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Tuesday, March 26, is the 85th day of 2002. There are 280 days left in the year. 

Highlight in History: 

Twenty years ago, on March 26, 1982, groundbreaking ceremonies took place in Washington, D.C., for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. 

On this date: 

In 1804, the Louisiana Purchase was divided into the Territory of Orleans and the District of Louisiana. 

In 1827, composer Ludwig van Beethoven died in Vienna. 

In 1875, poet Robert Frost was born in San Francisco. 

In 1885, the Eastman Dry Plate and Film Co. of Rochester, N.Y., manufactured the first commercial motion picture film. 

In 1892, poet Walt Whitman died in Camden, N.J. 

In 1911, playwright Tennessee Williams was born in Columbus, Miss. 

In 1962, the U.S. Supreme Court gave federal courts the power to order reapportionment of seats in a state legislature, a decision that eventually led to the doctrine of “one man, one vote.” 

In 1964, the musical play “Funny Girl” opened on Broadway. 

In 1971, East Pakistan proclaimed its independence, taking the name Bangladesh. 

In 1979, the Camp David peace treaty was signed by Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat at the White House. 

Ten years ago: A judge in Indianapolis sentenced former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson to six years in prison for raping a Miss Black America contestant. (Tyson ended up serving three years.) 

Five years ago: The bodies of 39 members of the Heaven’s Gate techno-religious cult who’d committed suicide were found inside a mansion in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. Former drug counselor John G. Bennett Jr. pleaded no contest in Philadelphia to charges stemming from a $100 million charity fraud. 

One year ago: Comair pilots walked off the job, beginning a three-month strike after contract talks with the regional airline broke off. A fire in a Kenyan secondary school dormitory killed 67 students. 

Today’s Birthdays: Retired Army Gen. William C. Westmoreland is 88. Conductor-composer Pierre Boulez is 77. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor is 72. Actor-director Leonard Nimoy is 71. Actor Alan Arkin is 68. Actor James Caan is 62. Author Erica Jong is 60. Journalist Bob Woodward is 59. Singer Diana Ross is 58. Actor Johnny Crawford is 56. Rock singer Steven Tyler (Aerosmith) is 54. TV personality Vicki Lawrence is 53. Singer Teddy Pendergrass is 52. Comedian Martin Short is 52. Country singer Ronnie McDowell is 52. Country singer Dean Dillon is 47. Country singer Charly McClain is 46. TV personality Leeza Gibbons is 45. Actress Jennifer Grey is 42. Basketball player John Stockton is 40. Actor Michael Imperioli is 36. Rock musician James Iha (Smashing Pumpkins) is 34. Country singer Kenny Chesney is 34. Rapper Juvenile is 27.