Today's Highlight in History:
On March 16th, 1850, "The Scarlet¹ Letter," Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel about adultery, revenge and redemption in Puritan Massachusetts, was first published.
On this date:
In 1751, James Madison, fourth president of the United States, was born in Port Conway, Virginia.

In 1802, Congress authorized² the establishment of the US Military Academy at West Point, New York.

In 1836, the Republic of Texas approved a constitution.

In 1894, the opera "Thais", composed by Jules Massenet, premiered in Paris.

In 1915, the Federal Trade Commission was organized.

In 1935, Adolf Hitler scrapped³ the Treaty of Versailles.

In 1945, during World War Two, Iwo Jima was declared secured by the Allies.

In 1968, during the Vietnam War, the My Lai Massacre⁴ was carried out by US troops under the command of Lieutenant⁵ William L. Calley Junior.

In 1978, Italian politician Aldo Moro was kidnapped by left-wing urban guerrillas, who later murdered him.

In 1985, Terry Anderson, chief Middle East correspondent for The Associated Press, was abducted⁶ in Beirut; he was released in December 1991.

Ten years ago: South African President F.W. de Klerk announced that exiled African National Congress leaders would be allowed to return home for talks with the white-led government.

Five years ago: House Republicans pushed through $17 billion in spending cuts, prompting a veto threat by the White House. NASA astronaut Norman Thagard was welcomed aboard the Russian space station "Mir" space station as the first American to visit the orbiting outpost.

One year ago: The Dow Jones industrial average briefly⁷ topped the ten-thousand level, reaching a high of 10,001.78 before retreating. The entire 20-member European Commission resigned following publication of a critical report on sloppy⁸ management and cronyism⁹. The Nebraska Cornhuskers beat Chicago State 50-to-3 in an NCAA baseball game.