2003 Iraq War Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld states at a Senate appropriations subcommittee on defense hearing, "I don't believe anyone that I know in the administration ever said that Iraq had nuclear weapons." However, just two months earlier on March 16, Vice President Dick Cheney had declared, "We believe [Hussein] has, in fact, reconstituted nuclear weapons."

1992 World's largest Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton is seized by the FBI from the Black Hills Institute of Geological Research, claiming it had been illegally taken from federal land.

1973 Skylab The U.S. space station is launched. About a minute after take-off a protective shield and a solar panel broke off, damaging the other solar panel in the process. The crew was sent up on the 25th and made repairs.

1948 The state of Israel is proclaimed.

1939 Youngest Mother Lina Medina gives birth at age 5 years, 7 months, and 21 days, making her the youngest confirmed mother in medical history.

1904 First Olympic games held in the U.S After starting again in 1896 (after a 1600 year absence), the games make their way to he U.S., opening at the St. Louis Exposition.

1856 First camels imported to the U.S. for commercial purposes American naval officer David Dixon Porter arrives in Texas with a shipload of camels from Turkey. Source: Famous First Facts

1804 Lewis and Clark expedition The famed explorers depart from St. Louis, Missouri to begin exploration of the Louisiana Purchase. Their work established a route to the Pacific.

1796 First vaccination English physician Edward Jenner gives one to an 8-year-old boy for protection against smallpox.

1787 Constitutional Convention meets in Philadelphia.

1969 Danny Wood (Daniel Wood Jr.), American pop musician, member of New Kids on the Block.

1966 Fabrice "Fab" Morvan French dancer, singer, half of the Milli Vanilli duo.  Their album Girl You Know It's True won the Grammy for Best New Artist, which was taken back after it was revealed they didn't sing on it.  He has since begun a solo career.  Music as Milli Vanilli: Greatest Hits (2007), Solo: Love Revolution (2003).

1944 George Lucas American director. Film: American Graffiti (1973) and Star Wars (1977).

1943 Derek "Lek" Leckenby d. 1994 English guitarist, with Herman's Hermits. Music: I'm Into Something Good (1964, #1 in UK), Mrs Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter (1965, #1), I'm Henry VII, I Am (1965, #1), and There's a Kind of Hush (1967).

1936 Bobby Darin d. 1973 (Walden Robert Cassotto), American pop singer. Music: Splish Splash (1958) and Mack the Knife (1959).

1924 Brad Jay Anderson American cartoonist, creator of Marmaduke (1954).

1905 Herbert Morrison d. 1989 American radio reporter.  He reported the Hindenburg explosion exclaiming, "Oh, the Humanity!"

1727 Thomas Gainsborough d. 1788 English artist. Paintings: Blue Boy (1779).

1686 Gabriel Daniel Fahrenheit d. 1736 German physicist. He created the mercury thermometer (1714) and devised the Fahrenheit temperature scale (1714).

1316 Charles IV d. 1378 Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire and King of Bohemia (1347-78).

2003 Robert Stack b. 1919 (Charles Langford Modini Stack), American actor. Film: Bwana Devil (1952, the first 3-D movie). TV: The Untouchables (1959-63, Eliot Ness) and Unsolved Mysteries (host). He placed 2nd in the National Skeet Shooting Championship (1935).

1998 Frank Sinatra b. 1915 (Francis Albert Sinatra), American singer, actor. Music: Strangers in the Night (1966). He did it his way.

1992 Lyle Alzado b. 1949 American football player, two-time All-Pro. As an amateur boxer, he fought an exhibition match against Muhammad Ali. He died of brain cancer, which he attributed to steroid abuse.

1983 Miguel Alemán b. 1900 Mexican president (1946-52). As the first non-military candidate ever elected president of Mexico, he promoted industrialization and agriculture.

1982 Hugh Beaumont b. 1909 American actor. TV: Leave It to Beaver (Ward Cleaver).

1978 William "Bill" Powell Lear b. 1902 American inventor, businessman, founder of Lear Jet, Inc. He also developed the 8-track cartridge and was co-inventor of the first practical car radio

1975 Ernst Frederik Werner Alexanderson b. 1878 Swedish-born American engineer. A pioneer in transoceanic radio communication, he developed tuned-frequency receivers. In 1927 he developed a TV with a seven-foot screen.

1970 Billie Burke b. 1885 American actress. Film: The Wizard of Oz (1939, the Good Witch Glinda).

1965 Frances Perkins b. 1880 American politician, first woman U.S. presidential cabinet member (1933, F.D. Roosevelt's secretary of labor).

1919 Henry John Heinz b. 1844 American food manufacturer, founder of H.J. Heinz Co. (1888).

1643 Louis XIII b. 1601 King of France. His death made his 5-year-old son, Louis XIV, king.

964 John XII b. ???? religious leader, 130th Pope (955-964). He gambled and is reputed to have run a brothel, for which he was temporarily deposed in 963.

649 Theodore I b. ???? Greek-born religious leader, 73rd Pope (642-649).

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