Today in History

On March 10, 1959,

Also on this date: thousands of Tibetans rebelled against occupying Chinese forces, surrounding the Dalai Lama’s palace to protect him from potential harm. Fierce fighting between Tibetans and Chinese forces ensued in the following days, causing the Dalai Lama to flee Tibet for India, where he remains in exile today.

In 1496, Christopher Columbus concluded his second visit to the Western Hemisphere as he left Hispaniola for Spain.

In 1864, President Abraham Lincoln assigned Ulysses S. Grant, who had just received his commission as lieutenant-general, to the command of the Armies of the United States.

In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell’s assistant, Thomas Watson, heard Bell say over his experimental telephone: “Mr. Watson — come here — I want to see you” from the next room of Bell’s Boston laboratory; they were the first words ever conveyed by telephone.

In 1913, abolitionist and Underground Railroad “conductor” Harriet Tubman died of pneumonia in Auburn, New York.

In 1969, James Earl Ray pleaded guilty in Memphis, Tennessee, to assassinating civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. (Ray later repudiated that plea, maintaining his innocence until his death.)

In 1993, Dr. David Gunn was killed outside the Pensacola Women’s Medical Services clinic by anti-abortion activist Michael Griffin; it was the first killing attributed to a doctor’s role in providing abortion care.

In 2019, a Boeing 737 Max 8 operated by Ethiopian Airlines crashed shortly after takeoff from the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa, killing all 157 people on board.

Today’s birthdays: Actor Chuck Norris is 85. Singer Dean Torrence (Jan and Dean) is 85. TV personality/business executive Barbara Corcoran (TV: “Shark Tank”) is 76. Actor Sharon Stone is 67. Actor Jasmine Guy is 63. Music producer Rick Rubin is 62. Football Hall of Famer Rod Woodson is 60. Singer-songwriter Edie Brickell is 59. Actor Paget Brewster is 56. Actor Jon Hamm is 54. Rapper-producer Timbaland is 53. Actor Cristián (kris-tee-AHN’) de la Fuente is 50. Actor Jeff Branson is 47. Singer Robin Thicke is 48. Olympic gymnastics gold medalist Shannon Miller is 48. Actor Thomas Middleditch is 43. Country singer-songwriter Carrie Underwood is 42. Actor Olivia Wilde is 41. Actor Emily Osment is 33. Rapper-singer Bad Bunny is 31.