March 26th
1827
Composer Ludwig van Beethoven died at age 56 in Vienna, Austria.
1830
The Book of Mormon is published in Palmyra, New York.
1885
The Eastman Dry Plate and Film Co. of Rochester, N.Y., manufactured the first commercial motion picture film.
1892
Poet Walt Whitman died at age 72.
1934
Driving test introduced in the United Kingdom.
1945
The battle of Iwo Jima ended; about 22,000 Japanese troops were killed or captured in the fighting and more than 4,500 U.S. troops were killed.
1964
The musical "Funny Girl," starring Barbra Streisand, opened on Broadway.
1971
East Pakistan proclaimed its independence, taking the name Bangladesh.
1982
Groundbreaking ceremonies for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial took place in Washington, DC.
1992
A judge in Indianapolis sentenced former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson to six years in prison for raping a Miss Black America contestant.
1995
Rapper Eazy-E of N.W.A died from AIDS at 31 years old.
1997
The bodies of 39 members of the Heaven's Gate techno-religious cult who had committed suicide were found inside a mansion in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.
1999
Dr. Jack Kevorkian was convicted of second-degree murder for giving a lethal injection to an ailing man whose death was shown on "60 Minutes."
1999
The "Melissa worm" infects Microsoft word processing and e-mail systems around the world.
2000
Vladimir Putin was elected president of Russia.
2006
In Scotland, the prohibition of smoking in all substantially enclosed public places comes into force.
Birthdays
78 Leonard Nimoy Actor ("Star Trek")
75 Alan Arkin Actor
69 James Caan Actor
69 Nancy Pelosi House Speaker
66 Bob Woodward Journalist
65 Diana Ross Singer
63 Johnny Crawford Actor
61 Steven Tyler Rock singer (Aerosmith)
60 Vicki Lawrence Singer, actress
60 Ernest Thomas Actor
59 Ronnie McDowell Country singer
59 Martin Short Actor, comedian
57 Monte Yoho Rock musician (Outlaws)
54 Dean Dillon Country singer
53 Charly McClain Country singer
52 Leeza Gibbons TV personality
49 Marcus Allen Football Hall of Famer
49 Jennifer Grey Actress ("Dirty Dancing")
49
Smokin Gator Cigar Asylum Inmate
47 John Stockton Basketball player
43 Michael Imperioli Actor ("The Sopranos", "Life on Mars")
41 Kenny Chesney Country singer
41 James Iha Rock musician (Smashing Pumpkins)
36 T.R. Knight Actor ("Grey's Anatomy")
35
TRicker Cigar Asylum Inmate
34 Juvenile Rapper
33 Amy Smart Actress
32 Bianca Kajlich Actress
27
Hardcz Cigar Asylum Inmate
24 Keira Knightley Actress
88 Robert Frost 3/26/1874 - 1/29/1963 American poet known for his depictions of New England rural life
71 Tennessee Williams 3/26/1911 - 2/25/1983 American dramatist and author
79 Gordon Tiffault 3/26/1917 - 8/1/1996 WWII Vet, grandfather & best friend of MedicCook