TODAY IN HISTORY - MARCH 17TH

180 – Marcus Aurelius dies leaving Commodus the sole emperor of the Roman Empire.

1776 – American Revolution: British forces evacuate Boston, ending the Siege of Boston, after George Washington and Henry Knox place artillery in positions overlooking the city.

1780 – American Revolution: George Washington grants the Continental Army a holiday "as an act of solidarity with the Irish in their fight for independence".

1919 – Nat King Cole, American singer, pianist, and television host (d. 1965) is born.

1929 – Florence Howe, American historian, author, and publisher, founded The Feminist Press is born.

1941 – In Washington, D.C., the National Gallery of Art is officially opened by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

1942 – John Wayne Gacy, American serial killer (d. 1994) is born.

1950 – Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley announce the creation of element 98, which they name "californium".

1955 – Gary Sinise, American actor, director, and bass player (Lt. Dan Band) is born.

1957 – A plane crash in Cebu, Philippines kills Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay and 24 others.

1960 – U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs the National Security Council directive on the anti-Cuban covert action program that will ultimately lead to the Bay of Pigs Invasion.

1967 – Billy Corgan, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (The Smashing Pumpkins, Zwan, Spirits in the Sky, and Starchildren) is born.

1968 – As a result of nerve gas testing in Skull Valley, Utah, over 6,000 sheep are found dead.

1969 – Golda Meir becomes the first female Prime Minister of Israel.

1970 – My Lai Massacre: The United States Army charges 14 officers with suppressing information related to the incident.

1972 – Mia Hamm, American soccer player is born.

1973 – The Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph Burst of Joy is taken, depicting a former prisoner of war being reunited with his family, which came to symbolize the end of United States involvement in the Vietnam War.

1985 – Serial killer Richard Ramirez, aka the "Night Stalker", commits the first two murders in his Los Angeles murder spree.

1992 – A referendum to end apartheid in South Africa is passed 68.7% to 31.2%.

2002 – Sylvester "Pat" Weaver, American broadcaster, created the Today Show and The Tonight Show (b. 1908) dies.

2006 – Ray Meyer, American basketball player and coach, DePaul Blue Demons (b. 1913) dies.

2013 – The largest meteorite (since NASA started observing the Moon in 2005) hit the Moon.