March 27th

Today's Highlight in History:
On March 27th, 1794, President Washington and Congress authorized creation of the US Navy.

On this date:
In 1512, Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon sighted Florida.

In 1625, Charles the First ascended the English throne upon the death of James the First.

In 1836, the first Mormon temple was dedicated, in Kirtland, Ohio.

In 1917, the Seattle Metropolitans became the first US team to win the Stanley Cup as they defeated the Montreal Canadiens.

In 1945, during World War Two, General Dwight D. Eisenhower told reporters in Paris that German defenses on the Western Front had been broken.

In 1958, Nikita Khrushchev became Soviet premier in addition to First Secretary of the Communist Party.

In 1964, Alaska was rocked by a powerful earthquake that killed 114 people.

In 1968, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, the first man to orbit the earth, died in a plane crash.

In 1977, 582 people were killed when a KLM Boeing 747, attempting to take off, crashed into a Pan Am 747 on the Canary Island of Tenerife.

In 1998, the Food and Drug Administration approved the drug Viagra, made by Pfizer, saying it helped about two-thirds of impotent men improve their sexual function.

Ten years ago: Soviet soldiers began rounding up Lithuanians who had fled the Red Army after the republic's declaration of independence. The US began test broadcasts of TV Marti to Cuba, which promptly jammed the signal.

Five years ago: Former President Jimmy Carter announced he had brokered a two-month cease-fire between Sudan's Islamic government and rebels. "Forrest Gump" won six Academy Awards, including best picture and a second consecutive Best Actor Oscar for Tom Hanks; Jessica Lange won Best Actress for "Blue Sky."

One year ago: NATO expanded its air assault on Yugoslavia in the fourth straight day of attacks. Maria Butyrskaya of Russia won the World Figure Skating Championships in Helsinki, Finland; defending champion Michelle Kwan of the United States finished second.

"Men travel faster now, but I do not know if they go to better things."

-- Willa Cather, American author (1873-1947).