March 12
1862 - Ulysses S. Grant was promoted to the rank of general-in-chief of the Union armies in the Civil War by President Abraham Lincoln.
1912 - The Girl Guides, the forerunner of the Girl Scouts of America, was founded.
1930 - Indian political and spiritual leader Mohandas K. Gandhi began a 200-mile march to protest a British tax on salt.
1933 - President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave the first of his nation-wide "fireside" chats on the radio.
1938 - The "Anschluss" took place as German troops entered Austria. Adolf Hitler annexed his homeland the following day.
1939 - Pope Pius XII was crowned at the Vatican.
1947 - President Harry Truman established what became known as the Truman Doctrine to help Greece and Turkey resist Communism.
1951 - The cartoon "Dennis the Menace" by Hank Ketcham made its syndicated debut in 16 newspapers.
1969 - Rock musician Paul McCartney of the Beatles married Linda Eastman in London.
1980 - A Chicago jury found John Wayne Gacy Jr. guilty of the murders of 33 men and boys.
1987 - The musical "Les Miserables" opened on Broadway.
1993 - Janet Reno was sworn in as the nation's first female attorney general.
1994 - The Church of England ordained its first female priests.
1999 - The Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland joined NATO.
2002 - Homeland Security chief Tom Ridge unveiled a color-coded system for terror warnings.
2002 - The U.N. Security Council approved a U.S.-sponsored resolution endorsing a Palestinian state for the first time.
2003 - Elizabeth Smart, a 15-year-old girl who had vanished from her bedroom nine months earlier, was found alive in a Salt Lake City suburb with two drifters.
2008 - New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer resigned two days after reports had surfaced that he was a client of a prostitution ring.
2009 - Disgraced financier Bernard Madoff pleaded guilty in New York to pulling off perhaps the biggest swindle in Wall Street history.
2011 - The Arab League asked the U.N. Security Council to impose a no-fly zone to protect Libyan rebels.
Birthdays
47 - Aaron Eckhart (actor)
53 - Darryl Strawberry (baseball player)
53 - Julia Campbell (actress)
62 - Ron Jeremy (adult entertainer)
67 - James Taylor (singer)
68 - Mitt Romney (politician)
69 - Liza Minnelli (actress)
82 - Barbara Feldon actress)
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Today in Sports History - March 12
1913 - The American League approved the request of the New York Highlanders to change their name to the Yankees.
1956 - Dick Farley of Syracuse fouled out after just five minutes of play, the fastest disqualification in NBA history, in a game against St. Louis.
1966 - Bobby Hull of the Chicago Blackhawks set an NHL record for most points scored in a season with 51.
1971 - Gordie Howe of the Detroit Red Wings announced his retirement after playing 26 seasons in the NHL.
1972 - Bill Russell's No. 6 was retired by the Boston Celtics.
1985 - Larry Bird scored 60 points in a 126-115 win for the Boston Celtics over the Atlanta Hawks.
1985 - In Katmandu, Nepal, 80 people were trampled to death because stadium doors had been locked during a soccer game. The people were seeking shelter during a violent hail storm.
1992 - Moses Malone of the Milwaukee Bucks moved into fourth place on the NBA's all-time scoring list.
1992 - Don Nelson of the Golden State Warriors became the first person in NBA history to participate in 2,500 games as a player and coach.
1997 - NFL owners voted against the return of instant replay for the 1997 season. The vote was 20-10 in favor of instant replay, but the measure needed 23 votes to pass.
2007 - Roger Federer's 41-match winning streak came to an end when Guillermo Canas of Argentina upset him 7-5, 6-2 at the Pacific Life Open.
2009 - In what was the second-longest game in NCAA history, Syracuse defeated Connecticut 127-117 in six overtimes in a quarterfinal game of the Big East Conference Tournament.
2012 - The NCAA placed North Carolina's football program on three years' probation and banned it from the 2012 postseason.
2013 - Notre Dame and the Big East Conference announced a separation agreement that would allow the Fighting Irish to begin play in the Atlantic Coast Conference for all sports outside of football beginning in the 2013-14 academic year.
1862 - Ulysses S. Grant was promoted to the rank of general-in-chief of the Union armies in the Civil War by President Abraham Lincoln.
1912 - The Girl Guides, the forerunner of the Girl Scouts of America, was founded.
1930 - Indian political and spiritual leader Mohandas K. Gandhi began a 200-mile march to protest a British tax on salt.
1933 - President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave the first of his nation-wide "fireside" chats on the radio.
1938 - The "Anschluss" took place as German troops entered Austria. Adolf Hitler annexed his homeland the following day.
1939 - Pope Pius XII was crowned at the Vatican.
1947 - President Harry Truman established what became known as the Truman Doctrine to help Greece and Turkey resist Communism.
1951 - The cartoon "Dennis the Menace" by Hank Ketcham made its syndicated debut in 16 newspapers.
1969 - Rock musician Paul McCartney of the Beatles married Linda Eastman in London.
1980 - A Chicago jury found John Wayne Gacy Jr. guilty of the murders of 33 men and boys.
1987 - The musical "Les Miserables" opened on Broadway.
1993 - Janet Reno was sworn in as the nation's first female attorney general.
1994 - The Church of England ordained its first female priests.
1999 - The Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland joined NATO.
2002 - Homeland Security chief Tom Ridge unveiled a color-coded system for terror warnings.
2002 - The U.N. Security Council approved a U.S.-sponsored resolution endorsing a Palestinian state for the first time.
2003 - Elizabeth Smart, a 15-year-old girl who had vanished from her bedroom nine months earlier, was found alive in a Salt Lake City suburb with two drifters.
2008 - New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer resigned two days after reports had surfaced that he was a client of a prostitution ring.
2009 - Disgraced financier Bernard Madoff pleaded guilty in New York to pulling off perhaps the biggest swindle in Wall Street history.
2011 - The Arab League asked the U.N. Security Council to impose a no-fly zone to protect Libyan rebels.
Birthdays
47 - Aaron Eckhart (actor)
53 - Darryl Strawberry (baseball player)
53 - Julia Campbell (actress)
62 - Ron Jeremy (adult entertainer)
67 - James Taylor (singer)
68 - Mitt Romney (politician)
69 - Liza Minnelli (actress)
82 - Barbara Feldon actress)
=====================================
Today in Sports History - March 12
1913 - The American League approved the request of the New York Highlanders to change their name to the Yankees.
1956 - Dick Farley of Syracuse fouled out after just five minutes of play, the fastest disqualification in NBA history, in a game against St. Louis.
1966 - Bobby Hull of the Chicago Blackhawks set an NHL record for most points scored in a season with 51.
1971 - Gordie Howe of the Detroit Red Wings announced his retirement after playing 26 seasons in the NHL.
1972 - Bill Russell's No. 6 was retired by the Boston Celtics.
1985 - Larry Bird scored 60 points in a 126-115 win for the Boston Celtics over the Atlanta Hawks.
1985 - In Katmandu, Nepal, 80 people were trampled to death because stadium doors had been locked during a soccer game. The people were seeking shelter during a violent hail storm.
1992 - Moses Malone of the Milwaukee Bucks moved into fourth place on the NBA's all-time scoring list.
1992 - Don Nelson of the Golden State Warriors became the first person in NBA history to participate in 2,500 games as a player and coach.
1997 - NFL owners voted against the return of instant replay for the 1997 season. The vote was 20-10 in favor of instant replay, but the measure needed 23 votes to pass.
2007 - Roger Federer's 41-match winning streak came to an end when Guillermo Canas of Argentina upset him 7-5, 6-2 at the Pacific Life Open.
2009 - In what was the second-longest game in NCAA history, Syracuse defeated Connecticut 127-117 in six overtimes in a quarterfinal game of the Big East Conference Tournament.
2012 - The NCAA placed North Carolina's football program on three years' probation and banned it from the 2012 postseason.
2013 - Notre Dame and the Big East Conference announced a separation agreement that would allow the Fighting Irish to begin play in the Atlantic Coast Conference for all sports outside of football beginning in the 2013-14 academic year.
