2006 – Michelle Bachelet is inaugurated as first female president of Chile.
1999 – Infosys becomes the first Indian company listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange.
1993 – Janet Reno is confirmed by the United States Senate and sworn in the next day, becoming the first female Attorney General of the United States.
1990 – Patricio Aylwin is sworn in as the first democratically elected President of Chile since 1970.
1946 – Rudolf Höss, the first commandant of Auschwitz concentration camp, is captured by British troops.
1941 – World War II: United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the Lend-Lease Act into law, allowing American-built war supplies to be shipped to the Allies on loan.
1918 – The first case of Spanish flu occurs, the start of a devastating worldwide pandemic.
1888 – The Great Blizzard of 1888 begins along the eastern seaboard of the United States, shutting down commerce and killing more than 400.
1861 – American Civil War: The Constitution of the Confederate States of America is adopted.
1851 – The first performance of Rigoletto by Giuseppe Verdi takes place in Venice.
1848 – Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine and Robert Baldwin become the first Prime Ministers of the Province of Canada to be democratically elected under a system of responsible government.
1824 – The United States Department of War creates the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
1702 – The Daily Courant, England's first national daily newspaper is published for the first time.
Births
1989 – Anton Yelchin, Russian-born American actor (d. 2016). He played Pavel Chekov in three Star Trek films: Star Trek (2009), Star Trek Into Darkness (2013), and the posthumously released Star Trek Beyond (2016).
1985 – Derek Schouman, American football player. Derek Schouman (born March 11, 1985) is a former professional athlete in the NFL.
1983 – Lucy DeVito, American actress, daughter of Danny DeVito. She is the daughter of actors Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman.
1982 – Thora Birch, American actress. She made her film debut in Purple People Eater (1988), for which she won a Young Artist Award for "Best Young Actress Under Nine Years of Age", and rose to prominence as a child star with appearances in films such as All I Want for Christmas (1991), Patriot Games (1992), Hocus Pocus (1993), Monkey Trouble (1994), Now and Then (1995), and Alaska (1996).
1981 – Heidi Cortez, American businesswoman and author. On the show, Cortez would read comical, saucy bedtime stories to the listeners at the end of the day.
1981 – LeToya Luckett, American singer-songwriter and actress. Luckett has sold over 25 million records with Destiny's Child on the group's first two albums and singles.
1980 – Dan Uggla, American baseball player. Daniel Cooley Uggla (born March 11, 1980) is an American former professional baseball second baseman.
1979 – Benji Madden, American singer-songwriter and guitarist. Benjamin Levi Madden (né Combs; born March 11, 1979) is an American guitarist, vocalist, songwriter, and producer.
1979 – Elton Brand, American basketball player. Elton Tyron Brand (born March 11, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player and the current general manager of the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
1979 – Joel Madden, American singer-songwriter and producer. Joel Rueben Madden (né Combs; March 11, 1979) is the lead vocalist for the American pop punk band Good Charlotte, as well as a record producer, actor, DJ, and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.
1977 – Becky Hammon, American-Russian basketball player and coach. Hammon, who was born and raised in the United States, became a naturalized Russian citizen in 2008 and represented the Russian national team in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics.
1975 – Shawn Springs, American football player, was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons. He played college football for Ohio State University, and earned All-American honors.
1971 – Johnny Knoxville, American actor, stuntman, and producer. Philip John Clapp (born March 11, 1971), known professionally by his stage name Johnny Knoxville, is an American actor, film producer, screenwriter, comedian and stunt performer.
1970 – Andre Nickatina, American rapper and producer. He previously performed under the stage name Dre Dog.
1969 – Soraya, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (d. 2006). Soraya (Persian: ثریا) is a feminine Persian name.
1969 – Terrence Howard, American actor and producer. Holland's Opus, Howard broke into the mainstream with a succession of television and cinema roles between 2004 and 2006.
1968 – Lisa Loeb, American singer-songwriter, guitarist and actress. Lisa Anne Loeb (/loʊb/; born March 11, 1968) is an American singer-songwriter, producer, touring artist, actress, author, and philanthropist who started her career with the platinum-selling number 1 hit song, "Stay (I Missed You)" from the film Reality Bites, the first number 1 single for an artist without a recording contract.
1967 – Brad Carson, American lawyer and politician, United States Under Secretary of the Army. In that role, he initiated a number of notable reforms to include opening up all combat positions to women, open service by transgender service members, and new recruiting and retention practices.
1967 – John Barrowman, Scottish-American actor and singer. Encouraged by his high school teachers, he studied performing arts at the United States International University in San Diego before landing the role of Billy Crocker in Cole Porter's Anything Goes in London's West End.
1967 – Renzo Gracie, Brazilian-American mixed martial artist and trainer. He is the son of Robson Gracie, grandson of Carlos Gracie, nephew of Carlos Gracie, Jr. grandnephew of Helio Gracie, and the 1st cousin once removed of Royce Gracie.
1966 – John Thompson III, American basketball player and coach. John Robert Thompson III (born March 11, 1966) is the assistant coach for the United States men's national basketball team since 2017.
1965 – Wallace Langham, American actor. He played the role of David Hodges in the American crime drama television series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.
1964 – Peter Berg, American actor, director, producer and screenwriter. In addition to cameo appearances in the last six of these titles, he has had prominent acting roles in films including The Great White Hype (1996), Cop Land (1997), Corky Romano (2001), Collateral (2004), Smokin' Aces (2006), and Lions for Lambs (2007).
1964 – Vinnie Paul, American drummer, songwriter, and producer, was an American musician, songwriter and producer, best known for being the drummer and co-founder of the heavy metal band Pantera. He was a member of Hellyeah for 12 years from 2006 until his death in 2018.
1963 – David LaChapelle, American photographer and director. David LaChapelle (born March 11, 1963) is an American commercial photographer, fine-art photographer, music video director, and film director.
1962 – Mary Gauthier, American singer-songwriter and guitarist. Mary Veronica Gauthier (/ˈɡoʊʃeɪ/ GOH-shay; born March 11, 1962) is a Grammy Nominated American folk singer-songwriter.
1962 – Matt Mead, American lawyer and politician, 32nd Governor of Wyoming. Matthew Hansen Mead (born March 11, 1962) is an American federal prosecutor, businessman, and politician who served as the 32nd Governor of Wyoming from 2011 to 2019 as a Republican.
1959 – Dejan Stojanović, Serbian-American journalist and poet. Dejan Stojanović (Serbian: Дејан Стојановић, pronounced ; born 11 March 1959) is a Serbian poet, writer, essayist, philosopher, businessman, and former journalist.
1958 – James Pinkerton, American journalist and author. Pinkerton (born March 11, 1958) is a columnist, author, and political analyst.
1957 – The Lady Chablis, American drag queen performer (d. 2016), was an American actress, author, and transgender club performer. Through exposure in the bestselling nonfiction book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, and its 1997 film adaptation, she became one of the first drag performers to be accepted by a wider audience.
1956 – Curtis Brown, American colonel, pilot and astronaut. Curtis Lee "Curt" Brown Jr. (born March 11, 1956) is a former NASA astronaut and retired United States Air Force colonel.
1956 – Willie Banks, American triple jumper. Banks is an Eagle Scout.
1955 – D. J. MacHale, American author, director, and screenwriter. MacHale is also the author of the popular young adult book series, Pendragon and Morpheus Road.
1954 – Gale Norton, American lawyer and politician, 48th United States Secretary of the Interior. She was the first woman to hold the position.
1953 – Derek Daly, Irish-American race car driver and sportscaster. He scored a total of 15 championship points, and also participated in several non-Championship Formula One races.
1953 – Jimmy Iovine, American record producer and businessman, co-founded Interscope Records and Beats Electronics. Dre founded Beats Electronics, which produces audio products and operated a now-defunct music streaming service.
1950 – Bobby McFerrin, American singer-songwriter, producer, and conductor. Robert Keith McFerrin Jr. (born March 11, 1950) is an American jazz vocalist.
1950 – Jerry Zucker, American director, producer, and screenwriter. Zucker (born March 11, 1950) is an American film producer, director, and writer known for his role in directing comedy spoof films such as Airplane! and Top Secret!, and the Best Picture-nominated supernatural drama film Ghost.
1948 – Roy Barnes, American lawyer and politician, 80th Governor of Georgia. As of 2019, he is the most recent Democrat to hold the office of Governor of Georgia.
1946 – Mark Metcalf, American actor and producer. Mark Metcalf (born March 11, 1946) is an American television and film actor often identified as playing the role of the villain or antagonist.
1945 – Dock Ellis, American baseball player and coach (d. 2008), was an American professional baseball player. A pitcher, Ellis played in Major League Baseball from 1968 through 1979 for the Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics, Texas Rangers, and New York Mets.
1945 – Harvey Mandel, American guitarist. Harvey Mandel (born March 11, 1945, in Detroit, Michigan, United States) is an American guitarist known for his innovative approach to electric guitar playing.
1942 – Joel Steiger, American director, producer and screenwriter. Has worked as writer, executive producer and consultant on some of the most successful television mysteries of the 80's & 90's.
1942 – Marcus Borg, American scholar, theologian and author (d. 2015), was an American New Testament scholar and theologian. He was among the most widely known and influential voices in progressive Christianity.
1939 – Lorraine Hunt, American lawyer and politician, 32nd Lieutenant Governor of Nevada. Hunt (born March 11, 1939) is an American businesswoman, former politician and entertainer.
1936 – Antonin Scalia, American lawyer and jurist, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (d. 2016), was an American lawyer, jurist, government official, and academic who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1986 until his death in 2016. He was described as the intellectual anchor for the originalist and textualist position in the Court's conservative wing.
1936 – Hollis Frampton, American director, screenwriter, and photographer (d. 1984), was an American avant-garde filmmaker, photographer, writer, theoretician, and pioneer of digital art. He was best known for his innovative and non-linear structural films that defined the movement, including Lemon (1969), Zorns Lemma (1970) and (nostalgia) (1971), as well as his anthology book, Circles of Confusion: Film, Photography, Video: Texts, 1968-1980 (1983).
1934 – Sam Donaldson, American journalist. Samuel Andrew Donaldson Jr. (born March 11, 1934) is an American former reporter and news anchor, serving with ABC News from 1967 to 2013.
1931 – Rupert Murdoch, Australian-American businessman, founded News Corporation. Keith Rupert Murdoch, AC, KCSG (born 11 March 1931) is an Australian-born American media mogul who founded News Corp.
1929 – Timothy Carey, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1994), was an American film and television character actor. Carey was best known for portraying manic or violent characters who are driven to extremes.
1928 – Albert Salmi, American actor (d. 1990), was an American actor of stage, film, and television. Best known for his work as a character actor, he appeared in over 150 film and television productions.
1927 – Robert Mosbacher, American sailor, businessman, and politician, 25th United States Secretary of Commerce (d. 2010), was an American businessman, accomplished yacht racer, and a Republican politician.
1926 – Ralph Abernathy, American minister and activist (d. 1990), was an American civil rights activist and Baptist minister. He was ordained in the Baptist tradition in 1948.
1925 – Margaret Oakley Dayhoff, American biochemist and academic (d. 1983), was an American physical chemist and a pioneer in the field of bioinformatics. Dayhoff was a professor at Georgetown University Medical Center and a noted research biochemist at the National Biomedical Research Foundation (NBRF) where she pioneered the application of mathematics and computational methods to the field of biochemistry.
1923 – Louise Brough, American tennis player (d. 2014). During her career between 1939 and 1959, she won six Grand Slam singles titles as well as numerous doubles and mixed doubles titles.
1921 – Frank Harary, American mathematician and academic (d. 2005), was an American mathematician, who specialized in graph theory. He was widely recognized as one of the "fathers" of modern graph theory.
1920 – Nicolaas Bloembergen, Dutch-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2017), was a Dutch-American physicist and Nobel laureate, recognized for his work in developing driving principles behind nonlinear optics for laser spectroscopy. During his career, he was a professor at both Harvard University and later at the University of Arizona.
1916 – Ezra Jack Keats, American author and illustrator (d. 1983), was an American writer and illustrator of children's books. He won the 1963 Caldecott Medal for illustrating The Snowy Day, which he also wrote.
1915 – J. C. R. Licklider, American computer scientist and psychologist (d. 1990). Joseph Carl Robnett Licklider (/ˈlɪklaɪdər/; March 11, 1915 – June 26, 1990), known simply as J.
1903 – Lawrence Welk, American accordion player and bandleader (d. 1992), was an American musician, accordionist, bandleader, and television impresario, who hosted the television program The Lawrence Welk Show from 1951 to 1982. His style came to be known to his large audience of radio, television, and live-performance fans (and critics) as "champagne music".
1899 – James H. Douglas, Jr. American colonel, lawyer, and politician, 9th United States Deputy Secretary of Defense (d. 1988), was a lawyer and senior-level official in the United States Government. He was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, serving under both President Herbert Hoover and President Franklin Roosevelt.
1898 – Dorothy Gish, American actress (d. 1968), was an American actress of the screen and stage, as well as a director and writer. Dorothy and her older sister Lillian Gish were major movie stars of the silent era.
1897 – Henry Cowell, American pianist and composer (d. 1965), was an American composer, music theorist, pianist, teacher, publisher, and impresario. His contribution to the world of music was summed up by Virgil Thomson, writing in the early 1950s:
1895 – Shemp Howard, American actor (d. 1955), was an American actor and comedian. He was called "Shemp" because "Sam" came out that way in his mother's thick Litvak accent.
1893 – Wanda Gág, American author and illustrator (d. 1946), was an American artist, author, translator, and illustrator. She is best known for writing and illustrating the children's book Millions of Cats, the oldest American picture book still in print.
1890 – Vannevar Bush, American engineer and academic (d. 1974), was an American engineer, inventor and science administrator, who during World War II headed the U.S. Office of Scientific Research and Development (OSRD), through which almost all wartime military R&D was carried out, including important developments in radar and the initiation and early administration of the Manhattan Project.
1887 – Raoul Walsh, American actor and director (d. 1980). Walsh (March 11, 1887 – December 31, 1980) was an American film director, actor, founding member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) and the brother of the silent screen actor George Walsh.
1880 – Harry H. Laughlin, American eugenicist and sociologist (d. 1943), was an American educator, eugenicist, and sociologist. He served as the Superintendent of the Eugenics Record Office from its inception in 1910 to its closing in 1939, and was among the most active individuals in influencing American eugenics policy, especially compulsory sterilization legislation.
1876 – Carl Ruggles, American pianist and composer (d. 1971), was an American composer. He wrote finely crafted pieces using "dissonant counterpoint", a term coined by Charles Seeger to describe Ruggles' music.
1873 – David Horsley, English-American director and producer, co-founded Universal Studios (d. 1933), was an American pioneer of the film industry. He founded the Centaur Film Company and its West Coast branch, the Nestor Film Company, which established the first film studio in Hollywood in 1911.
1854 – Jane Meade Welch, American journalist and lecturer (d. 1931), was a 19th-century American journalist and historian who lectured and wrote on American history. She was the first woman in Buffalo, from New York to become a professional journalist, the first American woman to lecture at Cambridge University, and the first American woman whose work was accepted by the British Association.
1820 – John Plankinton, American businessman and industrialist, also noted for philanthropy (d. 1891), was an American businessman and a Milwaukee-based meatpacking industrialist. He is noted for expansive real estate developments in Milwaukee, including the Plankinton House Hotel, and also for his generous philanthropy.
1819 – Henry Tate, English businessman and philanthropist, founded Tate & Lyle (d. 1899), was an English sugar merchant and philanthropist, noted for establishing the Tate Gallery in London.
1785 – John McLean, American jurist and politician, 6th United States Postmaster General (d. 1861), was an American jurist and politician who served in the United States Congress, as U.S. Postmaster General, and as a justice of the Ohio and U.S.
1738 – Benjamin Tupper, American general (d. 1792), was a soldier in the French and Indian War, and an officer of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, achieving the rank of brevet brigadier general. Subsequently, he served as a Massachusetts legislator, and he assisted Gen.
Deaths
2015 – Gerald Hurst, American chemist and academic (b. 1937)
2015 – Jimmy Greenspoon, American singer-songwriter and keyboard player (b. 1948)
2014 – Joel Brinkley, American journalist and academic (b. 1952)
Remind me of this day
