March 31
1492 - King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain issued an edict expelling Jews unwilling to convert to Christianity.
1889 - French engineer Alexandre Gustave Eiffel unfurled the French tricolor from atop the Eiffel Tower to mark its completion.
1917 - The United States took possession of the Virgin Islands from Denmark.
1918 - Daylight Savings Time went into effect in the United States.
1943 - The Rodgers and Hammerstein musical "Oklahoma!" opened on Broadway.
1945 - "The Glass Menagerie" by Tennessee Williams opened on Broadway.
1949 - Newfoundland became Canada's tenth province.
1959 - The Dalai Lama, fleeing Chinese repression of an uprising in Tibet, arrived at the Indian border and was granted political asylum.
1968 - President Lyndon B. Johnson stunned the country by announcing he would not run for another term in office.
1976 - The New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that coma patient Karen Anne Quinlan could be disconnected from her respirator. (Quinlan remained comatose and died in 1985.)
1992 - The U.N. Security Council voted to ban flights and arms sales to Libya, branding it a terrorist state for shielding six men accused of blowing up Pan Am Flight 103 and a French airliner.
1995 - Singer Selena, age 23, was shot to death in Corpus Christi, Texas by the founder of her fan club.
1999 - Four New York City police officers were charged with murder for killing Amadou Diallo, an unarmed African immigrant, in a hail of bullets. (They were acquitted in 2000.)
2004 - Four American civilian contractors were killed in Fallujah, Iraq; frenzied crowds dragged their burned, mutilated bodies through the streets and strung two of them from a bridge.
2005 - Terri Schiavo died at a hospice in Pinellas Park, Florida, 13 days after her feeding tube was removed in a wrenching right-to-die dispute.
Birthdays
40 - Emma Atkins (actress)
44 - Ewan McGregor (actor)
67 - Al Gore (former Vice President of the United States)
67 - Rhea Perlman (actress)
72 - Christopher Walken (actor)
73 - Michael Savage (talk show host)
75 - Barney Frank (politician)
81 - Shirley Jones (actress)
81 - Richard Chamberlain (actor)
87 - Gordie Howe (hockey hall of famer)
88 - William Daniels (actor)
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Today in Sports History - March 31
1906 - The Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States was founded to set rules in amateur sports. The organization became the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in 1910.
1968 - Seattle chose the nickname "Pilots" for its new American League baseball franchise.
1971 - Knute Rockne, one of the greatest college football coaches of all time, died in a plane crash.
1973 - Ken Norton broke Muhammad Ali's jaw and won a split decision in their heavyweight fight.
1975 - UCLA defeated Kentucky 92-85 to win its 10th NCAA championship.
1985 - Old Dominion defeated Georgia 70-65 to win the NCAA women's tournament.
1985 - The first WrestleMania was held at Madison Square Garden in New York. The main event featured a tag team match where Hulk Hogan and Mr. T defeated Rowdy Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff.
1986 - Louisville defeated Duke 72-69 to win the NCAA Tournament.
1995 - Major League Baseball players agreed to end the sport's longest strike in history after a judge ordered a preliminary injunction against the team owners.
1991 - Tennessee defeated Virginia 70-67 in overtime to win the NCAA women's tournament.
1996 - WrestleMania XII was held in Anaheim, California. The main event saw Shawn Michaels defeat Bret "The Hitman" Hart in a 60-minute Iron Man Match for the WWF championship.
1997 - Arizona defeated Kentucky 84-79 to win the NCAA tournament.
1997 - 16-year-old Martina Hingis became the youngest women's tennis player to achieve a #1 world ranking.
1998 - The Tampa Bay Devil Rays and Arizona Diamondbacks made their debuts as Major League Baseball teams.
1998 - The Milwaukee Brewers played their first game as a member of the National League, after having spent the prior 33 years in the American League.
2002 - Andre Agassi won his 700th career tennis match.
2002 - The Connecticut women's basketball team concluded a perfect season, going 39-0, beating Oklahoma to win the NCAA women's tournament.
2010 - Kicker Jason Elam announced his retirement from football.
1492 - King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain issued an edict expelling Jews unwilling to convert to Christianity.
1889 - French engineer Alexandre Gustave Eiffel unfurled the French tricolor from atop the Eiffel Tower to mark its completion.
1917 - The United States took possession of the Virgin Islands from Denmark.
1918 - Daylight Savings Time went into effect in the United States.
1943 - The Rodgers and Hammerstein musical "Oklahoma!" opened on Broadway.
1945 - "The Glass Menagerie" by Tennessee Williams opened on Broadway.
1949 - Newfoundland became Canada's tenth province.
1959 - The Dalai Lama, fleeing Chinese repression of an uprising in Tibet, arrived at the Indian border and was granted political asylum.
1968 - President Lyndon B. Johnson stunned the country by announcing he would not run for another term in office.
1976 - The New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that coma patient Karen Anne Quinlan could be disconnected from her respirator. (Quinlan remained comatose and died in 1985.)
1992 - The U.N. Security Council voted to ban flights and arms sales to Libya, branding it a terrorist state for shielding six men accused of blowing up Pan Am Flight 103 and a French airliner.
1995 - Singer Selena, age 23, was shot to death in Corpus Christi, Texas by the founder of her fan club.
1999 - Four New York City police officers were charged with murder for killing Amadou Diallo, an unarmed African immigrant, in a hail of bullets. (They were acquitted in 2000.)
2004 - Four American civilian contractors were killed in Fallujah, Iraq; frenzied crowds dragged their burned, mutilated bodies through the streets and strung two of them from a bridge.
2005 - Terri Schiavo died at a hospice in Pinellas Park, Florida, 13 days after her feeding tube was removed in a wrenching right-to-die dispute.
Birthdays
40 - Emma Atkins (actress)
44 - Ewan McGregor (actor)
67 - Al Gore (former Vice President of the United States)
67 - Rhea Perlman (actress)
72 - Christopher Walken (actor)
73 - Michael Savage (talk show host)
75 - Barney Frank (politician)
81 - Shirley Jones (actress)
81 - Richard Chamberlain (actor)
87 - Gordie Howe (hockey hall of famer)
88 - William Daniels (actor)
============================================
Today in Sports History - March 31
1906 - The Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States was founded to set rules in amateur sports. The organization became the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in 1910.
1968 - Seattle chose the nickname "Pilots" for its new American League baseball franchise.
1971 - Knute Rockne, one of the greatest college football coaches of all time, died in a plane crash.
1973 - Ken Norton broke Muhammad Ali's jaw and won a split decision in their heavyweight fight.
1975 - UCLA defeated Kentucky 92-85 to win its 10th NCAA championship.
1985 - Old Dominion defeated Georgia 70-65 to win the NCAA women's tournament.
1985 - The first WrestleMania was held at Madison Square Garden in New York. The main event featured a tag team match where Hulk Hogan and Mr. T defeated Rowdy Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff.
1986 - Louisville defeated Duke 72-69 to win the NCAA Tournament.
1995 - Major League Baseball players agreed to end the sport's longest strike in history after a judge ordered a preliminary injunction against the team owners.
1991 - Tennessee defeated Virginia 70-67 in overtime to win the NCAA women's tournament.
1996 - WrestleMania XII was held in Anaheim, California. The main event saw Shawn Michaels defeat Bret "The Hitman" Hart in a 60-minute Iron Man Match for the WWF championship.
1997 - Arizona defeated Kentucky 84-79 to win the NCAA tournament.
1997 - 16-year-old Martina Hingis became the youngest women's tennis player to achieve a #1 world ranking.
1998 - The Tampa Bay Devil Rays and Arizona Diamondbacks made their debuts as Major League Baseball teams.
1998 - The Milwaukee Brewers played their first game as a member of the National League, after having spent the prior 33 years in the American League.
2002 - Andre Agassi won his 700th career tennis match.
2002 - The Connecticut women's basketball team concluded a perfect season, going 39-0, beating Oklahoma to win the NCAA women's tournament.
2010 - Kicker Jason Elam announced his retirement from football.
