THURSDAY, MARCH 12, 2009

Today is Thursday, March 12, the 71st day of 2009. There are 294 days left in the year.

1622 _ Ignatius of Loyola declared a saint

1642 _ Abel Tasman is first European in New Zealand

1917 _ Russian Dumas sets up Provisional Committee; workers set up Soviets

1930 _ Mohandas Gandhi begins 200-mile (321-km) march protesting British salt tax

1933 _ FDR conducts his first ``fireside chat"

1947 _ President Truman introduces Truman Doctrine to fight communism

1951 _ Communist troops driven out of Seoul

1958 _ British Empire Day is renamed ``Commonwealth Day"

1977 _ Egypt's Anwar Sadat pledges to regain Arab territory from Israel

1994 _ Church of England ordains first 33 women priests