Almanac - Monday March 31, 2025

….in 1776, In a letter to her husband, John Adams, who was involved in drafting the Declaration of Independence, Abigail Adams wrote, "Remember the ladies, and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors. Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the husbands…”

….and if today is your birthday, Happy Birthday To You! You share your special day with these figures in Women’s Herstory….

1913 – Etta Baker, African-American singer and guitarist (d. 2006)

1914 – Octavio Paz, Mexican poet and diplomat, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1998)

1935 – Judith Rossner, American author (d. 2005)

1936 – Marge Piercy, American poet and novelist

Also on this day in history….

1889 – The Eiffel Tower is officially opened.

1906 – The Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (later the National Collegiate Athletic Association) is established to set rules for college sports in the United States.

1913 – The Vienna Concert Society rioted during a performance of modernist music by Arnold Schoenberg, Alban Berg, Alexander von Zemlinsky, and Anton von Webern, causing a premature end to the concert due to violence; this concert became known as the Skandalkonzert.

1918 – Daylight saving time goes into effect in the United States for the first time.

1930 – The Motion Picture Production Code is instituted, imposing strict guidelines on the treatment of sex, crime, religion and violence in film, in the U.S., for the next thirty-eight years.

1933 – The Civilian Conservation Corps is established with the mission of relieving rampant unemployment in the United States.

1949 – The Dominion of Newfoundland joins the Canadian Confederation and becomes the 10th Province of Canada.

1951 – Remington Rand delivers the first UNIVAC I computer to the United States Census Bureau.

1959 – The 14th Dalai Lama, crosses the border into India and is granted political asylum.

1968 – American President Lyndon B. Johnson speaks to the nation of "Steps to Limit the War in Vietnam" in a television address. At the conclusion of his speech, he announces: "I shall not seek, and I will not accept, the nomination of my party for another term as your President."

1980 – The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad operates its final train after being ordered to liquidate its assets because of bankruptcy and debts owed to creditors.

1991 – The Warsaw Pact formally disbands.

1992 – The USS Missouri, the last active United States Navy battleship, is decommissioned in Long Beach, California.

1998 – Netscape releases Mozilla source code under an open source license.

….and if today is your birthday, Happy Birthday To You! You share your special day with….

1596 – René Descartes, French mathematician and philosopher (d. 1650)

1685 – Johann Sebastian Bach, German composer (d. 1750)

1732 – Joseph Haydn, Austrian pianist and composer (d. 1809)

1823 – Mary Boykin Chesnut, American author (d. 1886)

1833 – Mary Abigail Dodge, American writer and essayist (d. 1896)

1878 – Jack Johnson, American boxer (d. 1946)

1908 – Red Norvo, American vibraphone player and composer (d. 1999)

1911 – Freddie Green, American guitarist (d. 1987)

1911 – Elisabeth Grümmer, German soprano (d. 1986)

1913 – Etta Baker, African-American singer and guitarist (d. 2006)

1914 – Octavio Paz, Mexican poet and diplomat, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1998)

1916 – Lucille Bliss, American voice actress (d. 2012)

1917 – Dorothy DeLay, American violinist and educator (d. 2002)

1920 – Deborah Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire, British aristocrat, socialite and author (d. 2014)

1921 – Lowell Fulson, African-American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1999)

1921 – Peggy Rea, American actress and casting director (d. 2011)

1924 – Leo Buscaglia, American author and academic (d. 1998)

1924 – Charles Guggenheim, American director and producer (d. 2002)

1926 – John Fowles, English novelist (d. 2005)

1927 – Cesar Chavez, American labor union leader and activist (d. 1993)

1928 – Lefty Frizzell, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1975)

1929 – Liz Claiborne, Belgian-American fashion designer, founded Liz Claiborne Inc. (d. 2007)

1931 – Tamara Tyshkevich, Belarusian shot putter (d. 1997)

1933 – Anita Carter, American singer-songwriter and bassist (d. 1999)

1934 – Richard Chamberlain, American actor (d. 2025)

1934 – Shirley Jones, American actress and singer

1934 – John D. Loudermilk, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2016)

1934 – Kamala Surayya, Indian poet and author (d. 2009)

1935 – Herb Alpert, American singer-songwriter, trumpet player, and producer

1935 – Judith Rossner, American author (d. 2005)

1936 – Marge Piercy, American poet and novelist

1938 – Sheila Dikshit, Indian politician, 22nd Governor of Kerala (d. 2019)

1939 – Zviad Gamsakhurdia, Georgian anthropologist and politician, 1st President of Georgia (d. 1993)

1940 – Barney Frank, American lawyer and politician

1940 – Patrick Leahy, American lawyer and politician

1942 – Ulla Hoffmann, Swedish politician

1942 – Hugh McCracken, American guitarist and producer (d. 2013)

1942 – Michael Savage, American far-right radio host and author

1943 – Deirdre Clancy, English costume designer

1943 – Christopher Walken, American actor

1945 – Gabe Kaplan, American actor and comedian

1945 – Myfanwy Talog, Welsh actress (d. 1995)

1947 – Wendy Overton, American tennis player

1948 – Al Gore, American soldier and politician, 45th Vice President of the United States and Nobel Prize laureate

1948 – Rhea Perlman, American actress

1950 – Sandra Morgen, American anthropologist and academic (d. 2016)

1953 – Dennis Kamakahi, American guitarist and composer (d. 2014)

1955 – Angus Young, Scottish-Australian guitarist and songwriter

1958 – Andrea Kuntzl, Austrian politician

1965 – Patty Fendick, American tennis player and coach

1971 – Ewan McGregor, Scottish actor

1974 – Natali, Russian singer, composer and songwriter

1980 – Karolina Lassbo, Swedish lawyer and blogger

1980 – Kate Micucci, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress

1980 – Maaya Sakamoto, Japanese actress, voice actress and singer

1982 – Audrey Kawasaki, American painter

1983 – Ashleigh Ball, Canadian voice actress and musician

1983 – Sophie Hunger, Swiss-German musician

1987 – Nelli Zhiganshina, Russian figure skater

1990 – Lyra McKee, Irish journalist (d. 2019)

1990 – Sandra Roma, Swedish tennis player

1995 – Fiona Brown, footballer[59]

1996 – Liza Koshy, American actress, comedian, and television host

1999 – Brooke Scullion, Irish Singer

1999 – Elžbieta Kropa, Lithuanian figure skater

1999 – Shiann Salmon, Jamaican track and field athlete

1999 – Adele Tan, Singaporean sports shooter

1999 – Nuno Pina, Portuguese football player

1999 – Tereza Jančová, Slovakian skier

1999 – Shehana Vithana, Sri Lankan-Australian professional squash player

1999 – Providence Cowdrill, English cricketer