March 31
1492 - Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain expelled Jews who would not accept Christianity.
1814 - Paris was occupied by a coalition of Russian, Prussian and Austrian forces; the surrender of the French capital forced the abdication of Emperor Napoleon.
1889 - The Eiffel Tower in Paris officially opened to the public.
1917 - The United States took possession of the Virgin Islands from Denmark.
1918 - Daylight Saving Time went into effect for the first time in the United States.
1949 - Newfoundland became Canada's 10th province.
1959 - The Dalai Lama, fleeing Chinese repression of an uprising in Tibet, arrived at the Indian border and was granted political asylum.
1968 - President Lyndon B. Johnson announced that he would not run for re-election.
1993 - Actor Brandon Lee, 28, was accidentally shot to death during the filming of a movie in Wilmington, North Carolina, when he was hit by a bullet fragment that had become lodged inside a prop gun.
2004 - Four American civilian contractors were killed in Fallujah, Iraq; frenzied crowds dragged the burned, mutilated bodies and strung two of them from a bridge.
2005 - Terry Schiavo died 13 days after her feeding tube was removed in a bitter right-to-die battle.
2009 - Benjamin Netanyahu took office as Israel’s new prime minister after the Knesset approved his government.
2019 - Rapper Nipsey Hussle was fatally shot outside the clothing store he had founded to help rebuild his troubled South Los Angeles neighborhood; he was 33.
2020 - Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife Meghan officially stepped down from duties as members of the royal family.
2022 - President Joe Biden ordered the release of 1 million barrels of oil per day from the nation’s strategic petroleum reserve for six months in a bid to control spiking energy prices.
Birthdays
38 - Jessica Szohr (actress)
40 - Melissa Ordway (actress)
41 - Brian Tyree Henry (actor)
43 - Kate Micucci (actress)
45 - Judi Shekoni (actress)
48 - Erica Tazel (actress)
52 - Ewan McGregor (actor)
58 - William McNamara (actor)
66 - Marc McClure (actor)
73 - Ed Marinaro (actor)
75 - Rhea Perlman (actress)
76 - Al Gore (former vice president of the United States)
79 - Gabe Kaplan (comedian)
80 - Christopher Walken (actor)
89 - Shirley Jones (actress)
89 - Richard Chamberlain (actor)
96 - William Daniels (actor)
================================
Today in Sports History - March 31
1906 - The Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States was founded to set rules in amateur sports. The organization became the National Collegiate Athletic Association in 1910.
1931 - Legendary Notre Dame football coach Knute Rockne was killed in a plane crash in Bazaar, Kansas.
1968 - Seattle chose the nickname Pilots for their new American League baseball franchise.
1973 - Muhammad Ali wore a $10000 robe with "The Peoples Champion" inscribed on it. Ali lost the fight to Ken Norton. Elvis Presley had given the robe to Ali on January 2, 1971.
1975 - UCLA defeats Kentucky 92-85 to win the NCAA Tournament for the 10th time under coach John Wooden, who had also announced his retirement.
1985 - Old Dominion defeats Georgia 70-65 to win the NCAA Women's Tournament.
1985 - The first WrestleMania is held at Madison Square Garden in New York City; the main event featured a tag team match pitting Hulk Hogan and Mr. T against "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff with Muhammad Ali serving as a guest referee.
1986 - Louisville defeats Duke 72-69 to win the NCAA Tournament, the first one that utilized a shot clock (45 seconds).
1987 - Indiana defeats Syracuse 74-73 to win the NCAA Tournament.
1990 - Joe Sakic became the youngest person in NHL history to score 100 points in a season. He was also the first to do so with a last-place team.
1991 - Brett Hull (St. Louis Blues) recorded his 86th goal of the season. It was the third best total in NHL history.
1991 - Tennessee defeats Virginia 70-67 in overtime to win the NCAA Women's Tournament.
1992 - Cotton Fitzsimmons (Phoenix Suns) became the sixth coach in NBA history to get 800 career wins.
1995 - MLB players agreed to end the longest strike in the history of the sport, 232 days, after a judge ordered a temporary injunction against team owners.
1996 - Tennessee defeats Georgia 83-65 to win the NCAA Women's Tournament.
1996 - WrestleMania XII is held in Anaheim, California; the main event saw Shawn Michaels defeat Bret Hart in an Ironman Match to win the WWF championship.
1997 - Arizona defeats Kentucky 84-79 in overtime to win their first NCAA Tournament.
1997 - Martina Hingis, 16 years old, became the youngest women's tennis player to reach the world number-one mark.
1998 - The Tampa Bay Devil Rays and Arizona Diamondbacks made their major league debuts; the Devil Rays lost to the Detroit Tigers 11-6, while the Diamondbacks fall to the Colorado Rockies, 9-2.
1998 - The Milwaukee Brewers become the first franchise since 1901 to switch leagues, moving from the American to the National League; the Brewers lost their National League debut 2-1 to the Atlanta Braves.
2002 - Connecticut defeats Oklahoma 82-70 to win the NCAA Women's Tournament and finish with a perfect 39-0 record.
2002 - Andre Agassi wins his 700th career professional tennis match.
2004 - With a 12-1 defeat of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, New York Yankees starting pitcher Kevin Brown becomes just the second pitcher in MLB history to have beaten all 30 teams.
2004 - NFL owners adopted a 15-yard penalty for excessive celebrations. The penalty was added to the fines previously in place for choreographed and multiplayer celebrations. Also, if the infraction was flagrant the player would be ejected. The previous day the owners had instituted a modified instant replay system for five years.
1492 - Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain expelled Jews who would not accept Christianity.
1814 - Paris was occupied by a coalition of Russian, Prussian and Austrian forces; the surrender of the French capital forced the abdication of Emperor Napoleon.
1889 - The Eiffel Tower in Paris officially opened to the public.
1917 - The United States took possession of the Virgin Islands from Denmark.
1918 - Daylight Saving Time went into effect for the first time in the United States.
1949 - Newfoundland became Canada's 10th province.
1959 - The Dalai Lama, fleeing Chinese repression of an uprising in Tibet, arrived at the Indian border and was granted political asylum.
1968 - President Lyndon B. Johnson announced that he would not run for re-election.
1993 - Actor Brandon Lee, 28, was accidentally shot to death during the filming of a movie in Wilmington, North Carolina, when he was hit by a bullet fragment that had become lodged inside a prop gun.
2004 - Four American civilian contractors were killed in Fallujah, Iraq; frenzied crowds dragged the burned, mutilated bodies and strung two of them from a bridge.
2005 - Terry Schiavo died 13 days after her feeding tube was removed in a bitter right-to-die battle.
2009 - Benjamin Netanyahu took office as Israel’s new prime minister after the Knesset approved his government.
2019 - Rapper Nipsey Hussle was fatally shot outside the clothing store he had founded to help rebuild his troubled South Los Angeles neighborhood; he was 33.
2020 - Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife Meghan officially stepped down from duties as members of the royal family.
2022 - President Joe Biden ordered the release of 1 million barrels of oil per day from the nation’s strategic petroleum reserve for six months in a bid to control spiking energy prices.
Birthdays
38 - Jessica Szohr (actress)
40 - Melissa Ordway (actress)
41 - Brian Tyree Henry (actor)
43 - Kate Micucci (actress)
45 - Judi Shekoni (actress)
48 - Erica Tazel (actress)
52 - Ewan McGregor (actor)
58 - William McNamara (actor)
66 - Marc McClure (actor)
73 - Ed Marinaro (actor)
75 - Rhea Perlman (actress)
76 - Al Gore (former vice president of the United States)
79 - Gabe Kaplan (comedian)
80 - Christopher Walken (actor)
89 - Shirley Jones (actress)
89 - Richard Chamberlain (actor)
96 - William Daniels (actor)
================================
Today in Sports History - March 31
1906 - The Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States was founded to set rules in amateur sports. The organization became the National Collegiate Athletic Association in 1910.
1931 - Legendary Notre Dame football coach Knute Rockne was killed in a plane crash in Bazaar, Kansas.
1968 - Seattle chose the nickname Pilots for their new American League baseball franchise.
1973 - Muhammad Ali wore a $10000 robe with "The Peoples Champion" inscribed on it. Ali lost the fight to Ken Norton. Elvis Presley had given the robe to Ali on January 2, 1971.
1975 - UCLA defeats Kentucky 92-85 to win the NCAA Tournament for the 10th time under coach John Wooden, who had also announced his retirement.
1985 - Old Dominion defeats Georgia 70-65 to win the NCAA Women's Tournament.
1985 - The first WrestleMania is held at Madison Square Garden in New York City; the main event featured a tag team match pitting Hulk Hogan and Mr. T against "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff with Muhammad Ali serving as a guest referee.
1986 - Louisville defeats Duke 72-69 to win the NCAA Tournament, the first one that utilized a shot clock (45 seconds).
1987 - Indiana defeats Syracuse 74-73 to win the NCAA Tournament.
1990 - Joe Sakic became the youngest person in NHL history to score 100 points in a season. He was also the first to do so with a last-place team.
1991 - Brett Hull (St. Louis Blues) recorded his 86th goal of the season. It was the third best total in NHL history.
1991 - Tennessee defeats Virginia 70-67 in overtime to win the NCAA Women's Tournament.
1992 - Cotton Fitzsimmons (Phoenix Suns) became the sixth coach in NBA history to get 800 career wins.
1995 - MLB players agreed to end the longest strike in the history of the sport, 232 days, after a judge ordered a temporary injunction against team owners.
1996 - Tennessee defeats Georgia 83-65 to win the NCAA Women's Tournament.
1996 - WrestleMania XII is held in Anaheim, California; the main event saw Shawn Michaels defeat Bret Hart in an Ironman Match to win the WWF championship.
1997 - Arizona defeats Kentucky 84-79 in overtime to win their first NCAA Tournament.
1997 - Martina Hingis, 16 years old, became the youngest women's tennis player to reach the world number-one mark.
1998 - The Tampa Bay Devil Rays and Arizona Diamondbacks made their major league debuts; the Devil Rays lost to the Detroit Tigers 11-6, while the Diamondbacks fall to the Colorado Rockies, 9-2.
1998 - The Milwaukee Brewers become the first franchise since 1901 to switch leagues, moving from the American to the National League; the Brewers lost their National League debut 2-1 to the Atlanta Braves.
2002 - Connecticut defeats Oklahoma 82-70 to win the NCAA Women's Tournament and finish with a perfect 39-0 record.
2002 - Andre Agassi wins his 700th career professional tennis match.
2004 - With a 12-1 defeat of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, New York Yankees starting pitcher Kevin Brown becomes just the second pitcher in MLB history to have beaten all 30 teams.
2004 - NFL owners adopted a 15-yard penalty for excessive celebrations. The penalty was added to the fines previously in place for choreographed and multiplayer celebrations. Also, if the infraction was flagrant the player would be ejected. The previous day the owners had instituted a modified instant replay system for five years.
