Alan Bond sold Van Gogh's "Irises" to the Gerry Museum. Bond had purchased the painting for $53.9 million in 1987.
• 1990 - "Sydney" starring Valerie Bertinelli premiered on CBS-TV.
• 1990 - Namibia became independent of South Africa. Sam Nujoma becomes president.
• 1991 - 27 people were lost at sea when two U.S. Navy anti-submarine planes collided.
• 1991 - The U.N. Security Council lifted the food embargo against Iraq.
• 1993 - Em Lisboa o Centro Cultural de Belém abre as portas ao público.
• 1993 - Pope John Paul II declares Duns Scotus, a saint .
• 1994 - Dudley Moore was arrested for hitting his girlfriend.
• 1994 - Actress and Comedienne Whoopi Goldberg hosted the 66th Annual Academy Awards show at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) awarded "Schindler’s List", nominated in no less than 12 categories, with seven Oscars: beginning with Best Writing/Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium (Stephen Zaillian); Best Art Direction-Set Decoration (Allan Starski, Ewa Braun); Best Cinematography (Janusz Kaminski); Best Film Editing (Michael Kahn); Best Music/Original Score (John Williams); Best Director (Steven Spielberg); and culminating with Best Picture (Producers Steven Spielberg, Gerald R. Molen and Branko Lustig). "Philadelphia" (nominated five times) scored two awards, Best Actor (Tom Hanks) and Best Music/Song, "Streets of Philadelphia" to Bruce Springsteen. "The Piano" (nominated in eight categories) won Best Actress (Holly Hunter)and Best Supporting Actress (Anna Paquin), and Best Writing/Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen (Jane Campion); "Jurassic Park" received the Best Sound award (Gary Summers, Gary Rydstrom, Shawn Murphy, Ron Judkins), the Best Effects, Sound Effects Editing award (Gary Rydstrom, Richard Hymns), and the Best Effects, Visual Effects award (Dennis Muren, Stan Winston, Phil Tippett, Michael Lantieri). Tommy Lee Jones picked up the Best Supporting Actor award for "The Fugitive", a film nominated in seven categories.
• 1994 - Wayne Gretzky tied Gordie Howe's NHL record of 801 goals.
• 1994 - Bill Gates of Microsoft and Craig McCaw of McCaw Cellular Communications announced a $9 billion plan that would send 840 satellites into orbit to relay information around the globe.
• 1994 - 66th Academy Awards - "Schindler's List," Tom Hanks and Holly Hunter win
• 1995 - New Jersey officially dedicated the Howard Stern Rest Area along Route 295.
• 1995 - Tokyo police raided the headquarters of Aum Shinrikyo in search of evidence to link the cult to the Sarin gas released on five Tokyo subway trains.
• 1999 - 71st Annual Academy Awards ceremony at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles. Hosting the festivities which had moved from the traditional Monday night to Sunday evening, was comedienne Whoopi Goldberg. A beautiful lady, Gwyneth Paltrow, emotionally accepted the Best Actress Oscar for her role in "Shakespeare in Love". It was a beautiful night for the film with 13 nominations and seven wins including the win of Best Picture of the 1998 year; Best Supporting Actress (Dame Judi Dench); Best Writing/Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen (Marc Norman, Tom Stoppard); Best Art Direction-Set Decoration (Martin Childs, Jill Quertier); and Best Music/Original Musical or Comedy Score (Stephen Warbeck). This was the first time in nine years that the film that won Best Picture did not win for Best Director. Steven Spielberg was the winning director for "Saving Private Ryan" (which also won four more of the golden statuettes). It was a beautiful moment when the Best Supporting Actor Oscar was awarded to James Coburn ("Affliction"), his first Academy Award nomination in over 70 films. But the most beautiful moment/s of the long (Oscar's longest to date) evening was when Sophia Loren said, “and the Oscar goes to Roberto!” (Best Actor: La Vita è bella - Roberto Benigni). In plain English, "Life is Beautiful". Roberto Benigni was the first actor in a foreign language film to receive an Oscar. Benigni had received an Oscar earlier in the evening for Best Foreign Film ("Life is Beautiful") when he pirouetted on top of seat backs, hopping and dancing to the stage. Roberto Benigni truly made the evening bella, bella!
• 1999 - Israel's Supreme Court rejected the final effort to have American Samuel Sheinbein returned to the U.S. to face murder charges for killing Alfred Tello, Jr. Under a plea bargain Sheinbein was sentenced to 24 years in prison.
• 2000 - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had overstepped its regulatory authority when it attempted to restrict the marketing of cigarettes to youngsters.
• 2001 - Nintendo released Game Boy Advance.
• 2002 - In Pakistan, Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh was charged with murder for his role in the kidnapping of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pear. Three other Islamic militants that were in custody were also charged along with seven more accomplices that were still at large.
• 2002 - In Paris, an 1825 print by French inventor Joseph Nicephore Niepce was sold for $443,220. The print, of a man leading a horse, was the earliest recorded image taken by photographic means.
• 2003 - It was reported that the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed up 235.27 (2.8%) at 8,521.97. It was the strongest weekly gain in more than 20 years.
• 2004 - In Malaysia, the 11th Federal and State elections are held, returning the ruling coalition Barisan Nasional to power with an increased majority.