U.S. Virgin Islands March 31, 1917 The U.S. takes possession of the Danish Virgin Islands after purchasing them from Denmark for $25 million in gold. The U.S. wanted strategic naval control in the Caribbean, as they were concerned that, after an invasion of Denmark, Germany might take control of the islands. Denmark wa...

Reagan Assassination Attempt March 30, 1981 U.S. President Ronald Reagan, James Brady, and two others are shot by John Hinckley, Jr., who was trying to impress actress Jodie Foster, whom he had developed an obsession with after seeing the film Taxi Driver. Brady was left paralyzed from a gunshot wound to the head. He w...

North America's Largest Recorded Earthquake March 27, 1964 A quake measuring 9.2 on the Richter scale hits near Prince William Sound, Alaska destroying property and causing about 139 deaths. An ensuing 27-foot (8.2 m) tsunami destroyed the village of Chenega, killing 23 of the 68 people who lived there. In all, 15 peop...

Polio Vaccine March 26, 1953 Dr. Jonas Salk announces he has discovered and successfully tested a polio vaccine on 90 adults and children. It was the first successful vaccine for the dreaded disease. Before the vaccine, there were about 15,000 cases of paralysis and 1,900 deaths annually from polio in the U.S. Salk cho...

Island in Danger of Tipping Over March 25, 2010 "My fear is that the whole island will become so overly populated that it will tip over and capsize." This concern was expressed by Congressman Hank Johnson during a House Armed Services Committee hearing about the U.S. military installation on the island of Gua...