Born On This Day:

• Louis IX (Saint Louis) King of France, 1214
• Edward II, 1284
• Oliver Cromwell, 1599
• Gugliemo Marconi, 1874
• William Brennan, 1906
• Fred Zinnemann, 1907
• Edward R. Murrow, 1908
• Ella Fitzgerald, 1918
• Paul Mazursky, 1930
• Meadowlark Lemon, 1932
• Al Pacino, 1940
• Talia Shire, 1946
• Renée Zellweger, 1969

Died On This Day:

• Anders Celsius, 1744
• William Cowper, 1800
• George Sanders suicide, 1972
• Sir Carol Reed, 1976
• David A. Kennedy OD, 1984
• Dexter Gordon, 1990
• Ginger Rogers, 1995
• Saul Bass, 1996
• Wright Morris, 1998
• David Merrick, 2000
• Estée Lauder, 2004
• Beatrice Arthur, 2009
• Alan Sillitoe, 2010

Today's Events:

• 1507 - Ignorant of Columbus, German mapmaker Waldseemuller publishes 'America' as name of new world.
• 1719 - Daniel Defoe publishes his best-selling book 'Robinson Crusoe.'
• 1792 - 3:30 pm - Guillotine first used in Paris at Place de Greve; Highwayman Nicolas Pelletier chopped.
• 1856 - Charles Dodgson, later known as Lewis Carrol, meets Alice Liddel, model for Alice in Wonderland.
• 1859 - Work begins on construction of Suez Canal.
• 1898 - Spanish American War begins; U.S. declares war on Spain one day after Spain declares war on U.S.
• 1915 - First allied landing on Gallipoli, WWI
• 1945 - US and Soviet forces meet at Torgau on the Elbe River cutting Nazi Germany in two. WWII.
• 1945 - Delegates of 50 countries begin meetings in San Francisco to organize the United Nations.
• 1953 - James Watson and Francis Crick first publish idea that DNA exists in double-helix in Nature Magazine.
• 1954 - G. Pearson, C. Fuller and D. Chapin of Bell Telephone announce invention of solar battery.
• 1959 - St. Lawrence Seaway opens for business; 400 mi. system between Montreal and Lake Erie.
• 1967 - Colorado legalizes therapeutic abortions if three-doctor board approves.
• 1974 - Coup in Portugal.
• 1982 - Israel formally returns Sinai Peninsula to Egypt.
• 1990 - Hubble Space Telescope launched from space shuttle Discovery to survey the heavens.
• 1993 - 300,000 homosexuals march on Washington, DC demanding freedom from discrimination.
• 2005 - Classic photo by Robert Doisneau of couple kissing outside Paris city hall sold at auction for 10x more than expected - £105,000, by Francoise Bornet, the kissee.
• 2015 - 7.8 earthquake rocks Nepal near Katmandu. Upwards of 10,000 dead.
• 2015 - 7.8 earthquake in Nepal kills 8,857.
• 2017 - Nasdaq passes 6,000 for the first time as markets boom.

Feast Day of Saint:

• William of Monte Vergine
• Mark

Holiday:

• Anzac Day
• Arbor Day
• Day of Rubigalia the Roman
• Portugal's Day or Macau celebrated in Portugal
• Sinai Day in Egypt

Non-Specific Holiday:

• PESACH or Passover (Jewish), begins 15th day of lunar month Nisan thru 22nd
• PALM SUNDAY, Sunday before Easter and first day of Holy Week.
• MAUNDY THURSDAY, Thursday before Easter
• GOOD FRIDAY, Friday before Easter
• EASTER (SUNDAY) (March to May) the first Sunday after the first full moon after the veral equinox (March 22-April 25) in Western churches;
• EASTER MONDAY, Monday after Easter.
• CH'ING MING, Festival of Pure Brightness in China (Beginning of second moon (about March 21)
• NAEFELSERFAHRT, Swiss pilgrimage the first Thursday in April to Näfels
• BAISAKHI (in India) or VOISHU (in Kerala) or BOHAG BIHU (in Assam) - (Hindu New Year Festival)
• VESAK (Commemoration of birth, enlightenment and death of Buddha) celebrated Southeast Asia.
• MOTHER'S DAY (U.S.), second Sunday in May
• FESTIVAL OF JOAN OF ARC in France, second Sunday in May
• MEMORIAL DAY (U.S.), Last Monday in May
• MAHAVIR JAYANTI, Indian festival celebrating birth of Lord Mahavira, celebrated early April
• AKSHAYA TRITIYA, Hindu Festival, celebrated late April
• DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME - begins first Sunday in April - clocks forward
• Arbor Day - last Friday in April