Today in History

Today in History

Today is Tuesday, March 22, the 81st day of 2022. There are 284 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlights in History:

On March 22, 1894, hockey’s first Stanley Cup championship game was played; home team Montreal defeated Ottawa, 3-1.

On this date:

In 1765, the British Parliament passed the Stamp Act to raise money from the American colonies, which fiercely resisted the tax. (The Stamp Act was repealed a year later.)

In 1882, President Chester Alan Arthur signed a measure outlawing polygamy.

In 1941, the Grand Coulee hydroelectric dam in Washington state officially went into operation.

In 1945, the Arab League was formed with the adoption of a charter in Cairo, Egypt.

In 1963, The Beatles’ debut album, “Please Please Me,” was released in the United Kingdom by Parlophone.

In 1978, Karl Wallenda, the 73-year-old patriarch of “The Flying Wallendas” high-wire act, fell to his death while attempting to walk a cable strung between two hotel towers in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

In 1988, both houses of Congress overrode President Ronald Reagan’s veto of the Civil Rights Restoration Act.

In 1993, Intel Corp. unveiled the original Pentium computer chip.

In 1997, Tara Lipinski, at age 14 years and 10 months, became the youngest ladies’ world figure skating champion in Lausanne, Switzerland.

In 2010, Google Inc. stopped censoring the internet for China by shifting its search engine off the mainland to Hong Kong.

In 2019, special counsel Robert Mueller closed his Russia investigation with no new charges, delivering his final report to Justice Department officials. Former President Jimmy Carter became the longest-living chief executive in American history; at 94 years and 172 days, he exceeded the lifespan of the late former President George H.W. Bush.

In 2020, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered all nonessential businesses in the state to close and nonessential workers to stay home. Kentucky Republican Rand Paul became the first member of the U.S. Senate to report testing positive for the coronavirus; his announcement led Utah senators Mike Lee and Mitt Romney to place themselves in quarantine.

Ten years ago: Coroner’s officials ruled singer Whitney Houston died by drowning the previous February, but that heart disease and cocaine use were contributing factors. In a dramatic end to a 32-hour standoff, a French SWAT team slipped into the Toulouse apartment of an Islamic extremist suspected of seven killings, sparking a firefight that ended with the suspect jumping out the window and being fatally shot in the head.

Five years ago: A knife-wielding man plowed a car into pedestrians on London’s Westminster Bridge, killing four people, then stabbed an armed police officer to death inside the gates of Parliament before being shot dead by authorities. A northern Wisconsin man went on a shooting rampage, killing two of his wife’s co-workers, her divorce attorney and a police officer before being shot by police; he died 10 days later in the hospital. Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch wrapped up two days of Senate questioning to glowing GOP reviews but complaints from frustrated Democrats that he had concealed his views from the American public.

One year ago: A man opened fire at a crowded supermarket in Boulder, Colorado, killing 10 people, including one of the first police officers to respond. (The suspect, Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, has so far been found mentally incompetent to stand trial.) Former Los Angeles Lakers star Elgin Baylor, an 11-time NBA All-Star, died at the age of 86.

Today’s Birthdays: Evangelist broadcaster Pat Robertson is 92. Actor William Shatner is 91. Former Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, is 88. Actor M. Emmet Walsh is 87. Actor-singer Jeremy Clyde is 81. Singer-guitarist George Benson is 79. Writer James Patterson is 75. CNN newscaster Wolf Blitzer is 74. Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber is 74. Actor Fanny Ardant is 73. Sportscaster Bob Costas is 70. Country singer James House is 67. Actor Lena Olin is 67. Singer-actor Stephanie Mills is 65. Actor Matthew Modine is 63. Actor-comedian Keegan-Michael Key is 51. Actor Will Yun Lee is 51. Olympic silver medal figure skater Elvis Stojko is 50. Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., is 49. Actor Guillermo Diaz is 47. Actor Anne Dudek is 47. Actor Cole Hauser is 47. Actor Kellie Williams is 46. Actor Reese Witherspoon is 46. Rock musician John Otto (Limp Bizkit) is 45. Actor Tiffany Dupont is 41. Rapper Mims is 41. Actor Constance Wu is 40. Actor James Wolk is 37.

Copyright © 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.

Federal News Network Logo
Log in to your WTOP account for notifications and alerts customized for you.

Sign up