Today is Saturday, March 23rd, the 82nd day of the year. There are 283 days until the end of the year.
On this day:
In 1775, Patrick Henry made his famous "Give me liberty, or give me death" speech to the Virginia Provincial Convention.
In 1840, the term "O-K" was used in print for the first time in the New York publication, "The New Era." The Greeks say the term comes from the phrase "ols kala," which means everything is good or alright.
In 1858, Eleazer Gardner of Philadelphia patented the cable street car.
In 1912, the Dixie Cup was invented.
In 1929, the first telephone was installed in the White House.
In 1983, Dr. Barney Clark died at the age of 62. He was the first recipient of a permanent artificial heart. He lived 112 days with the man made heart.
In 1983, President Ronald Reagan first proposed the Strategic Defense Initiative. This technology to intercept enemy missiles became known as "Star Wars."
In 2002, following the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan to oust the oppressive Taliban regime, girls in Afghanistan celebrated their return to school for the first time in years.
In 2003, Iraqi state-run media showed interview footage of American prisoners. Broadcast by the Al-Jazeera network, the footage also showed vivid pictures of dead U.S. soldiers. President Bush urged Iraq to treat captured coalition soldiers in accordance with rules established by the Geneva Convention.
In 2004, a day after the assassination of Hamas spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, Khaled Meshall, the chief of the group's politburo, was named to replace Yassin as the overall leader of the Palestinian militant group.
In 2004, an independent commission investigating the September 11th, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States opened a hearing in Washington DC featuring testimony from key figures from the White House administrations under President George W. Bush and former President Bill Clinton.
In 2009, CBS "Late Show" talk show host David Letterman announced during his show that he and longtime girlfriend Regina Lasko had tied the knot a few days earlier on March 19th. Letterman and Lasko began dating in 1986 and welcomed a son they named Harry in 2003.
In 2011, Hollywood icon Elizabeth Taylor died after a battle with congestive heart failure. She was 79. The legendary actress was as much known for eight marriages as she was for her film career that dated back to her days as a child star. Taylor was also known for her philanthropy, particularly for her work with raising awareness for HIV and AIDS.
In 2016, North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory signed a bathroom bill that restricts legal protections for LGBT citizens into law.
In 2016, Hall of Fame baseball broadcaster Joe Garagiola [[ gar-ah-gee-OH-lah ]] died at the age of 90.