March 30

1822 - Florida becomes a United States territory.

1842 - Dr. C. Long first uses ether as an anesthetic during a minor operation.

1853 - Patent granted to Hyman Lipman for a pencil with an ERASER!

1867 - Secretary of State Seward purchases Alaska for $7.2 million.

1870 - 15th Amendment passes, guarantees right to vote regardless of race.

1870 - Texas is readmitted into the Union.

1909 - Queensboro Bridge is opened, linking Manhattan and Queens.

1932 - Amelia Earhart is first woman to make solo crossing of the Atlantic.

1945 - The Soviet Union invades Austria during World War II.

1950 - Invention of phototransistor announced, Murray Hill, N.J.

1964 - John Glenn withdraws from the Ohio race for the U.S. Senate.

1973 - Ellsworth Bunker resigned as U.S. ambassador to South Vietnam.

1981 - President Reagan is shot and wounded by John W. Hinckley Jr.

1982 - Third Space Shuttle Mission - Columbia 3 returns to Earth.

1984 - US ends participation in multinational peace force in Lebanon.

1986 - James Cagney dies at his farm in Stanfordville N.Y. at age 86.

Birthdays

1719 - Sir John Hawkins, wrote first history of music in English.

1746 - Francisco Jose de Goya, artist

1853 - Vincent van Gogh, artist who always lent an ear.

1913 - Frankie Laine, Singer

1919 - McGeorge Bundy, National security adviser

1930 - John Astin, Actor

1930 - Peter Marshall, former host of "Hollywood Squares"

1937 - Warren Beatty, Actor

1945 - Eric Clapton, Rocker

-- Anonymous, March 30, 2001