On This Day: March 11

Updated March 10, 2012, 1:28 pm

On March 11, 1941, President Roosevelt signed into law the Lend-Lease Bill, providing war supplies to countries fighting the Axis.
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On March 11, 1926, Ralph Abernathy, the American pastor and civil rights leader, was born. Following his death on April 17, 1990, his obituary appeared in The Times.

Go to obituary » | Other birthdays »

On This Date

By The Associated Press

1810 Emperor Napoleon of France was married by proxy to Archduchess Marie Louise of Austria.

1862 During the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln removed Gen. George B. McClellan as general-in-chief of the Union armies.

1888 A blizzard struck the northeastern United States, resulting in some 400 deaths.

1941 President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed into law the Lend-Lease Bill, providing war supplies to countries fighting the Axis.

1942 As Japanese forces continued to advance in the Pacific during World War II, Gen. Douglas MacArthur left the Philippines for Australia. He subsequently vowed: “I shall return.”

1970 The album “Deja Vu” by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young was released.

1985 Mikhail S. Gorbachev was chosen to succeed the late Soviet President Konstantin Chernenko.

1990 The Lithuanian parliament voted to break away from the Soviet Union and restore its independence.

1993 North Korea withdrew from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

1997 Rock musician Paul McCartney of the Beatles was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.

2002 Two columns of light soared skyward from ground zero in New York as a temporary memorial to the victims of the Sept. 11 attacks.

2004 Ten bombs exploded in quick succession across the commuter rail network in Madrid, Spain, killing 191 people and injuring 1,800 in Europe’s worst Islamic terror attack.

2006 Former Serb leader Slobodan Milosevic was found dead of a heart attack in his cell during his war crimes trial in The Hague.

2011 Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker signed a measure to eliminate most union rights for public employees, a proposal which had provoked three weeks of protests.

2011 NFL owners and players broke off labor negotiations hours before their contract expired; the union decertified and the league imposed a lockout that lasted 4 1/2 months.

Current Birthdays

By The Associated Press

Media mogul Rupert Murdoch turns 81 years old today.

AP Photo/Matt Sayles

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia turns 76 years old today.

AP Photo/Evan Vucci

1934 Sam Donaldson, Broadcast journalist, turns 78

1946 Mark Metcalf, Actor (“Animal House”), turns 66

1950 Bobby McFerrin, Singer, turns 62

1950 Jerry Zucker, Director, turns 62

1952 Susan Richardson, Actress (“Eight is Enough”), turns 60

1953 Jimmy Iovine, Record executive, turns 59

1954 Gale Norton, Former secretary of the interior, turns 58

1955 Nina Hagen, Singer, turns 57

1962 Peter Berg, Actor, director, turns 50

1962 Jeffrey Nordling, Actor, turns 50

1963 Alex Kingston, Actress (“ER”), turns 49

1965 Wallace Langham, Actor (“CSI”), turns 47

1965 Jesse Jackson Jr., U.S. congressman, D-Ill., turns 47

1968 Lisa Loeb, Rock singer, turns 44

1969 Terrence Howard, Actor, turns 43

1971 Johnny Knoxville, Actor (“Jackass”), turns 41

1979 Benji Madden, Rock musician (Good Charlotte), turns 33

1979 Joel Madden, Rock musician (Good Charlotte), turns 33

1982 Thora Birch, Actress, turns 30

Historic Birthdays

Ralph Abernathy 3/11/1926 – 4/17/1990 American pastor and civil rights leader.Go to obituary »

51 Torquato Tasso 3/11/1544 – 4/25/1595
Italian poet of the late Renaissance

76 John McLean 3/11/1785 – 4/4/1861
United States Supreme Court justice; dissented in the Dred Scott decision (1857)

78 Joseph Bertrand 3/11/1822 – 4/5/1900
French mathematician and educator

70 Charles Eastlake 3/11/1836 – 11/20/1906
English museologist and art writer

63 Sir Malcolm Campbell 3/11/1885 – 12/31/1948
English car racer

84 Vannevar Bush 3/11/1890 – 6/28/1974
American electrical engineer and goverment administrator in World War II

70 Dorothy Gish 3/11/1898 – 6/4/1968
American film and stage actress

72 Frederick IX 3/11/1899 – 1/14/1972
Danish king; encouraged resistance against Germans in World War II

89 Lawrence Welk 3/11/1903 – 5/17/1992
American bandleader and showman

79 Harold Wilson 3/11/1916 – 5/24/1995
English Labor Party politician; twice prime minister

1810	Emperor Napoleon of France was married by proxy to Archduchess Marie Louise of Austria.
1862	During the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln removed Gen. George B. McClellan as general-in-chief of the Union armies.
1888	A blizzard struck the northeastern United States, resulting in some 400 deaths.
1941	President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed into law the Lend-Lease Bill, providing war supplies to countries fighting the Axis.
1942	As Japanese forces continued to advance in the Pacific during World War II, Gen. Douglas MacArthur left the Philippines for Australia. He subsequently vowed: “I shall return.”
1970	The album “Deja Vu” by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young was released.
1985	Mikhail S. Gorbachev was chosen to succeed the late Soviet President Konstantin Chernenko.
1990	The Lithuanian parliament voted to break away from the Soviet Union and restore its independence.
1993	North Korea withdrew from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
1997	Rock musician Paul McCartney of the Beatles was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.
2002	Two columns of light soared skyward from ground zero in New York as a temporary memorial to the victims of the Sept. 11 attacks.
2004	Ten bombs exploded in quick succession across the commuter rail network in Madrid, Spain, killing 191 people and injuring 1,800 in Europe’s worst Islamic terror attack.
2006	Former Serb leader Slobodan Milosevic was found dead of a heart attack in his cell during his war crimes trial in The Hague.
2011	Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker signed a measure to eliminate most union rights for public employees, a proposal which had provoked three weeks of protests.
2011	NFL owners and players broke off labor negotiations hours before their contract expired; the union decertified and the league imposed a lockout that lasted 4 1/2 months.

1934	Sam Donaldson, Broadcast journalist, turns 78
1946	Mark Metcalf, Actor (“Animal House”), turns 66
1950	Bobby McFerrin, Singer, turns 62
1950	Jerry Zucker, Director, turns 62
1952	Susan Richardson, Actress (“Eight is Enough”), turns 60
1953	Jimmy Iovine, Record executive, turns 59
1954	Gale Norton, Former secretary of the interior, turns 58
1955	Nina Hagen, Singer, turns 57
1962	Peter Berg, Actor, director, turns 50
1962	Jeffrey Nordling, Actor, turns 50
1963	Alex Kingston, Actress (“ER”), turns 49
1965	Wallace Langham, Actor (“CSI”), turns 47
1965	Jesse Jackson Jr., U.S. congressman, D-Ill., turns 47
1968	Lisa Loeb, Rock singer, turns 44
1969	Terrence Howard, Actor, turns 43
1971	Johnny Knoxville, Actor (“Jackass”), turns 41
1979	Benji Madden, Rock musician (Good Charlotte), turns 33
1979	Joel Madden, Rock musician (Good Charlotte), turns 33
1982	Thora Birch, Actress, turns 30

51	Torquato Tasso 3/11/1544 – 4/25/1595 Italian poet of the late Renaissance
76	John McLean 3/11/1785 – 4/4/1861 United States Supreme Court justice; dissented in the Dred Scott decision (1857)
78	Joseph Bertrand 3/11/1822 – 4/5/1900 French mathematician and educator
70	Charles Eastlake 3/11/1836 – 11/20/1906 English museologist and art writer
63	Sir Malcolm Campbell 3/11/1885 – 12/31/1948 English car racer
84	Vannevar Bush 3/11/1890 – 6/28/1974 American electrical engineer and goverment administrator in World War II
70	Dorothy Gish 3/11/1898 – 6/4/1968 American film and stage actress
72	Frederick IX 3/11/1899 – 1/14/1972 Danish king; encouraged resistance against Germans in World War II
89	Lawrence Welk 3/11/1903 – 5/17/1992 American bandleader and showman
79	Harold Wilson 3/11/1916 – 5/24/1995 English Labor Party politician; twice prime minister