MARCH 16 | Birthdays and Events
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Notable Birthdays for March 16
George Clymer (1739-1813) - Founding Father who signed the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.
James Madison (1751-1836) - The 4th President of the U.S.
Rebecca Cole (1846-1922) - The second Black woman to become a doctor in the U.S.
Alexander S. Wiener (1907-1976) - Physician known for his work in immunohematology (Rh factor in blood).
Pat Nixon (1912-1993) - First Lady of the U.S. (President Richard Nixon).
Jerry Lewis (1926-2017) - Famous comedian.
Raymond Damadian (1936-1922) - Invented the MRI scanning machine.
Chuck Woolery (1941-2024) - Game show host and original host of Wheel of Fortune.
Erik Estrada (1949-Still Living) - Actor fondly remembered for his role as "Ponch" in the TV series CHiPs.
Lauren Graham (1967-Still Living) - Actress recognized for her role as "Lorelai Gilmore" on Gilmore Girls.
Memorable Events for March 16
1621 - Native American chief Samoset becomes the first Native American to make contact with white settlers at the Plymouth Colony.
1802 - The first U.S. Military Academy opens at West Point.
1926 - Robert Goddard launches the first liquid-fueled rocket at Auburn, Massachusetts.
1827 - The Freedom's Journal, the first printed newspaper owned and operated by African Americans, begins publishing in NY City.
1850 - The Scarlet Letter (Nathaniel Hawthorne) is published.
1870 - Hiram R. Revels makes the first official speech by an African American in the U.S. Senate.
1876 - The first female boxing match is held in NY City between Nelly Saunders and Rose Harland.
1883 - Susan Hayhurst becomes the first woman in the U.S. to graduate from a pharmacy college.
1934 - Congress passes the Migratory Bird Conservation Act.
1988 - Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North and Vice Admiral John Poindexter are indicted on charges of conspiracy to defraud the U.S. (Iran-Contra).
1995 - Mississippi formally ratifies the 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution and becomes the last state to abolish slavery.
2020 - The Dow Jones Industrial Average falls by 2,997.10, the single largest point drop in history, and the second-largest percentage drop ever at 12.93% since Black Monday (1929).