On This Day: March 16

This is the 75th day of the year.

Fact of the Day: Gumby

The Gumby Show premiered in 1957, a spinoff of Howdy Doody, where Gumby was introduced in 1956. Gumby and his horse, Pokey, were clay figures whose adventures were filmed using the process of claymation. The show was created by Art Clokey and hosted by Bobby Nicholson and, later, Pinky Lee. Besides Pokey (voiced by creator Clokey) and his dog Nopey, Gumby's pals included Prickle (a yellow dinosaur), and Goo (a blue thumb-type mermaid blob who could fly). Females voiced Gumby at first, then Dallas McKinnon became the voice.

Holidays

Feast day of St. Finan Lobur, St. Abraham Kidunaia, St. Julian of Antioch, St. Eusebia of Hamage, St. Heribert of Cologne, St. Urho, and St. Gregory Makar.

Events

1521 - Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan reached the Philippines; he was killed by natives the following month.

1534 - England severed relations with the Roman Catholic Church.

1802 - Congress authorized the establishment of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York.

1833 - Susan Hayhurst became the first woman to graduate from a pharmacy college (Philadelphia College of Pharmacy).

1850 - Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel, "The Scarlet Letter," was published.

1910 - Harry Houdini became the first man to fly an airplane in Australia.

1915 - The Federal Trade Commission was organized.

1926 - American Robert H. Goddard successfully launched the world's first liquid-fueled rocket, at Auburn, Massachusetts.

1945 - During World War II, the Allies secured Iwo Jima.

1968 - During the Vietnam War, the My Lai Massacre was carried out by U.S. troops under the command of Lieutenant William L. Calley, Jr.

1978 - Italian politician Aldo Moro was kidnapped by left-wing urban guerrillas, who later murdered him.

1985 - Terry Anderson, chief Middle East correspondent for The Associated Press, was abducted in Beirut; he was released in December 1991.

Births

1751 - James Madison, 4th President of the United States of America (1809-1817).

1774 - Matthew Flinders, English navigator who explored Australia's coast.

1789 - George S. Ohm, German physicist.

1868 - Maxim Gorky, Russian playwright, novelist.

1906 - Henny Youngman, American comedian.

1926 - Jerry Lewis (Joseph Levitch), American comedian, actor, telethon sponsor.

Deaths

1937 - Austen Chamberlain, British politician who negotiated the Locarno Pact.