Ghosts of Good News Past: March 1-7

In this weekend's Ghosts, we'll balance you out, running the spectrum from Silly Putty and birthday songs to hunger strikes and justice done. Heavy on peace with a dash of good inventions, we're bringing you the quirky and the revolutionary here at Tonic. Curl up with your Sunday Times and your sunny-side-up, lazy-day breakfast, sprinkled with a dose of weekend Tonic. We've got you covered.

March 4, 1797: An unprecedented peaceful transfer of power. John Adams steps up as president without having to war with Washington. March 2, 1807: Congress finally bans the import of slaves. March 3, 1847: Alexander Graham Bell is born. And 29 years later … (see March 7, 1876). March 4, 1861: Abe Lincoln's first inauguration. March 7, 1876: Alexander Graham Bell gets his telephone patented; teenagers gain a new pastime. March 4, 1924: The song we all hear once a year, with those oh-so-complex lyrics: "Happy Birthday" is published. March 3, 1931: The United States gets a national anthem! Forget that only a select few of us can manage to actually belt out the high notes, "The Star Spangled Banner" leaves its mark on baseball and inaugurations alike. March 1, 1936: The Hoover Dam is officially completed, leaving a 726-foot deep mark on both construction and energy. March 3, 1939: Gandhi begins fasting in one of the most significant peaceful protests in modern history. March 5, 1953: A grim ghost, and not so very kind to note, but as Stalin's death marks the end of an oppressive and bloody era, we'll add it to the list. March 6, 1970: Silly Putty is invented! Hours of newsprint-copying fun! March 1,1974: Justice! Seven of the Watergate conspirators are sentenced. March 6, 1981: Walter Cronkite signs off for good. The CBS Evening News legend bows out after 19 seasons, leaving high standards for news reporting. 1991, March 5, 1991: Iraq releases Gulf War prisoners.