Today is Saturday, March 29, the 89th day of 2008. There are 277 days left in the year. On this date

Today is Saturday, March 29, the 89th day of 2008. There are 277 days left in the year. On this date in 1973, the last U.S. combat troops leave South Vietnam, ending America’s direct military involvement in the Vietnam War.

In 1638, Swedish colonists settle in present-day Delaware. In 1790, John Tyler, the 10th president of the United States, is born in Charles City County, Va. In 1847, victorious forces led by Gen. Winfield Scott occupy the city of Veracruz after Mexican defenders capitulate. In 1867, Britain’s Parliament passes the British North America Act (later known as the Constitution Act) to create the Dominion of Canada. In 1882, the Knights of Columbus is chartered in Connecticut. In 1943, World War II rationing of meat, fats and cheese begins. In 1951, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg are convicted of conspiracy to commit espionage. (They are executed in June 1953.) In 1962, Jack Paar hosts NBC’s “Tonight” show for the final time. In 1971, Army Lt. William L. Calley Jr. is convicted of murdering 22 Vietnamese civilians in the My Lai massacre. (Calley ends up serving three years under house arrest.) In 1974, eight Ohio National Guardsmen are indicted on federal charges stemming from the shooting deaths of four students at Kent State University. (The charges are later dismissed.)

March 29, 1983: Farrell will increase its federal Urban Development Action Grant request to aid in modernization at Sharon Steel Corp. from $3.5 million to $5 million.

The Mahoning County Medical Society is planning a referral program for people who have lost their medical insurance and cannot afford medical care. Callers will be referred to an appropriate physician, clinic or hospital for free or reduced-fee care.

In an attempt to show that he is giving the state of Ohio the shirt off his back, Mike Ray, a school custodian in Minerva, has written his Ohio state income tax check on a T-shirt. Ray drew an exact replica of one of his checks on the shirt and his banker assures him that the shirt is a valid check because it contains all the necessary identifying numbers.

Youngstown Democratic central committeemen endorse council President Patrick J. Ungaro for nomination for mayor.

March 29, 1968: A motorist who refused to stop for a police radar crew is blocked in by two cruisers on Logan Avenue, but escapes on foot after ramming one of the cruisers five times. Patrolman Thomas DeWitt is treated at St. Elizabeth Hospital for abrasions.

A group of Youngstown professional and businessmen offers $150,000 for the bankrupt Dog House Inc. restaurant chain.

Directors of General Fireproofing Co. defer action on a public offering of 400,000 common shares of stock, President J.A., Saunders announces.

March 29, 1958: Paul Shade, 31-year-old insurance fraud ringleader, is captured at a motel in Vandalia, near Dayton, where he was going to meet his wife, who, unknown to him, was cooperating with police. He had only $10 on him and said he had intended to turn himself in after the meeting with his wife.

Glenn Dolvin, 29, is arrested in San Diego as he was headed for Mexico with a bag containing $18,500, which is believed to be loot from a 1957 bank robbery in Boardman.

The Community Chest offers to buy the downtown property of Westminster Presbyterian Church. The offices of several Red Feather agencies would be consolidated at the site at 129 Market St.

March 29, 1933: Reforestation of the area around Meander Lake through President Roosevelt’s relief program is proposed by Fred A. LaBelle, secretary-treasurer of the Mahoning Valley Sanitary District. LaBelle says 40 men could be employed for 60 days planting more than 2 million trees on 1,800 acres.

Motion picture operators and stage hands at the Park Theater accept a wage reduction making their salaries $60 and $55 a week, respectively, assuring continued operation of the Park. Other theaters in Youngstown are negotiating for cuts in their wage rates.

President Roosevelt orders the salaries of all government employees cut, a maximum of 15 percent, until June 30, the end of the fiscal year. The move is expected to save $30 million.