The Cincinnati Musical Center half dollar is a commemorative coin that was authorized on March 31, 1936, and struck by the United States Bureau of the Mint that year. Produced with the stated purpose of commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of Cincinnati as a center of music, it was conceived by Thomas G. Melish, a coin enthusiast whose group bought the entire issue from the government, and who resold them at high prices. Melish had hired sculptor Constance Ortmayer to design the coin, but the Commission of Fine Arts objected to Stephen Foster being on the obverse, finding no connection between Foster, who died in 1864, and the supposed anniversary. Nevertheless, 5,000 sets of three coins, one from each of the three mints, were issued and sold to Melish's group, the only authorized purchaser. He likely held back much of the issue for later resale, and with few pieces available, prices spiked to over five times the issue price. The coins are still valuable today. Melish has been assailed by numismatic writers as greedy. ( Full article...)

Stone relief of a Marquesan Dog

• ... that Thor Heyerdahl claimed that stone reliefs (pictured) on the Marquesas Islands — now accepted to represent the extinct Marquesan Dog — depicted llamas, so as to bolster his theory that Polynesia was settled from South America?
• ... that Belgian mezzo-soprano Jeanne Deroubaix was a soloist in the premiere of Stravinsky's Threni, and performed with Boulez in his Le marteau sans maître at The Proms?
• ... that the name of the Wipeout series of video games was inspired by the instrumental song "Wipe Out" by The Surfaris?
• ... that Thomas North Whitehead suggested that the United Kingdom give America one of the four surviving copies of the Magna Carta to win support for Lend-Lease?
• ... that two major landmarks of Gwanghwamun Plaza in central Seoul are the statues of King Sejong and of Admiral Yi Sun-sin?
• ... that Associated Press war correspondent George E. Bria, known for his brevity as an editor, insisted that "the D-Day landings could be reported in 400 words"?
• ... that the 40 rays on the flag of Kyrgyzstan represent the number of tribes united by national folk hero Manas to fight against the Mongols?
• ... that The New Republic suspected the 1958 attack on Richard Nixon's motorcade was a hoax set up to help his chances in the 1960 United States presidential election?

Carrie Lam

• The United Kingdom invokes Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union, beginning the formal process of Brexit.
• Carrie Lam (pictured) wins the Hong Kong Chief Executive election, becoming the territory's first female political leader.
• Former Russian MP and government critic Denis Voronenkov is shot dead in Kiev.
• The World Meteorological Organization adds twelve new cloud types to the International Cloud Atlas, the first update to the official cloud classification scheme since 1986.
• A terror attack at the Palace of Westminster, London, results in five people dead and fifty others injured.

March 31: King Nangklao Memorial Day in Thailand; Cesar Chavez Day in various U.S. states

Eiffel Tower

• 1492 – The Catholic Monarchs of Spain issued the Alhambra Decree, ordering all Jews to convert to Christianity or be expelled from the country.
• 1889 – The Eiffel Tower (pictured) was inaugurated in Paris, becoming a global icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world.
• 1942 – Second World War: Because of a mutiny by Indian soldiers against their British officers, Japanese troops captured Christmas Island without any resistance.
• 1970 – Nine Japanese communists armed with samurai swords and pipe bombs hijacked Japan Airlines Flight 351 on its way from from Tokyo to Fukuoka.
• 1992 – USS Missouri, the last active United States Navy battleship, was decommissioned in Long Beach, California.

Al Gore (b. 1948) · Ewan McGregor (b. 1971) · Frank Perdue (d. 2005)

Sheryl Crow

The Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance was an award presented at the Grammy Awards to recording artists for quality female vocal performances in the rock music genre. The honor was first presented to Donna Summer at the 22nd Annual Grammy Awards (1980) for the song " Hot Stuff". While the award has not been presented since the category was merged with an equivalent category for male vocal performances in 2005, an official confirmation of its retirement has not been announced. Pat Benatar, Sheryl Crow (pictured) and Tina Turner hold the record for the most wins in this category, with four each. Five-time nominee Stevie Nicks holds the record for most nominations without a win. ( Full list...)