ON THIS DAY IN RECENT HISTORY ~ MARCH 22

ON THIS DAY IN RECENT HISTORY ~ MARCH 22

1903 - NY Highlanders (Yankees) tickets 1st go on sale
1903 - Niagera Falls runs out of water because of a drought
1908 - Louis L'Amour, author, (d.1988) is born
1912 - Karl Malden, Chicago, actor (Mike-Streets of SF, American Express) is born
1923 - Marcel Marceau, Strasbourg France, mime (Barbarella, Silent Movie) is born
1931 - William Shatner, Montreal Canada, actor (Star Trek, T J Hooker) is born
1933 - FDR makes wine & beer with up to 3.2% alcohol legal
1935 - Disney's 50th Silly Symphony cartoon The Golden Touch (directed by Walt Disney and animated by Norm Ferguson & Fred Moore) is released
1941 - Grand Coulee Dam in Washington goes into operation
1943 - SS police chief Rauter threatens to kill half Jewish children
1943 - George Benson, Pittsburgh,  American jazz/blues singer/guitarist (Greatest Love of All) is born
1943 - Keith Reif, England, rocker (Yardbirds-For Your Love, Renaissance) is born
1944 - 600+ 8th Air Force bombers attack Berlin
1945 - US 3rd Army crosses Rhine at Nierstein
1946 - 1st US rocket to leave the Earth's atmosphere (50 miles up)
1947 – James Patterson, author, is born

1947 - Voice actor and impressionist Tony Pope is born.   He did a host of voices for the Little Golden Books-and-Records series and the classic Disney read-alongs. His Disneyland Records work led to voicing Goofy for eleven years in films, theme park rides, and cartoons.
1948 - Andrew Lloyd Webber, songwriter (Cats, Evita) is born
1952 - Bob Costas, Queens NY, sportscaster/talk show host (Later) is born
1954 - 1st shopping mall, Northland,  opened in Southfield, Mich
1956 - "Mr Wonderful" starring Sammy Davis Jr. opens at Broadway Theater NYC for 383 performances
1956 - Carl Perkins was injured in a car accident on his way to perform on the "Perry Como Show."
1958 - Hank Williams Jr. made his stage debut in Swainsboro, GA, at the age of eight.
1958 - Liz Taylor's 3rd divorce (Mike Todd)
1960 - 1st patent for lasers, granted to Arthur Schawlow & Charles Townes
1962 - "I Can Get It For You Wholesale" opens at Shubert NYC for 300 perfs
1963 - Beatles release 1st album, "Please Please Me" in UK
1965 - Bob Dylan's first electric album "Bring it All Back Home" is released.
1970 - The Wonderful World of Disney presents "Disneyland Showtime," featuring The Osmond Brothers and Kurt Russell
1972 - Congress approves Equal Rights Amendment (never ratified)
1972 - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar named NBA MVP
1975 - Walt Disney World Shopping Village opens
1976 - Reese Witherspoon, American actress, is born
1977 - The John Denver TV special "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" aires on ABC.
1978 - Rutle's "All You Need is Cash" is show on NBC-TV
1978 - Karl Wallenda of the The Flying Wallendas dies after falling off a tight-rope between two hotels in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
1981 - 1st class postage raised to 18 cents from 15 cents
1982 - 3rd Space Shuttle Mission-Columbia 3 launched
1982 - Iran offensive against Iraq
1984 - Teachers at the McMartin preschool in Manhattan Beach, California are charged with Satanic ritual abuse of the children in the school. The charges are later dropped as completely unfounded.
1986 - Heart's "These Dreams," single goes #1
1990 - Anchorage jury finds Capt Hazelwood innocent of Valdez oil spill
1991 - Pamela Smart (HS teacher) found guilty in NH of manipulating her student-lover to kill her husband
1991 - Dave Guard, American folk singer (The Kingston Trio) (b. 1934) dies
1996 - Don Murray, American musician (The Turtles) (b. 1945) dies
1997 - "Sunset Boulevard," closes at Minskoff NYC after 977 performances
1997 - Comet Hale-Bopp Closest Approach to Earth (1.315 AU)
1999 - David Strickland, American actor (b. 1969) dies
1999 - Britney Spears' album "...Baby One More Time" was certified triple platinum by the RIAA.
2001 - William Hanna, American animator and studio founder, dies at 90