March 23rd

Today's Highlight in History:
On March 23rd, 1775, Patrick Henry made his famous call for America's independence from Britain, telling the Virginia Provincial Convention, "Give me liberty, or give me death!"

On this date:
In 1743, George Frideric Handel's oratorio "Messiah" had its London premiere.

In 1792, Joseph Haydn's Symphony No. 94 in G Major (the "Surprise" symphony) was performed publicly for the first time, in London.

In 1806, explorers Lewis and Clark, having reached the Pacific coast, began their journey back east.

In 1919, Benito Mussolini founded his Fascist political movement in Milan, Italy.

In 1933, the German Reichstag adopted the Enabling Act, which effectively granted Adolf Hitler dictatorial legislative powers.

In 1942, during World War Two, the US government began evacuating Japanese-Americans from their West Coast homes to detention centers.

In 1950, at the Academy Awards, "All the King's Men" won best picture of 1949; its star, Broderick Crawford, won best actor. Olivia de Havilland won best actress for "The Heiress."

In 1956, Pakistan became an independent republic within the British Commonwealth.

In 1965, America's first two-person space flight began as Gemini Three blasted off from Cape Kennedy with astronauts Virgil I. Grissom and John W. Young aboard.

In 1983, Dr. Barney Clark, recipient of a permanent artificial heart, died at the University of Utah Medical Center after 112 days with the device.

Ten years ago: Former "Exxon Valdez" Captain Joseph Hazelwood was sentenced by a judge in Anchorage, Alaska, to help clean up Prince William Sound and pay 50-thousand dollars in restitution for his role in the 1989 oil spill.

Five years ago: Secretary of State Warren Christopher met with Russian Foreign Minister Andrei Kozyrev in Geneva; afterward, Kozyrev said the US-Russia "honeymoon has come to an end," referring to disagreements over Chechnya and nuclear sales to Iran.

One year ago: NATO Secretary-General Javier Solana gave the formal go-ahead for airstrikes against Serbian targets following the failure of Kosovo peace talks.

"A conscience which has been bought once will be bought twice."

-- Norbert Wiener, American mathematician (1894-1964).