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Today in History: March 3

1817 The first commercial steamboat route from Louisville to New Orleans is opened.

1845 Florida becomes the 27th U.S. state.

1857 Under pretexts, Britain and France declare war on China.

1863 President Abraham Lincoln signs the conscription act compelling U.S. citizens to report for duty in the Civil War or pay $300.00.

1931 President Herbert Hoover signs a bill that makes Francis Scott Key's "Star Spangled Banner," the national anthem.

1952 The U.S. Supreme Court upholds New York's Feinberg Law banning Communist teachers in the United States.

1969 Sirhan Sirhan testifies in a court in Los Angeles that he killed Robert Kennedy.

1973 Japan discloses its first defense plan since World War II.

1999 Former White House intern Monica Lewinsky appears on national television to explain her affair with President Bill Clinton.

2020 World Bank pledges $12 billion in emergency aid for developing countries dealing with COVID-19

2021 Great apes at San Diego Zoo reported given experimental COVID-19 vaccine designed for animals after earlier outbreak among the gorillas (San Diego, California)

2021 US President Joe Biden criticizes lifting of COVID-19 restrictions by Texas and Mississippi as "Neanderthal thinking"

Born on March 3

1847 Alexander Graham Bell, inventor of the first telephone as well as other devices.

1911 Jean Harlow, (Hell's Angels, Dinner at Eight).

JOTD
An attractive blonde from Cork, Ireland arrived at a casino in Australia.

She seemed a little intoxicated and bet $25,000 on a single roll of the dice.
She said “I hope you don’t mind but I feel much luckier when I’m completely nude” With that, she stripped from the neck down, rolled the dice and with an Irish brogue yelled “Come on baby, mama needs new clothes!”
As the dice came to a stop she yelled “YES! YES!, I WON! I WON!”
She hugged each of the dealers and then picked up her winnings and her clothes and quickly departed.
The dealers stared at each other dumbfounded. Finally one of them asked “What did she roll?” The other answered “I don’t know, I thought you were watching”