Today is Sunday, March 20, the 79th day of 2011. There are 286 days left in the year. Spring arrives at 6:21 p.m. Eastern time.

Today’s Highlight in History

On March 20, 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte returned to Paris after escaping his exile on Elba, beginning his “Hundred Days” rule.

On this date

In 1727, physicist, mathematician and astronomer Sir Isaac Newton died in London.

In 1852, Harriet Beecher Stowe’s influential novel about slavery, “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” was first published in book form after being serialized.

In 1969, John Lennon married Yoko Ono in Gibraltar.

In 1995, in Tokyo, 12 people were killed, more than 5,500 others sickened when packages containing the poisonous gas sarin were leaked on five separate subway trains by Aum Shinrikyo cult members.

Ten years ago

The skipper of the USS Greeneville took the stand before a Navy court of inquiry and accepted sole responsibility for the collision of his submarine with a Japanese trawler off Hawaii that killed nine Japanese. (Cmdr. Scott Waddle ended up being reprimanded, but was allowed to retire with full rank and pension.)

Five years ago

Beginning the fourth year of an unpopular war, President George W. Bush defended his Iraq record against skeptical questioning at the City Club in Cleveland.

One year ago

Pope Benedict XVI sent an unprecedented letter to Ireland apologizing for chronic child abuse within the Roman Catholic church, but failed to calm anger of many victims.

Today’s Birthdays

British songstress Dame Vera Lynn is 94. Producer-director-comedian Carl Reiner is 89. Hockey Hall of Famer Bobby Orr is 63. Actor William Hurt is 61. Movie director Spike Lee is 54. Actress Holly Hunter is 53. Rock singer Chester Bennington (Linkin Park) is 35. Actor Michael Genadry is 33. Actress Bianca Lawson is 32. Rock musician Nick Wheeler (The All-American Rejects) is 29.

Thought for Today

“Every spring is the only spring, a perpetual astonishment.”

— Ellis Peters (Edith Pargeter),

British author (1913-1995)