MOMENTS IN TIME

• On Feb. 28, 1983, "M*A*S*H," the cynical situation comedy about doctors behind the front lines during the Korean War, airs its final episode after 11 seasons. The last episode drew 77 percent of the television viewing audience, the largest audience ever to watch a single TV show up to that time.

• On Feb. 29, 1928, director and screenwriter William DeMille, brother of director Cecil B. DeMille, hires Beth Brown to write jokes for the film "Tenth Avenue." Brown was the first woman on record to work as a Hollywood comedy writer.

• On March 1, 1961, President John F. Kennedy establishes the Peace Corps, which would send American men and women to foreign nations to assist in development efforts. Since 1961, more than 180,000 Americans have joined the Peace Corps, serving in 134 nations.

• On March 2, 1904, Theodor Geisel, better known to the world as Dr. Seuss, author of such children's books as "The Cat in the Hat," is born in Springfield, Mass. Geisel's first book, "And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street," was rejected by more than two dozen publishers before making it into print in 1937.

• On March 3, 1931, President Herbert Hoover signs a congressional act making "The Star-Spangled Banner" the official national anthem of the United States. Francis Scott Key composed the lyrics to "The Star-Spangled Banner" in 1814.

• On March 4, 1952, Ernest Hemingway completes his short novel "The Old Man and the Sea." He wrote his publisher the same day, saying he had finished the book and that it was the best writing he had ever done. The critics agreed, and the book won the Pulitzer Prize in 1953.

• On March 5, 1963, the Hula-Hoop, a hip-swiveling toy that became a huge fad across America when it was first marketed by Wham-O in 1958, is patented by the company's co-founder, Arthur "Spud" Melin. An estimated 25 million Hula- Hoops were sold in its first four months of production alone.