This Day in History for March 16

1850 - "The Scarlet Letter," Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel about adultery, revenge and redemption in Puritan Massachusetts, was first published.

1751 - James Madison, fourth president of the United States, was born in Port Conway, Virginia.

1802 - Congress authorized the establishment of the US Military Academy at West Point, New York.

1836 - the Republic of Texas approved a constitution.

1894 - the opera "Thais", composed by Jules Massenet, premiered in Paris.

1915 - the Federal Trade Commission was organized.

1935 - Adolf Hitler scrapped the Treaty of Versailles.

1945 - during World War Two, Iwo Jima was declared secured by the Allies.

1968 - during the Vietnam War, the My Lai Massacre was carried out by US troops under the command of Lieutenant William L. Calley Junior.

1978 - Italian politician Aldo Moro was kidnapped by left-wing urban guerrillas, who later murdered him.

1985 - Terry Anderson, chief Middle East correspondent for The Associated Press, was abducted in Beirut; he was released in December 1991.