In the week ending March 12, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims for unemployment insurance was 265,000, an increase of 7,000 from the previous week’s revised level of 258,000, the Labor Department reported. The four-week moving average was 268,000, an increase of 750 from the previous week’s revised average of 267,250.

An afternoon surge in stocks, coming on the heels of a four-week rally, turned the Dow Jones industrial average positive for the year, according to the Associated Press. The Dow gained 155.73 points (0.90%) to finish at 17,481.49, the NASDAQ was up 11.01 points (0.23%) at 4,774.99, and the S&P 500 increased 13.80 points (0.68%) to 2,041.02. The Russell 2000 closed 16.74 points (1.56%) higher at 1,091.25, and the Wilshire 5000 climbed 158.83 points (0.77%) to 20,883.83.

On the NYSE, 3.2 billion shares traded, with a near 4 to 1 lead for advancers. On the NASDAQ, 2.9 billion shares changed hands, with advancing issues outnumbering declining issues more than 2 to 1.

ON THIS DATE: In 1673, Lord Berkley sold his half of New Jersey to the Quakers. In 1813, David Melville patented the gas streetlight. In 1818, the U.S. Congress approved the first pensions for government service. In 1850, Henry Wells & William Fargo founded American Express. In 1865, the Congress of the Confederate States of America adjourned for the last time. In 1881, Barnum and Bailey’s Greatest Show on Earth opened in Madison Square Gardens. In 1911, Theodore Roosevelt opened the Roosevelt Dam in Arizona. It was the largest dam in the U.S. at the time. In 1931, Schick Inc. displayed the first electric shaver. In 1945, 1,250 U.S. bombers attacked Berlin. In 1952, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the first plastic lenses were fitted for a cataract patient. In 1963, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down the Miranda decision concerning legal counsel for defendants. In 1970, the U.S. Postal Service experienced the first postal strike. In 1970, the NFL selected Wilson to be the official football and scoreboard as official time. In 1986, the U.S. Treasury Department announced that a clear, polyester thread was to be woven into bills in an effort to thwart counterfeiters.

In Bukit Mertajam, Malaysia, a man attempted to steal about $7 worth of food from a local supermarket. According to news reports, when caught, the man confessed and said he was having a hard time feeding his three children after his wife went into a coma after childbirth. The manager of the store was so moved that instead of calling police, he offered the man money and a job offer.

In Franklin, Tennessee, police were notified of a chicken that had walked onto a road in the downtown area. They tweeted: “Officers are trying to wrangle a *chicken* in the downtown Franklin area. It’s crossed the road & we’re working to determine why.” The chicken was safely captured.

Near Cleveland, Ohio, police were called when a 74-year-old man rear-ended another car in a Panda Express drive-thru. Thinking he was impaired, officers asked him to recite the alphabet. The man told police he was unfamiliar with it.