March 31st

Today's Highlight in History:
On March 31st, 1889, French engineer Alexandre Gustave Eiffel unfurled the French tricolor from atop the Eiffel Tower, officially marking its completion.

On this date:
In 1492, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain issued an edict expelling Jews from Spanish soil, except for those willing to convert to Christianity.

In 1917, the United States took possession of the Virgin Islands from Denmark.

In 1923, the first US dance marathon, held in New York City, ended with Alma Cummings setting a world record of 27 hours on her feet.

In 1933, Congress authorized the Civilian Conservation Corps.

In 1943, Rodgers and Hammerstein's musical "Oklahoma!" opened on Broadway.

In 1945, the Tennessee Williams play "The Glass Menagerie" opened on Broadway.

In 1949, Newfoundland entered confederation as Canada's tenth province.

In 1968, President Johnson stunned the country by announcing he would not run for another term of office.

In 1976, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that coma patient Karen Anne Quinlan could be disconnected from her respirator. (Quinlan, who remained comatose, died in 1985.)

In 1986, 167 people died when a Mexicana Airlines Boeing 727 crashed in a remote mountainous region of Mexico.

Ten years ago: Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev warned the defiant Baltic republic of Lithuania to annul its declaration of independence or face "grave consequences." Hundreds of people were injured when rioting erupted in London over Britain's so-called "poll tax."

Five years ago: Mexican-American singer Selena Quintanilla-Perez, 23, was shot to death in Corpus Christi, Texas, by the founder of her fan club. (Yolanda Saldivar was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison.) Baseball players agreed to end their 232-day strike after a judge granted a preliminary injunction against club owners. President Clinton briefly visited Haiti, where he declared the US mission to restore democracy there a "remarkable success."

One year ago: Three US Army soldiers were captured by Serb forces near the Yugoslav-Macedonia border. (Staff Sergeant Andrew Ramirez, Staff Sergeant Christopher Stone and Specialist Steven M. Gonzales were released more than a month later.) Four New York City police officers were charged with murder for killing Amadou Diallo, an unarmed African immigrant, in a hail of bullets (the officers were acquitted last month).

"It is not enough to have a good mind. The main thing is to use it well."

-- Rene Descartes, French philosopher (1596-1650).