Updated March 11, 2012, 2:28 pm
On March 12, 1947, President Truman established what became known as the Truman Doctrine to help Greece and Turkey resist Communism.
Go to article »On March 12, 1858, Adolph Simon Ochs, the American publisher who built The New York Times into one of the world’s top newspapers, was born. Following his death on April 8, 1935, his obituary appeared in The Times.
Go to obituary » | Other birthdays »
On This Date
By The Associated Press
1862 Ulysses S. Grant was promoted to the rank of general-in-chief of the Union armies in the Civil War by President Abraham Lincoln. 1912 The Girl Guides, the forerunner of the Girl Scouts of America, was founded. 1930 Indian political and spiritual leader Mohandas K. Gandhi began a 200-mile march to protest a British tax on salt. 1938 The “Anschluss” took place as German troops entered Austria. Adolf Hitler annexed his homeland the following day. 1939 Pope Pius XII was crowned at the Vatican. 1951 The cartoon “Dennis the Menace” by Hank Ketcham made its syndicated debut in 16 newspapers. 1969 Rock musician Paul McCartney of the Beatles married Linda Eastman in London. 1980 A Chicago jury found John Wayne Gacy Jr. guilty of the murders of 33 men and boys. 1987 The musical “Les Miserables” opened on Broadway. 1993 Janet Reno was sworn in as the nation’s first female attorney general. 1994 The Church of England ordained its first female priests. 1999 The Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland joined NATO. 2002 Homeland security chief Tom Ridge unveiled a color-coded system for terror warnings. 2002 The U.N. Security Council approved a U.S.-sponsored resolution endorsing a Palestinian state for the first time. 2008 New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer resigned two days after reports had surfaced that he was a client of a prostitution ring. 2009 Disgraced financier Bernard Madoff pleaded guilty in New York to pulling off perhaps the biggest swindle in Wall Street history. 2011 The Arab League asked the U.N. Security Council to impose a no-fly zone to protect Libyan rebels. Current Birthdays
By The Associated Press
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney turns 65 years old today.
AP Photo/Gerald Herbert
Actor Aaron Eckhart turns 44 years old today.
AP Photo/Evan Agostini
1928 Edward Albee, Playwright (“Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf”), turns 84 1932 Andrew Young, Civil rights leader, politician, turns 80 1933 Barbara Feldon, Actress (“Get Smart”), turns 79 1940 Al Jarreau, R&B, jazz singer, turns 72 1946 Liza Minnelli, Singer, actress, turns 66 1948 Kent Conrad, U.S. senator, D-N.D., turns 64 1948 James Taylor, Singer, songwriter, turns 64 1957 Marlon Jackson, Singer (The Jackson Five), turns 55 1960 Courtney B. Vance, Actor, turns 52 1962 Darryl Strawberry, Baseball player, turns 50
Historic Birthdays
Adolph Simon Ochs 3/12/1858 – 4/8/1935 American newspaper publisher; owned The New York TimesGo to obituary »
87 Andre Le Notre 3/12/1613 – 9/15/1700
French landscape architect; designed the Versailles gardens67 George Berkeley 3/12/1685 – 1/14/1753
Anglo-Irish Anglican bishop, philosopher and scientist72 Sir John Abbott 3/12/1821 – 10/30/1893
Canadian lawyer, statesman and prime minister (1891-92)70 Clement Studebaker 3/12/1831 – 11/27/1901
American manufacturer; leader in the auto industry74 Gabriele D’Annunzio 3/12/1863 – 3/1/1938
Italian novelist, dramatist, journalist and political leader69 Wilhelm Frick 3/12/1877 – 10/16/1946
German statesman; Hitler’s minister of the interior60 Vaslav Nijinsky 3/12/1889 – 4/8/1950
Russian ballet dancer68 Elaine de Kooning 3/12/1920 – 2/1/1989
American painter, teacher and art critic47 Jack Kerouac 3/12/1922 – 10/21/1969
American poet, novelist and spokesman for the Beat movement
