March 21, 1905 (118 years ago)
•Albert Einstein publishes his theory on special relativity.

March 21, 1963 (60 years ago)
•Alcatraz, a federal penitentiary on an island in San Francisco Bay, closes.

March 21, 1970 (53 years ago)
•The first Earth Day proclamation is issued by San Francisco Mayor Joseph Alioto.

March 21, 1970 (53 years ago)
•Vinko Bogataj crashes during a ski-jumping championship in Germany; his image becomes that of the "agony of defeat guy" in the opening credits of ABC's Wide World of Sports.

March 21, 1980 (43 years ago)
•US President Jimmy Carter announces a United States boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow to protest the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan.

March 21, 1980 (43 years ago)
•On the season finale of the soap opera Dallas, the infamous character J.R. Ewing is shot by an unseen assailant, leading to the catchphrase "Who Shot JR?"

March 21, 1989 (34 years ago)
•Sports Illustrated reports allegations tying baseball player Pete Rose to baseball gambling.