On This Day:
Tuesday March 31, 2015 This is the 90th day of the year, with 275 days remaining in 2015. Fact of the Day: textiles A textile is a fabric made from woven fibers. Natural fibers come from plants and synthetic fibers are produced using chemicals. The techniques for making textiles are weaving, knitting, spinning, dyeing, and finishing. Rugs, carpets, tapestry, furniture coverings, and clothing are made with textiles. Cotton, flax, silk, and wool are major fibers used since ancient times for creating textiles. Hemp, jute, and sisal were also woven since those times. Nylon (the first in 1938), rayon, polyester, and lycra are synthetic. Synthetic fibers are often easier and cheaper to make and easier to care for. There are many techniques, varieties, and possible designs for textiles. Before the Industrial Revolution, all textiles were woven by hand. The Jacquard loom, cotton gin, and sewing machine were important technological advances in textiles.
Holidays Feast day of St. Benjamin, St. Balbina, St. Acacius, and St. Guy of Pomposa.
Malta: National Day / Freedom Day (from Great Britain, 1964).
U.S. Virgin Islands: Transfer Day
Events 1492 - King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain issued an edict expelling Jews from Spanish soil, except those willing to convert to Christianity.
1836 - The first monthly installment of "The Pickwick Papers" by Charles Dickens was published in London.
1880 - The first electric street lights installed by a municipality are turned on in Wabash, Indiana.
1889 - The Eiffel Tower officially opened in Paris. It was designed by French engineer Alexandre Gustave Eiffel.
1896 - The first zip fastener was patented in the U.S. by its inventor, Whitcomb Judson.
1916 - U.S. General John Pershing and his army routed Pancho Villa's army in Mexico.
1917 - The United States purchased the Virgin Islands from Denmark for $25 million.
1918 - Daylight Saving Time went into effect throughout the United States for the first time.
1923 - The first U.S. dance marathon was held, in New York City.
1933 - Congress authorized the Civilian Conservation Corps, to relieve unemployment.
1940 - La Guardia Airport in New York officially opened to the public.
1949 - Newfoundland became Canada's 10th province.
1954 - The U.S. Air Force Academy was established at Colorado Springs, Colorado.
1959 - The (14th) Dalai Lama reached India after fleeing Chinese suppression in Tibet, was granted political asylum and began his exile.
1968 - U.S. President Lyndon Johnson stunned the country by announcing he would not run for another term of office.
1976 - The New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that coma patient Karen Anne Quinlan could be disconnected from her respirator. (Quinlan, who remained comatose, died in 1985.)
1995 - Baseball players agreed to end their 232-day strike after a judge granted a preliminary injunction against club owners.
Births 1596 - René Descartes, French philosopher, scientist, and mathematician.
1732 - Franz Joseph Haydn, Austrian composer.
1811 - Robert Bunsen, German chemist.
1915 - Henry Morgan (Von Ost, Jr.), American comedian, actor.
1927 - Cesar Chavez, American labor leader.
1928 - Gordie (Gordon) Howe, American hockey Hall of Famer.
Deaths 1980 - Jesse Owens, American track and field athlete, winner of four gold medals at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin.
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