Today's Highlight in History:
On March 29th, 1943, World War Two meat, butter and cheese rationing¹ began.
On this date:
In 1638, Swedish colonists² settled in present-day Delaware.

In 1790, the tenth president of the United States, John Tyler, was born in Charles City County, Virginia.

In 1847, victorious³ forces led by General Winfield Scott occupied the city of Vera Cruz after Mexican defenders⁴ capitulated.

In 1867, the British Parliament passed the North America Act to create the Dominion⁵ of Canada.

In 1882, the Knights⁶ of Columbus was chartered in Connecticut.

In 1951, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were convicted of conspiracy⁷ to commit espionage⁸. (They were executed in June 1953.)

In 1962, Jack⁹ Paar hosted NBC's "Tonight" show for the final time.

In 1971, Army Lieutenant¹⁰ William L. Calley Junior was convicted of murdering at least 22 Vietnamese civilians¹¹ in the My Lai massacre¹². (Calley ended up spending three years under house arrest.)

In 1971, a jury in Los Angeles recommended the death penalty for Charles Manson and three female followers¹³ for the 1969 Tate-La Bianca murders. (The sentences were later commuted¹⁴.)

In 1974, eight Ohio National Guardsmen were indicted¹⁵ on charges stemming from the shooting deaths of four students at Kent State University. (The guardsmen were later acquitted¹⁶.)

Ten years ago: President Bush, addressing the National Leadership Coalition¹⁷ on AIDS, declared his administration "on a wartime footing" against the disease, and called for compassion¹⁸, not discrimination, toward those infected with the virus.

Five years ago: The House of Representatives rejected, 227-to-204, a constitutional amendment¹⁹ placing term limits on lawmakers. (The rejected proposal would have limited terms to 12 years in the House and Senate.)

One year ago: NATO air strikes against Yugoslavia continued for a sixth night. The Dow Jones industrial average closed above 10,000 for the first time, ending the day at 10,006.78. Connecticut beat top-ranked Duke, 77-to-74, for its first NCAA basketball championship. Legendary²⁰ jazz singer Joe Williams died in Las Vegas at age 80.