This Day in History - March 2

If this photo makes no sense, you won't have to wait long for the explanation.

986:  LOUIS V BECOMES KING OF THE FRANKS.

I thought that was Oscar Mayer.  Told ya.

1127:  ASSASSINATION OF CHARLES THE GOOD, COUNT OF FLANDERS.

Why do bad things happen to good people?

1791:  LONG DISTANCE COMMUNICATION SPEEDS UP WITH THE UNVEILING OF A SEMAPHORE MACHINE IN PARIS.

Except there's nobody in Paris I really want to communicate with.

1807:  THE U.S. CONGRESS PASSES AN ACT TO "PROHIBIT THE IMPORTATION OF SLAVES INTO ANY PORT OR PLACE WITHIN THE JURISDICTION OF THE UNITED STATES...FROM ANY FOREIGN KINGDOM, PLACE, OR COUNTRY."

Just like our immigration laws today, this didn't exactly work.

1836:  DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE OF THE REPUBLIC OF TEXAS FROM MEXICO.

When can the rest of the country follow suit?

1861:  THE NEVADA TERRITORY IS ORGANIZED AS A POLITICAL DIVISION OF THE UNITED STATES.

And now Lola Falana has some place to perform.

1877:  JUST TWO DAYS BEFORE INAUGURATION, THE U.S. CONGRESS DECLARES RUTHERFORD B. HAYES THE WINNER OF THE ELECTION EVEN THOUGHT SAMUEL J. TILDEN HAD WON THE POPULAR VOTE ON NOVEMBER 7, 1876.

Just to prove that 2000 wasn't the first electoral screw-up in our nation's history.

1903:  IN NEW YORK CITY, THE MARTHA WASHINGTON HOTEL OPENS, BECOMING THE FIRST HOTEL EXCLUSIVELY FOR WOMEN.

Now they'd simply call it a whorehouse.

1904:  AUTHOR DR. SEUSS IS BORN.

Happened some time in the morn.  Or fill in your own damn rhyme.

1917:  THE ENACTMENT OF THE JONES-SHAFROTH ACT GRANTS PUERTO RICANS UNITED STATES CITIZENSHIP.

You had to remind me.

1917:  DESI ARNAZ IS BORN.

But here's one immigrant who is totally welcome in our country.  One of the earliest pioneers and creative geniuses of television.  We were babalucky to have him.

1933:  THE FILM "KING KONG" OPENS RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL.

As if the Rockettes weren't enough of an attraction.

1946:  HO CHI MINH IS ELECTED THE PRESIDENT OF NORTH VIETNAM.

And he probably wasn't the first Ho there.

1950:  SINGER KAREN CARPENTER IS BORN.

A terrific voice that should have lasted more than 33 years.  If only she had eaten something...

1952:  SNL ACTRESS LARAINE NEWMAN IS BORN.

She used to live on the next block over from my old apartment.  For those of you keeping track...

1953:  THE ACADEMY AWARDS ARE FIRST BROADCAST ON TELEVISION BY NBC.

Also the first time anything ran over into the 11 o'clock news.

1962:  IN BURMA, THE ARMY LED BY GENERAL NE WIN SEIZES POWER.

It's a good thing his name wasn't Ne Lose.

1983:  COMPACT DISC PLAYERS AND DISCS WERE RELEASED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE UNITED STATES.

And let's all take a tearful moment to remember...vinyl LPs.

1999:  SINGER DUSTY SPRINGFIELD DIES.

Ashes to ashes, dusty to dusty.

2004:  ACTRESS MERCEDES MCCAMBRIDGE DIES.

The voice of the Devil in "The Exorcist."

2004:  BASEBALL OWNER MARGE SCHOTT DIES.

The voice of the Devil in Major League Baseball.

Dinner last night:  BLT sandwich at Islands.