Today is Tuesday, March 19th, the 78th day of the year.There are 287 days until the end of the year.
On this day:
In 1831, Edward Smith stole 245-thousand dollars from the City Bank of New York City in what became one of the country's first bank robberies.
In 1918, Congress approved Daylight Saving Time.It enabled Congress to establish time zones for the U.S.The move was made to save fuel and promote the economies in a time of war.
In 1949,the American Museum of Science and Energy opened in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
In 1957,Elvis Presley purchased the Graceland Estate in Memphis, Tennessee.
In 1976,former Free guitarist Paul Kossoff died on a flight from London to New York at the age of 26.
In 1982,Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Randy Rhoads died in a plane crash at the age of 25.Rhoads was in a light plane with two other people near Orlando, Florida, when they decided to buzz Ozzy Osbourne's tour bus.The plane clipped a wing and crashed into a house.
In 1987,Televangelist Jim Bakker resigned as chairman of the PTL ministry.He stepped down as a result of the sex and money scandal involving Jessica Hahn.
In 1993,Nine Inch Nails and Ministry drummer Jeff Ward died at the age of 30.
In 1998, the World Health Organization issued a report that said a tuberculosis epidemic could kill 70 million people in next two decades.
In 2001, California officials declared a power alert, ordering the first of two days of rolling blackouts.
In 2003, two days after President George W. Bush gave Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein an ultimatum to go into exile or face military action, the U.S. military began airstrikes against Iraq.
In 2004, actor Paul Reubens who gained fame as TV's Pee Wee Herman, pled guilty to a single charge of possessing obscene material.He was sentenced to three years probation, ordered to stay away from children while he completed his probation and register as a sex offender.Reubens said he was "disappointed any part of my art collection was ever deemed inappropriate."
In 2011, the U.S. began military action against Libya.President Obama called the U.S. involvement in Libya "limited," but said the move was necessary to protect the Libyan people who had been under attack from Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi following opposition uprising in the country.
In 2012, NFL quarterback Peyton Manning inked a deal to continue his football-playing career with the Denver Broncos.Manning ended his 14-year career with the Indianapolis Colts several days earlier after missing the entire 2011 season following a series of neck surgeries..
In 2016, Pope Francis joined Instagram.The head of the Roman Catholic Church quickly added a million followers within 12 hours of joining.That broke the previous record of adding a million followers which was held by soccer star David Beckham.