MAR 19 ~ HISTORY

     March 19, 2003

War in Iraq begins

On this day in 2003, the United States, along with coalition forces primarily from the United Kingdom, initiates war on Iraq. Just after explosions began to rock Baghdad, Iraq's capital, U.S. President George W. Bush announced in a televised address, "At this hour, American and coalition forces are in the early stages of military operations to disarm Iraq, to free its people and to defend the world from grave danger." President Bush and his advisors built much of their case for war on the idea that Iraq, under dictator Saddam Hussein, possessed or was in the process of building weapons of mass destruction.

March 19 ~ SWALLOW DAY This is St. Joseph’s Day, the day that those little birds known as swallows traditionally return to the Mission San Juan Capistrano in California. Every March 19th since 1776 (with very few exceptions), the birds come back to usher in spring in this Southern California seaside town. While their return is an annual tourist attraction, some in the community have gotten a bit fed up with the mess left behind when the birds migrate in the fall (October 23rd, St. John’s Day). It is costing the quaint town of San Juan Capistrano, in Orange County, California, a lot of money to clean up historic, old buildings where the swallows return to roost year after year.   BIRTHDAYS 1848 - Wyatt Earp frontiersman, lawman, gunfighter: gunfight at O.K. Corral; died Jan 13, 1929 1936 - Ursula Andress actress: Dr. No, Casino Royale, Fun in Acapulco, What’s New Pussycat, Clash of the Titans 1947 - Glenn Close Tony Award-winning actress: The Real Thing [1984], Fatal Attraction, The Big Chill, 101 Dalmations 1955 - (Walter) Bruce Willis Emmy Award-winning actor: Moonlighting [1987]; Die Hard series, Pulp Fiction, Hudson Hawk, The Last Boy Scout, Billy Bathgate, In Country, Last Man Standing, The Fifth Element, Armageddon, The Sixth Sense

 

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