On This Day, March 26: Book of Mormon published for first time

South African President Nelson Mandela (L) and U.S. President Bill Clinton on March 27, 1998, view Cell Block B at Robben Island, South Africa, where Mandela was imprisoned. On March 26, 1998, Clinton became the first U.S. president to visit South Africa. File Photo courtesy of the White House/Wikimedia
South African President Nelson Mandela (L) and U.S. President Bill Clinton on March 27, 1998, view Cell Block B at Robben Island, South Africa, where Mandela was imprisoned. On March 26, 1998, Clinton became the first U.S. president to visit South Africa. File Photo courtesy of the White House/Wikimedia
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March 26 (UPI) -- On this date in history:

In 1830, the Book of Mormon was published. There are about 200 surviving first editions of the book, one of which was stolen before being returned to its owner in 2013.

In 1953, U.S. Dr. Jonas Salk announced he had successfully tested a vaccine against poliomyelitis, the virus that causes polio.

In 1971, East Pakistan declared independence as Bangladesh, sparking the Bangladesh Liberation War. The war ended Dec. 16, 1971, when West Pakistan surrendered.

In 1975, the city of Hue in South Vietnam fell to the North Vietnamese army.

Pakistan's Lt. Gen. A.A.K. Niazi (sitting, center) signs the Pakistani Instrument of Surrender under the gaze of Indian Lt. Gen. Jagjit Singh Aurora (sitting, left) in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on December 16, 1971. The ceremony marked the end of the Bangladesh Liberation War, giving Bangladesh independence. Also attending are, standing, from left, Vice Adm. Krishnan, Air Marshal Dwan, Lt. Gen Sagat Singh, Maj. Gen. JFR Jacob and Flt. Lt. Krishnamurthy. Sitting, right, is Surojit Sen, a newscaster from All India Radio. File Photo courtesy of the Indian Navy

In 1979, Israel and Egypt signed a peace treaty at the White House, ending 30 years of hostilities.

In 1991, Mali's dictator, Gen. Moussa Traore, was overthrown in a violent overnight military coup. Fifty-nine people died.

Egyptian president Anwar Sadat and Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin sign the Egypt–Israel Peace Treaty in Washington, DC, on March 26, 1979, with United States president Jimmy Carter acting as witness to the proceedings. UPI File Photo
Egyptian president Anwar Sadat and Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin sign the Egypt–Israel Peace Treaty in Washington, DC, on March 26, 1979, with United States president Jimmy Carter acting as witness to the proceedings. UPI File Photo

In 1992, former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson, convicted of raping a teenage beauty pageant contestant, was sentenced to six years in prison. Tyson was released after three years.

File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI
File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI
On March 26, 1953, U.S. Dr. Jonas Salk announced he had successfully tested a vaccine against poliomyelitis, the virus that causes polio. File Photo courtesy Salk Institute
On March 26, 1953, U.S. Dr. Jonas Salk announced he had successfully tested a vaccine against poliomyelitis, the virus that causes polio. File Photo courtesy Salk Institute

In 1997, 39 members of the Heaven's Gate religious cult were found dead in a large house in Rancho Mirage, Calif., in what authorities said was a mass suicide.

In 1998, Bill Clinton became the first U.S. president to visit South Africa.

Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures as he addresses students and employees of the Bauman State Technical University in Moscow on November 21, 2000. On March 26, 2000, acting Russian President Vladimir Putin was elected president by a more than 20 percent margin. Putin won a third term in 2012. File Photo by Maxim Marmur/UPI
Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures as he addresses students and employees of the Bauman State Technical University in Moscow on November 21, 2000. On March 26, 2000, acting Russian President Vladimir Putin was elected president by a more than 20 percent margin. Putin won a third term in 2012. File Photo by Maxim Marmur/UPI

In 1999, Dr. Jack Kevorkian, the euthanasia advocate, was convicted of second-degree murder in an Oakland County, Mich., courtroom for the videotaped "medicide" of a man suffering from Lou Gehrig's disease.

File Photo by Vaughn Gurganian/UPI
File Photo by Vaughn Gurganian/UPI

In 2000, acting Russian President Vladimir Putin was elected president by a more than 20 percent margin. Putin won a third term in 2012.

In 2014, a National Labor Relations Board regional director ruled that Northwestern University scholarship football players were employees of the school and entitled under federal law to form a union.

In 2020, new unemployment claims in the United Staes surged to 3.3. million, the largest weekly increase in U.S. history to date amid job losses related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2022, Russian missiles targeted a fuel storage depot on the outskirts of Lviv, a city where Ukraine's refugees had fled amid Russia's invasion.

File Photo by Wojtek Jargilo/EPA-EFE
File Photo by Wojtek Jargilo/EPA-EFE