Today in History

On March 17, 1992, white South Africans voted 68.7% to 31.3% to end over 40 years of apartheid in a national referendum. (Voters of all races were allowed to vote two years later in the general election that resulted in Nelson Mandela becoming president.)

Also on this date:

In 1762, New York held its first St. Patrick’s Day parade.

In 1776, the Revolutionary War Siege of Boston ended as British forces evacuated the city.

In 1950, scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, announced that they had created a new radioactive element they named “californium.”

In 1969, Golda Meir took office as prime minister in Israel, beginning a term that would last through five crucial years in the nation’s history.

In 2003, edging to the brink of war, U.S. President George W. Bush gave Iraqi President Saddam Hussein 48 hours to leave his country. Iraq rejected Bush’s ultimatum, saying a U.S. attack to force Saddam from power would be “a grave mistake.”

In 2010, Michael Jordan became the first ex-player to become a majority owner in the NBA as the league’s Board of Governors unanimously approved his $275 million bid to buy the Charlotte Bobcats from Bob Johnson.

In 2016, finally bowing to years of public pressure, SeaWorld Entertainment said it would stop breeding killer whales and making them perform crowd-pleasing tricks.

In 2023, the International Criminal Court said it had issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for war crimes because of his alleged involvement in abductions of children from Ukraine.

Today’s Birthdays: Civil rights activist Myrlie Evers-Williams is 92. Singer-songwriter John Sebastian (The Lovin’ Spoonful) is 81. Author William Gibson is 77. Actor Patrick Duffy is 76. Actor Kurt Russell is 74. Actor Gary Sinise is 70. NBA executive Danny Ainge is 66. Actor Rob Lowe is 61. Rock musician Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins) is 58. Olympic soccer gold medalist Mia Hamm is 53. Singer-TV personality Tamar Braxton is 48. TV personality Rob Kardashian is 38. Singer-songwriter Hozier is 35. Actor John Boyega is 33. Olympic boxing gold medalist Claressa Shields is 30. Olympic swimming gold medalist Katie Ledecky is 28.