Parts of the Francis Scott Key Bridge remain after a container ship collided with one of the bridge’s supports, Tuesday, March 26, 2024 in Baltimore. The major bridge in Baltimore snapped and collapsed after a container ship rammed into it early Tuesday, and several vehicles fell into the river below. Rescuers were searching for multiple people in the water. (Kaitlin Newman/The Baltimore Banner via AP)
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
March 26, 2025
Today in history:
On March 26, 2024, Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed after being struck by a container ship, killing six maintenance workers on the bridge. (Maryland officials have announced plans to replace the bridge by late 2028.)
In 1812, an earthquake devastated Caracas, Venezuela, causing as many as 30,000 deaths. (The U.S. Congress later approved $50,000 in food aid to be sent to Venezuela—the first example of American disaster assistance abroad.)
In 1917, the Seattle Metropolitans became the first American ice hockey team to win the Stanley Cup, defeating the Montreal Canadiens 9-1 to win the championship series, three games to one.
In 1979, a peace treaty was signed by Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and witnessed by President Jimmy Carter at the White House.
In 1992, a judge in Indianapolis sentenced former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson to six years in prison on rape charges. (Tyson would ultimately serve less than three years of the sentence.)
In 1997, the bodies of 39 members of the Heaven’s Gate religious cult who took their own lives were found inside a rented mansion in Rancho Santa Fe, California.
In 2013, Italy’s top criminal court overturned the acquittal of American Amanda Knox in the grisly murder of British roommate Meredith Kercher and ordered Knox to stand trial again. (Although convicted in absentia, Knox was exonerated by the Italian Supreme Court in 2015.)
In 2018, a toxicology report obtained by The Associated Press revealed that the late pop superstar Prince had levels of fentanyl in his body that multiple experts described as “exceedingly high.”
In 2021, Dominion Voting Systems filed a $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News, saying the cable news giant falsely claimed that the voting company rigged the 2020 election. (Fox would eventually agree to pay Dominion $787.5 million in one of the largest defamation settlements in U.S. history.)
March 26: Singer Diana Ross is 81. Singer Steven Tyler of Aerosmith is 77. Singer-actor Vicki Lawrence is 76. Actor Ernest Thomas (“Everybody Hates Chris,” ″What’s Happening”) is 76. Country singer Ronnie McDowell is 75. Actor Martin Short is 75. Drummer Monte Yoho of The Outlaws is 73. Country singer Dean Dillon is 70. Country singer Charly McClain is 69. Talk show host Leeza Gibbons is 68. Actor Ellia English (“The Jamie Foxx Show,” ″Curb Your Enthusiasm”) is 66. Actor Jennifer Grey is 65. Actor Billy Warlock (“Baywatch”) is 64. Actor Eric Allan Kramer (“The Hughleys”) is 63. Actor Michael Imperioli (“Life on Mars,” ″The Sopranos”) is 59. Country singer Kenny Chesney is 57. Guitarist James Iha of Smashing Pumpkins is 57. Actor Leslie Mann (“Knocked Up,” ″This Is 40″) is 53. Actor T.R. Knight (“Grey’s Anatomy”) is 52. Rapper Juvenile is 50. Actor Amy Smart (“Road Trip,” ″Felicity”) is 49. Actor Bianca Kajlich (“Rules of Engagement,” ″Boston Public”) is 48. “Face the Nation” moderator Margaret Brennan is 45. Actor Keira Knightley is 40. Rapper J-Kwon is 39. Actor Carly Chaikin (“Mr. Robot,” “Suburgatory”) is 35.
The “Funky Clutz!” is 76