Today In History

On March 19, 1920, the United States Senate rejected for the second time the Treaty of Versailles by a vote of 49-35, falling short of the two-thirds majority needed for approval.

On March 19, 1891, Earl Warren, the chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1953 to 1969, was born. Following his death on July 9, 1974, his obituary appeared in The Times.


On this date in:

1859 The opera "Faust" by Charles Gounod premiered in Paris.

1917 The Supreme Court upheld the eight-hour work day for railroads.

1918 Congress approved daylight-saving time.

1920 The U.S. Senate rejected the Treaty of Versailles for a second time.

1931 Nevada legalized gambling.

1945 Kamikaze planes attacked the U.S. carrier Franklin off Japan, killing about 800 people.

1945 Adolf Hitler issued his so-called "Nero Decree" ordering the destruction of German facilities that could fall into Allied hands.

1953 The Academy Awards ceremony was televised for the first time, with comedian Bob Hope serving as host.

1962 Bob Dylan's self-titled debut album was released.

1976 Buckingham Palace announced the separation of Princess Margaret and her husband, the Earl of Snowdon, after 16 years of marriage.

1979 The U.S. House of Representatives began televising its day-to-day business.

1987 Televangelist Jim Bakker resigned as chairman of his PTL ministry organization amid a sex-and-money scandal involving a former church secretary, Jessica Hahn.

1988 Two British soldiers were shot to death after they were dragged from a car and beaten by mourners attending an Irish Republican Army funeral in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

1990 Latvia's political opposition claimed victory in the republic's first free elections in 50 years.

1993 Supreme Court Justice Byron R. White announced plans to retire.

1995 After giving up an attempt to become a major league baseball player, Michael Jodan returned to pro basketball with his former team, the Chicago Bulls.

1997 Artist Willem de Kooning died at age 92.

2001 California officials declared a power alert, ordering the first of two days of rolling blackouts.

2003 An American-led coalition launched a war against Iraq, beginning with the launch of U.S. cruise missiles and precision-guided bombs aimed at Saddam Hussein near Baghdad.

2003 Mahmoud Abbas accepted the new position of Palestinian prime minister.