Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich begins serving his sentence – Chicago Tribune

Today is Friday, March 15, the 75th day of 2024. There are 291 days left in the year.

Highlights of this day in history:

On March 15, 2012, convicted former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich entered a federal prison in Colorado, where the 55-year-old Democrat began serving a 14-year sentence for corruption. (He was released in February 2020 after President Donald Trump commuted his sentence.)

On this date:

In 44 BC, Roman dictator Julius Caesar was assassinated by a group of nobles, including Brutus and Cassius.

In 1493, Italian explorer Christopher Columbus returned to the Spanish port of Palos de la Frontera, two months after completing his first voyage to the Western Hemisphere.

In 1820, Maine became the 23rd state.

In 1917, Tsar II. Nicholas left the throne to his brother, Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich, who rejected the crown, marking the end of imperial rule in Russia.

In 1919, members of the American Expeditionary Force from World War I gathered in Paris for a three-day meeting to establish the American Legion.

In 1944, during World War II, Allied bombers once again raided German-held Monte Cassino.

In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson addressed a joint session of Congress, calling for new legislation that would guarantee every American the right to vote; the result was the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Adapted from Francis Ford Coppola’s Mario Puzo novel, the epic gangster film “The Godfather” starring Marlon Brando and Al Pacino was released in New York in 1972.

The sitcom “Three’s Company,” starring John Ritter, Joyce DeWitt and Suzanne Somers, premiered on ABC-TV in 1977.

In 2005, former WorldCom chief Bernard Ebbers was convicted in New York of orchestrating the largest corporate fraud in U.S. history. (He was later sentenced to 25 years in prison.)

In 2011, the Syrian civil war began with Arab Spring protests in the region, escalated into armed rebellion and eventually escalated into full-blown conflict.

In 2012, convicted former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich (blah-GOY’-uh-vich) entered a federal prison in Colorado, where the 55-year-old Democrat began serving a 14-year sentence for corruption. (He was released in February 2020 after President Donald Trump commuted his sentence.)

In 2018, a pedestrian bridge under construction collapsed over a busy Miami freeway, crushing vehicles beneath massive slabs of concrete and steel; 6 people died and 10 people were injured.

In 2019, a gunman killed 51 people in two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, and broadcast the massacre live on Facebook. (Australian white supremacist Brenton Tarrant was sentenced to life in prison without parole after pleading guilty to 51 counts of murder and other charges.)

In 2020, the Federal Reserve launched major emergency action to help the economy withstand the coronavirus by cutting its benchmark interest rate to nearly zero and saying it would buy $700 billion in Treasuries and mortgages. After initially trying to keep schools open, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said the nation’s largest public school system would close in hopes of curbing the spread of the virus.

Actor Yaphet Kotto, who appeared in films such as “Midnight Run”, the James Bond movie “Live and Let Die” and “Alien” in 2021, died at the age of 81 in the Philippines.

In 2022, as Russia stepped up its bombardment of the Ukrainian capital Kiev, an estimated 20,000 civilians desperately fled the besieged port city of Mariupol via the humanitarian corridor.

In 2023, the American Kennel Club announced that the French bulldog had become the most popular breed in the United States, surpassing the Labrador retriever, which had been at the top for more than three decades.

Today’s Birthdays: Actor Judd Hirsch is 89 years old. Jazz musician Charles Lloyd is 86 years old. Rock musician Phil Lesh 84. Singer Mike Love (The Beach Boys) 83. Rock singer-musician Sly Stone 81. Rock singer-musician Howard Scott (War; Lowrider Band) 78, Rock singer Ry Cooder 77, Actor Frances Conroy 71, Actor Craig Wasson 70, Rock singer Dee Snider (Twisted Sister) 69, Actor Joaquim de Almeida 67, Actor Park Genel 67 years old Film director Renny Harlin 65, Model Fabio 63, Singer Sananda Maitreya 62, Rock singer Bret Michaels (Poison) 61, R&B singer Rockwell 60, Actor Chris Bruno 58, Actor Kim Raver 57. Rock singer Mark McGrath (Sugar Ray) 56. Rock musician Mark Hoppus 52. Country singer-musician Matt Thomas (Parmalee) 50. Actor Eva Longoria 49. Rapper-musician will .i.am (Black Eyed Peas) is 49. Rock DJ Joseph Hahn (Linkin Park) is 47, Rapper Young Buck is 43, Actor Sean Biggerstaff is 41, Actor Kellan Lutz is 39, Actor Caitlin Wachs is 35.