Today in History....March 29

On this day in …

* 1847, victorious forces led by General Winfield Scott occupied the city of Vera Cruz after Mexican defenders capitulated

* 1867, Britain's Parliament passed the British North America Act (later known as the Constitution Act) to create the Dominion of Canada

* 1943, World War II meat, butter and cheese rationing began

* 1962, Jack Paar hosted NBC's "Tonight" show for the final time

* 1973, the last U.S. combat troops left South Vietnam, ending America's direct military involvement in the Vietnam War

* 1974, eight Ohio National Guardsmen were indicted on federal charges stemming from the shooting deaths of four students at Kent State University. (The charges were later dismissed.)

* 1996, Vice President Al Gore concluded his tour of Asia, saying that talks in Beijing had created "new momentum" in relations between the U.S. and China

* 2002, Israel declared Yasser Arafat, ym"sh, an enemy and sent tanks and armored personnel carriers to fully isolate him in his Ramallah, West Bank, headquarters

* 2006, Hamas formally took over the Palestinian government, with Ismail Haniyeh sworn in as the new prime minister. ALSO: The U.N.
Security Council demanded that Iran suspend uranium enrichment, the first time the body directly urged Tehran to clear up suspicions that it was seeking nuclear weapons. AND: Former Liberian President Charles Taylor, accused of war crimes, was flown to Sierra Leone after he was captured in northern Nigeria