Today in History: Saturday, March 12, 2016

AP Highlight in History: On March 12, 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered the first of his radio "fireside chats," telling Americans what was being done to deal with the nation's economic crisis. AP Photo
On this date in: 1862 Ulysses S. Grant was promoted to the rank of general-in-chief of the Union armies in the Civil War by President Abraham Lincoln. 1912 The Girl Guides, the forerunner of the Girl Scouts of America, was founded. 1930 Indian political and spiritual leader Mohandas K. Gandhi began a 200-mile march to protest a British tax on salt. 1938 The "Anschluss" took place as German troops entered Austria. Adolf Hitler annexed his homeland the following day. 1939 Pope Pius XII was crowned at the Vatican. 1951 The cartoon "Dennis the Menace" by Hank Ketcham made its syndicated debut in 16 newspapers. 1969 Rock musician Paul McCartney of the Beatles married Linda Eastman in London. 1980 A Chicago jury found John Wayne Gacy Jr. guilty of the murders of 33 men and boys. Illinois state's attorney Bernard Carey 1987 The musical "Les Miserables" opened on Broadway. 1993 Janet Reno was sworn in as the nation's first female attorney general. 1994 The Church of England ordained its first female priests. 1999 The Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland joined NATO. 2002 Homeland security chief Tom Ridge unveiled a color-coded system for terror warnings. 2002 The U.N. Security Council approved a U.S.-sponsored resolution endorsing a Palestinian state for the first time. 2003 Elizabeth Smart, a 15-year-old girl who'd vanished from her bedroom nine months earlier, was found alive in a Salt Lake City suburb with two drifters. 2008 New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer resigned two days after reports had surfaced that he was a client of a prostitution ring. AP Photo/Mary Altaffer 2009 Disgraced financier Bernard Madoff pleaded guilty in New York to pulling off perhaps the biggest swindle in Wall Street history. 2011 The Arab League asked the U.N. Security Council to impose a no-fly zone to protect Libyan rebels.		Video Highlights of This Day in History Today's Birthdays: Actor Aaron Eckhart turns 48 years old today. AP Photo/Evan Agostini Name Profession Age Edward Albee Playwright ("Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf") 88 Andrew Young Civil rights leader, politician 84 Barbara Feldon Actress ("Get Smart") 83 Al Jarreau R&B, jazz singer 76 Liza Minnelli Singer, actress 70 Kent Conrad Former U.S. senator, D-N.D. 68 James Taylor Singer, songwriter 68 Marlon Jackson Singer (The Jackson Five) 59 Courtney B. Vance Actor 56 Darryl Strawberry Baseball player 54