Today is Wednesday, March 13th, the 72nd day of the year.There are 293 days until the end of the year.
On this day:
In 1639, Harvard University was named for clergyman John Harvard.
In 1865, President Jefferson Davis signed a bill stating that slaves were subject to military duty in the Confederate Army.
In 1868, President Andrew Johnson's impeachment trial began in the U.S. Senate.He was later acquitted by one vote.
In 1884, Standard Time was adopted throughout the United States.
In 1906, civil rights leader and educator Susan B. Anthony died at the age of 86.
In 1930, astronomer Clyde Tombaugh discovered the planet Pluto.
In 1934, John Dillinger and his gang robbed the First National Bank in Iowa.
In 1965, Eric Clapton left The Yardbirds.
In 1991, Exxon Corporation agreed to pay a 100-million dollar criminal fine and more than 900-million dollars in civil damages following the Exxon Valdez oil spill.
In 1992, Publication of the official Soviet Communist Party newspaper "Pravda," stopped due to lack of funds.The paper was founded in 1912.
In 2005, Pope John Paul the Second returned to the Vatican following his stay at a hospital in Rome where he underwent throat surgery a few weeks earlier to assist his breathing.
In 2006, award-winning actress Maureen Stapleton died at the age of 80.In 1981, Stapleton won the Triple Crown of acting winning the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for "Reds," the Best Supporting Actress Tony Award for "The Rose Tattoo," and the Best Actress-Drama Emmy for television's "Among The Paths of Eden."
In 2006, former TV game show host Peter Tomarken and his wife Abigail were killed when their small plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean.He was 63.
In 2013, white smoke emerged from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel on the second day of the papal conclave, signifying that a new pope had been elected.Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Borgoglio was introduced as the 266th leader of the Roman Catholic Church.He took the regnal name of Francis after St. Francis of Assisi.Pope Francis the First succeeded Pope Benedict the 16th who stepped down from the papacy on February 28, 2013 citing health issues.In becoming Pope, Cardinal Borgoglio became the first pope from South America and the first pope from outside of Europe.