Today in history: March 17
In 2010, Michael Jordan became the first ex-player to become a majority owner in the NBA as the league’s Board of Governors unanimously approved Jordan’s $275 million bid to buy the Charlotte Bobcats from Bob Johnson.
1762: St. Patrick’s Day
In 1762, New York held its first St. Patrick’s Day parade.
1905: Franklin Delano Roosevelt
In 1905, Anna Eleanor Roosevelt married Franklin Delano Roosevelt in New York.
1942: Douglas MacArthur
In 1942, six days after departing the Philippines during World War II, Gen. Douglas MacArthur arrived in Australia to become supreme commander of Allied forces in the southwest Pacific theater.
1969: Golda Meir
On March 17, 1969, Golda Meir became prime minister of Israel.
2003: George W. Bush
In 2003, edging to the brink of war, President George W. Bush gave Saddam Hussein 48 hours to leave his country. Iraq rejected Bush’s ultimatum, saying that a U.S. attack to force Saddam from power would be “a grave mistake.”
2010: Michael Jordan
In 2010, Michael Jordan became the first ex-player to become a majority owner in the NBA as the league’s Board of Governors unanimously approved Jordan’s $275 million bid to buy the Charlotte Bobcats from Bob Johnson.
2012: John Demjanjuk
John Demjanjuk (dem-YAHN’-yuk), 91, convicted of being a low-ranking guard at the Sobibor death camp as he maintained his innocence, died in Bad Feilnbach (bahd FYLN’-bahk), Germany.
2016: SeaWorld
In 2016, finally bowing to years of public pressure, SeaWorld Entertainment said it would no longer breed killer whales or make them perform crowd-pleasing tricks.
2017: Rex Tillerson
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson visited the world’s most heavily armed border, greeting U.S. soldiers on guard near the tense buffer zone between rivals North and South Korea.
2020: Kentucky Derby
In 2020, the Kentucky Derby and the French Open were each postponed from May to September because of the coronavirus.
2021: Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company told about 30,000 employees worldwide who had worked from home during the pandemic that they could continue to do so indefinitely, with flexible hours approved by their managers.
2021: Joe Biden
President Joe Biden told ABC that senators who wanted to oppose his legislative agenda through a filibuster should have to actually stand and talk for hours, rather than simply signaling their objection.
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