By The Associated Press

                - Today is Wednesday, March 3, the 62nd day of 1999. There are 303
                  days left in the year.

                - On March 3, 1931, "The Star-Spangled Banner" officially became
                  the national anthem of the United States.
                - In 1845, Florida became the 27th state.
                - In 1847, the inventor of the telephone, Alexander Graham Bell,
                  was born in Edinburgh, Scotland.
                - In 1849, the U.S. Department of the Interior was established.
                - In 1849, Congress created the Minnesota Territory.
                - In 1875, the Georges Bizet opera "Carmen" premiered in Paris.
                - In 1885, the U.S. Post Office began offering special delivery
                  for first-class mail.
                - In 1940, Artie Shaw and his orchestra recorded "Frenesi" for
                  RCA Victor.
                - In 1969, Apollo IX blasted off from Cape Kennedy on a mission to
                  test the lunar module.
                - In 1974, nearly 350 people died when a Turkish Airlines DC-10
                  crashed shortly after takeoff from Orly Airport in Paris.
                - In 1991, 25 people were killed when a United Airlines Boeing
                  737-200 inexplicably crashed while approaching the Colorado Springs
                  airport.
                - In 1991, in a case that sparked a national outcry, motorist
                  Rodney King was severely beaten by Los Angeles police officers in a
                  scene captured on amateur video.
                - Ten years ago: Senate Republican Leader Bob Dole suggested that
                  Defense Secretary-designate John Tower be given the opportunity to
                  appear before the Senate to answer allegations against him.
                - Five years ago: Amid continuing trade tensions with Japan,
                  President Clinton issued an executive order reviving an expired
                  provision of U.S. trade law known as Super 301, which provided a
                  strict timetable for results.
                - One year ago: Presidential confidant Vernon Jordan testified
                  before the grand jury investigating the Monica Lewinsky matter.
                  Microsoft chairman Bill Gates testified before the Senate Judiciary
                  Committee that his company wasn't a monopoly out to crush rivals in
                  the Internet software market. The Supreme Court ruled that local
                  lawmakers' votes are immune to lawsuits even if they had been based
                  on illegal or discriminatory motives. Larry Doby, the first black
                  player in the American League, was elected to the Baseball Hall of
                  Fame. Former CBS News president Fred W. Friendly died in New York
                  at age 82.

                *** Today's Birthdays

                - Actor James Doohan is 79.
                - Lee Radziwill Ross is 66.
                - Singer Jennifer Warnes is 52.
                - Actor-director Tim Kazurinsky is 49.
                - Singer-musician Robyn Hitchcock is 46.
                - Actress Miranda Richardson is 41.
                - Actress Mary Page Keller is 38.
                - Olympic track and field gold medalist Jackie Joyner-Kersee is 37.
                - Football player Herschel Walker is 37.
                - Rapper-actor Tone-Loc is 33.
                - Rock musician John Bigham (Fishbone) is 30.
                - Actress Julie Bowen ("Three") is 29.
                - Actor David Faustino is 25.
                - Actor Danny Masterson ("That '70s Show") is 23.
                - Actress Jessica Biel ("7th Heaven") is 17.