Today In History #01

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Today In History
Associated Press – August 7, 2011, 12:00 am US


Today is Sunday, Aug. 7, the 219th day of 2011. There are 146 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Aug. 7, 1961, Yale psychology professor Stanley Milgram began conducting his famous — as well as controversial — human behavior experiments concerning obedience toward authority figures.

(In the experiment, supervised volunteers were fooled into believing they were punishing a "learner" in an adjacent room for answering test questions incorrectly by administering increasingly strong electrical shocks, although in fact there were no shocks. Most of the "teachers," with verbal prodding, kept delivering what they thought were actual jolts even as the "learner" cried out in pain and banged on the door before falling silent.)

On this date:

In 1782, Gen. George Washington created the Order of the Purple Heart, a decoration to recognize merit in enlisted men and non-commissioned officers.

In 1882, the famous feud between the Hatfields of West Virginia and the McCoys of Kentucky erupted into full-scale violence.

In 1911, movie director Nicholas Ray ("Rebel Without a Cause") was born in Galesville, Wis.

In 1942, U.S. and allied forces landed at Guadalcanal, marking the start of the first major allied offensive in the Pacific during World War II.

In 1947, the balsa wood raft Kon-Tiki, which had carried a six-man crew 4,300 miles across the Pacific Ocean, crashed into a reef in a Polynesian archipelago; all six crew members reached land safely.

In 1959, the United States launched the Explorer 6 satellite, which sent back images of Earth.

In 1964, Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin resolution, giving President Lyndon B. Johnson broad powers in dealing with reported North Vietnamese attacks on U.S. forces.

In 1971, the Apollo 15 moon mission ended successfully as its command module splashed down in the Pacific Ocean.

In 1991, former Iranian Prime Minister Shapour Bakhtiar, 76, was slain, along with his aide, at his home in suburban Paris.

In 1998, terrorist bombs at U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania killed 224 people, including 12 Americans.

Ten years ago: Three researchers told a committee at the National Academy of Sciences they were unswayed by arguments against human cloning and would soon try to clone human beings. The Vatican denounced what it called a "slanderous campaign" against the Roman Catholic Church over the actions of Pope Pius XII during the Holocaust. Harmonica virtuoso Larry Adler died in London at age 87.

Five years ago: Oil prices jumped after BP said it had discovered corrosion so severe it would have to replace 16 miles of pipeline at the huge Prudhoe Bay oil field in Alaska. Colombia's President Alvaro Uribe (oo-REE'-bay) was sworn in for an unprecedented second term.

One year ago: Elena Kagan was sworn in as the 112th justice and fourth woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. A healthy-looking Fidel Castro appealed to President Barack Obama to stave off global nuclear war in an address to parliament that marked his first official government appearance since emergency surgery four years earlier. Jerry Rice, Emmitt Smith, John Randle, Dick LeBeau, Rickey Jackson, Russ Grimm and Floyd Little were inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Today's Birthdays: Writer-producer Stan Freberg is 85. Rhythm-and-blues singer Herb Reed ("The Platters") is 83. Magician, author and lecturer James Randi a.k.a. "The Amazing Randi" is 83. Former baseball pitcher Don Larsen is 82. Bluesman Magic Slim is 74. Actress Verna Bloom is 72. Humorist Garrison Keillor is 69. Singer B.J. Thomas (born Billy Joe Thomas) is 69. Singer Lana Cantrell is 68. Actor John Glover is 67. Actor David Rasche is 67. Rhythm-and-blues singer Harold Hudson is 62. Former diplomat, talk show host and activist Alan Keyes is 61. Country singer Rodney Crowell is 61. Actress Caroline Aaron is 59. Comedian Alexei Sayle is 59. Actor Wayne Knight is 56. Rock singer Bruce Dickinson is 53. Marathon runner Alberto Salazar is 53. Actor David Duchovny is 51. Country Singer/Guitarist Michael Mahler ("Wild Horses") is 50. Actress Delane Matthews is 50. Actor Harold Perrineau is 48. Jazz Pianist Marcus Roberts is 48. Country singer Raul Malo is 46. Actress Charlotte Lewis is 44. Actress Sydney Penny is 40. Actor Michael Shannon is 37. Actress Charlize Theron is 36. Rock Drummer Barry Kerch ("Shinedown") is 35.

Thought for Today: "People who cannot recognize a palpable absurdity are very much in the way of civilization." — Agnes Repplier, American essayist (1858-1950).
 
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Today In History
Associated Press – August 8, 2011, 12:00 am US


Today is Monday, Aug. 8, the 220th day of 2011. There are 145 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Aug. 8, 1911, President William Howard Taft signed a measure raising the number of members in the U.S. House of Representatives from 391 to 433, effective with the next Congress, with a proviso to add two more members when New Mexico and Arizona became states. (The number of House seats has remained at 435 ever since, except for a temporary increase to 437 after Alaska and Hawaii were admitted to the Union.)

On this date:

In 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte set sail for St. Helena to spend the remainder of his days in exile.

In 1861, biologist William Bateson, founder of the science of genetics, was born in Whitby, Yorkshire, England.

In 1942, six convicted Nazi saboteurs who'd landed in the U.S. were executed in Washington, D.C.; two others were spared.

In 1953, the United States and South Korea initialed a mutual security pact.

In 1963, Britain's "Great Train Robbery" took place as thieves made off with 2.6 million pounds in banknotes.

In 1968, the Republican national convention in Miami Beach nominated Richard Nixon for president on the first ballot.

In 1973, Vice President Spiro T. Agnew branded as "damned lies" reports he had taken kickbacks from government contracts in Maryland, and vowed not to resign — which he ended up doing.

In 1974, President Richard Nixon announced his resignation, effective the next day, following damaging new revelations in the Watergate scandal.

In 1978, the U.S. launched Pioneer Venus 2, which carried scientific probes to study the atmosphere of Venus.

In 1994, Israel and Jordan opened the first road link between the two once-warring countries.

Ten years ago: Former President Ronald Reagan's daughter Maureen died in Granite Bay, Calif., at age 60. Mohammad Khatami was sworn in for a second term as Iran's president.

Five years ago: Sen. Joe Lieberman lost the Connecticut Democratic primary to political newcomer Ned Lamont (however, Lieberman ended up winning re-election to the Senate by running as an independent). The Federal Reserve left a benchmark interest rate unchanged after 17 consecutive rate hikes over more than two years. Roger Goodell was chosen as the NFL's next commissioner.

One year ago: Flooding in Gansu province in China resulted in mudslides that killed more than 1,400 people. Academy Award-winning actress Patricia Neal died in Edgartown, Mass., at 84.

Today's Birthdays: Actress Esther Williams is 90. Actor Richard Anderson is 85. Joan Mondale, wife of former Vice President Walter F. Mondale, is 81. Actress Nita Talbot is 81. Singer Mel Tillis is 79. Actor Dustin Hoffman is 74. Actress Connie Stevens is 73. Country singer Phil Balsley ("The Statler Brothers") is 72. Actor Larry Wilcox is 64. Actor Keith Carradine is 62. Rhythm-and-blues singer Airrion Love ("The Stylistics") is 62. Country singer Jamie O'Hara is 61. Movie director Martin Brest is 60. Radio-TV personality Robin Quivers is 59. Actor Donny Most is 58. Rock Keyboardist Dennis Drew ("10,000 Maniacs") is 54. TV personality Deborah Norville is 53. Actor-singer Harry Crosby is 53. Rock Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist 'The Edge' (real name David Howell Evans)("U2") is 50. Rock Drummer Rikki Rockett (real name Richard Allan Ream)("Poison") is 50. Rapper Kool Moe Dee (real name Mohandas Dewese) is 49. Rock Bassist Ralph Rieckermann (formerly of "The Scorpions") is 49. Middle distance runner Suzy Favor-Hamilton is 43. Rock singer Scott Stapp is 38. Country singer Mark Wills is 38. Actor Kohl Sudduth is 37. Rock Guitarist Tom Linton ("Jimmy Eat World") is 36. Singer JC Chasez (Joshua Scott Chasez )("'N Sync") is 35. Actress Tawny Cypress is 35. Rhythm-and-blues singer Drew Lachey ("98 Degrees") is 35. Rhythm-and-blues singer Marsha Ambrosius ("Floetry") is 34. Actress Lindsay Sloane is 34. Actress Countess Vaughn is 33. Actor Michael Urie is 31. Tennis player Roger Federer is 30. Actress Meagan Good is 30. Britain's Princess Beatrice of York is 23. Actor Ken Baumann (TV's "The Secret Life of the American Teenager") is 22.

Thought for Today: "Man adjusts to what he should not; he is unable to adjust to what he should." — Jean Toomer, African-American author-poet (1894-1967).
 
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Today In History
Associated Press – August 9, 2011, 12:00 am US


Today is Tuesday, Aug. 9, the 221st day of 2011. There are 144 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Aug. 9, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt received British Prime Minister Winston Churchill aboard the USS Augusta off Newfoundland; although the two had once met briefly years earlier, this was their first encounter as the leaders of their respective countries. (The next day, Roosevelt visited Churchill aboard his ship, the HMS Prince of Wales.) The talks resulted in the Atlantic Charter defining goals for a post-war world.

On this date:

In 1842, the United States and Canada resolved a border dispute by signing the Webster-Ashburton Treaty.

In 1854, Henry David Thoreau's "Walden," which described Thoreau's experiences while living near Walden Pond in Massachusetts, was first published.

In 1902, Edward VII was crowned king of Britain following the death of his mother, Queen Victoria.

In 1910, the U.S. Patent Office granted Alva J. Fisher of the Hurley Machine Co. a patent for an electrically powered washing machine.

In 1936, Jesse Owens won his fourth gold medal at the Berlin Olympics as the United States took first place in the 400-meter relay.

In 1944, 258 African-American sailors based at Port Chicago, Calif., refused to load a munitions ship following an explosion on another ship that killed 320 men, many of them black. (Fifty of the sailors were convicted of mutiny, fined and imprisoned.)

In 1945, three days after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan, the United States exploded a nuclear device over Nagasaki, killing an estimated 74,000 people.

In 1969, actress Sharon Tate and four other people were found brutally slain at Tate's Los Angeles home; cult leader Charles Manson and a group of his followers were later convicted of the crime.

In 1974, President Richard Nixon and his family left the White House as his resignation took effect. Vice President Gerald R. Ford became the nation's 38th chief executive.

In 1995, Jerry Garcia, lead singer of the Grateful Dead, died in Forest Knolls, Calif., of a heart attack at age 53.

Ten years ago: A suicide bomber detonated his explosives in a central Jerusalem pizzeria, killing himself and 15 other people. President George W. Bush approved federal funding only for existing lines of embryonic stem cells.

Five years ago: The White House said neither Israel nor Hezbollah should escalate their month-old war, as Israel decided to widen its ground invasion in southern Lebanon. Physicist James A. Van Allen, discoverer of the radiation belts surrounding the Earth that now bear his name, died in Iowa City, Iowa, at age 91.

One year ago: Former Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens, 86, the longest serving Republican in the U.S. Senate, was killed in a plane crash in the southwestern part of his state while on his way to a fishing trip (four others also died in the crash outside Dillingham). A fed-up JetBlue flight attendant, Steven Slater, cursed out a passenger he said had treated him rudely, grabbed a beer and slid down the emergency chute of an Embraer 190 at New York's Kennedy Airport.

(Stations: The Deion Sanders listing anticipates his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, scheduled for Aug. 7.)

Today's Birthdays: Basketball Hall of Famer Bob Cousy is 83. Tennis Hall of Famer Rod Laver is 73. Jazz Drummer/Composer Jack DeJohnette is 69. Comedian-director David Steinberg is 69. Boxing Hall-of-Famer Ken Norton is 68. Actor Sam Elliott is 67. Singer Barbara Mason is 64. Former MLB pitcher Bill Campbell is 63. College Football Hall of Famer John Cappelletti is 59. College Football Hall of Famer Doug Williams is 56. Actress Melanie Griffith is 54. Actress Amanda Bearse is 53. Rapper Kurtis Blow (born Kurtis Walker Combs) is 52. Singer Whitney Houston is 48. Hockey Hall of Famer Brett Hull is 47. TV host Hoda Kotb (HO'-duh KAHT'-bee) is 47. Actor Pat Petersen is 45. Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders is 44. Actress Gillian Anderson is 43. Actor Eric Bana is 43. Producer-director McG (aka Joseph McGinty Nichol) is 43. NHL player-turned-assistant coach Rod Brind'Amour is 41. TV anchor Chris Cuomo is 41. Actor Thomas Lennon is 41. Rock Bassist Arion Salazar (formerly of "Third Eye Blind") is 41. Rapper Mack 10 (born Dedrick Rolison) is 40. Actress Nikki Schieler Ziering is 40. Latin Rock Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist Juanes (born Juan Esteban Aristizábal Vásquez) is 39. Actress Liz Vassey is 39. Actress Rhona Mitra is 36. Actor Texas Battle is 35. Actress Jessica Capshaw is 35. Actress Anna Kendrick is 26.

Thought for Today: "Education is a private matter between the person and the world of knowledge and experience, and has little to do with school or college." — Lillian Smith, American writer-social critic (1897-1966).
 
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Today In History
Associated Press – August 10, 2011, 12:00 am US


Today is Wednesday, Aug. 10, the 222nd day of 2011. There are 143 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Aug. 10, 1861, Confederate forces routed Union troops in the Battle of Wilson's Creek in Missouri, the first major engagement of the Civil War to take place west of the Mississippi River. (The victory gave the Confederates control of southwestern Missouri.)

On this date:

In 1680, Pueblo Indians launched a successful revolt against Spanish colonists in present-day New Mexico.

In 1792, during the French Revolution, mobs in Paris attacked the Tuileries (TWEE'-luh-reez) Palace, where King Louis XVI resided. (The king was later arrested, put on trial for treason, and executed.)

In 1821, Missouri became the 24th state.

In 1846, President James K. Polk signed a measure establishing the Smithsonian Institution.

In 1874, Herbert Clark Hoover, the 31st president of the United States, was born in West Branch, Iowa.

In 1921, Franklin D. Roosevelt was stricken with polio at his summer home on the Canadian island of Campobello.

In 1949, the National Military Establishment was renamed the Department of Defense.

In 1969, Leno and Rosemary LaBianca were murdered in their Los Angeles home by members of Charles Manson's cult, one day after actress Sharon Tate and four other people were slain.

In 1991, nine Buddhists were found slain at their temple outside Phoenix, Ariz. (Two teen-agers were later arrested; Alessandro Garcia was sentenced to life in prison, while Jonathan Doody received 281 years.)

In 1993, Ruth Bader Ginsburg was sworn in as the second female justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.

Ten years ago: Space shuttle Discovery roared into orbit on a mission to deliver a fresh crew to the international space station. Britain stepped in to save Northern Ireland's power-sharing government by taking away its powers for a day — a legal maneuver that removed a deadline to elect a new leader of the Catholic-Protestant government.

Five years ago: British authorities announced they had thwarted a terrorist plot to simultaneously blow up 10 aircraft heading to the U.S. using explosives smuggled in hand luggage. A suicide bomber blew himself up among pilgrims outside Iraq's holiest Shiite shrine in Najaf, killing 35 people. Saomai (sow-my), the most powerful typhoon to hit China in five decades, slammed into the country's southeastern coast; it ultimately killed more than 480 people.

One year ago: The House pushed through an emergency $26 billion jobs bill that Democrats said would save 300,000 teachers, police and others from layoffs; President Barack Obama immediately signed it into law. Talk radio host Dr. Laura Schlessinger quoted the "N-word" 11 times in an on-air conversation with a caller who she said was "hypersensitive" to racism; Schlessinger ended up apologizing. Hollywood producer David L. Wolper, 82, died in Beverly Hills, Calif.

Today's Birthdays: Actress Rhonda Fleming is 88. Actor-director Tom Laughlin ("Billy Jack") is 80. Singer Ronnie Spector is 68. Actor James Reynolds is 65. Rock Singer/Sngwriter/Flutist/Guitarist Ian Anderson ("Jethro Tull") is 64. Singer Patti Austin is 63. Country Singer/Mandolinist/Guitarist/Fiddler Gene Johnson ("Diamond Rio") is 62. Actor Daniel Hugh Kelly is 59. Folk singer-songwriter Sam Baker is 57. Actress Rosanna Arquette is 52. Actor Antonio Banderas is 51. Rock Drummer Jon Farriss ("INXS") is 50. Singer Julia Fordham is 49. Journalist-blogger Andrew Sullivan is 48. Singer Neneh Cherry (born Neneh Mariann Karlsson) is 47. Singer Aaron Hall is 47. Boxer Riddick Bowe is 44. Rhythm-and-blues singer Lorraine Pearson ("Five Star) is 44. Singer-producer Michael Bivins is 43. Actor-writer Justin Theroux is 40. Actress Angie Harmon is 39. Country singer Jennifer Hanson is 38. Actress JoAnna Garcia is 32. Rhythm-and-blues singer Nikki Bratcher ("Divine") is 31. Actor Ryan Eggold is 27. Actor Lucas Till is 21.

Thought for Today: "It is easier to make a saint out of a libertine than out of a prig." — George Santayana, Spanish-born philosopher (1863-1952).
 
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Today In History
Associated Press – August 11, 2011, 12:00 am US


Today is Thursday, Aug. 11, the 223rd day of 2011. There are 142 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Aug. 11, 1934, the first federal prisoners arrived at Alcatraz Island (a former military prison) in San Francisco Bay.

On this date:

In 1810, a major earthquake shook the island of St. Michael in the Azores.

In 1860, the nation's first successful silver mill began operation near Virginia City, Nev.

In 1909, the steamship SS Arapahoe became the first ship in North America to issue an S.O.S. distress signal, off North Carolina's Cape Hatteras.

In 1949, President Harry S. Truman nominated General Omar N. Bradley to become the first chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

In 1952, Hussein bin Talal was proclaimed King of Jordan, beginning a reign lasting nearly 47 years.

In 1954, a formal peace took hold in Indochina, ending more than seven years of fighting between the French and Communist Viet Minh.

In 1962, the Soviet Union launched cosmonaut Andrian Nikolayev on a 94-hour flight.

In 1965, rioting and looting that claimed 34 lives broke out in the predominantly black Watts section of Los Angeles.

In 1975, the United States vetoed the proposed admission of North and South Vietnam to the United Nations, following the Security Council's refusal to consider South Korea's application.

In 1991, Shiite (SHEE'-eyet) Muslim kidnappers in Lebanon released two Western captives: Edward Tracy, an American held nearly five years, and Jerome Leyraud, a Frenchman who'd been abducted by a rival group three days earlier.

Ten years ago: In his weekly radio address, President George W. Bush said his decision to restrict but not forbid federal financing of embryonic stem cell research placed him at the crossroads between protecting and enhancing human life.

Five years ago: The U.N. Security Council adopted a resolution calling for a cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah. BP PLC announced it would keep one side of the Prudhoe Bay oil field open as it replaced corroded pipes, averting a larger crimp in the nation's oil supply. TV talk show host Mike Douglas died in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., on his 81st birthday.

One year ago: In Baton Rouge, La., police and FBI agents captured Michael Francis Mara, suspected of being the so-called "Granddad Bandit" who'd held up two dozen banks in 13 states for about two years. (Mara later pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 25 years in prison.) Dan Rostenkowski, a former Illinois congressman who'd wielded enormous power on Capitol Hill for more than 30 years, died at his Wisconsin summer home at age 82.

Today's Birthdays: Actress Arlene Dahl is 83. Songwriter-producer Kenny Gamble is 68. Rock Bassist Jim Kale (born Michael James Kale) ("The Guess Who") is 68. Country singer John Conlee is 65. Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist/Keyboardist Eric Carmen is 62. Computer scientist and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak is 61. Wrestler/Actor Hulk Hogan (real name Terry Gene Bollea) is 58. Singer/Songwriter/Keyboardist/Saxophonist Joe Jackson (born David Ian Jackson) is 57. Playwright David Henry Hwang is 54. Actor Miguel A. Nunez Jr. is 47. Actress Viola Davis is 46. Actor Duane Martin is 46. Actor/TV Host Joe Rogan is 44. Rhythm-and-blues Drummer Chris "Daddy" Dave is 43. Actress Anna Gunn is 43. Actress Ashley Jensen is 43. Rock Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist Charlie Sexton is 43. Hip-hop artist Ali Shaheed Muhammad is 41. Actor Will Friedle is 35. Rapper Chris Kelly ("Kris Kross") is 33. Actor Chris Hemsworth is 28. Singer/Actor J-Boog (real name Jarell Damonte Houston) is 26. Rapper Asher Roth is 26. Actress Alyson Stoner is 18.

Thought for Today: "Journalism is literature in a hurry." — British poet (1822-1888).
 
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Today In History
Associated Press – August 12, 2011, 12:00 am US


Today is Friday, Aug. 12, the 224th day of 2011. There are 141 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Aug. 12, 1981, IBM introduced its first personal computer, the model 5150, at a press conference in New York. The 5150 that was presented had an Intel 8088 microprocessor running at 4.77 MHz (megahertz), 16 kB (kilobytes) of random-access memory (RAM), no disk drives, and a pricetag of $1,565 (allowing for inflation, that would be nearly $4,000 today).

On this date:

In 1867, President Andrew Johnson sparked a move to impeach him as he defied Congress by suspending Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton.

In 1898, fighting in the Spanish-American War came to an end.

In 1911, actor-comedian Cantinflas was born Fortino Mario Alfonso Moreno Reyes in Mexico City.

In 1941, Marshal Henri Philippe Petain (ahn-REE' fee-LEEP' pay-TAN'), head of the government of Vichy France, called on his countrymen to give full support to Nazi Germany.

In 1944, during World War II, Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., eldest son of Joseph and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, was killed with his co-pilot when their explosives-laden Navy plane blew up over England.

In 1953, the Soviet Union conducted a secret test of its first hydrogen bomb.

In 1960, the first balloon communications satellite — the Echo 1 — was launched by the United States from Cape Canaveral.

In 1962, one day after launching Andrian Nikolayev into orbit, the Soviet Union also sent up cosmonaut Pavel Popovich; both men landed safely Aug. 15.

In 1978, Pope Paul VI, who had died Aug. 6 at age 80, was buried in St. Peter's Basilica.

In 1985, the world's worst single-aircraft disaster occurred as a crippled Japan Air Lines Boeing 747 on a domestic flight crashed into a mountain, killing 520 people. (Four people survived.)

Ten years ago: A suicide bomber blew himself up on the patio of a restaurant near the northern Israeli coastal town of Haifa, killing himself and wounding 21 people.

Five years ago: Thousands of people gathered across from the White House, even though President George W. Bush was out of town, to condemn U.S. and Israeli policies in the Middle East.

One year ago: General Motors Co. chief Ed Whitacre announced he was stepping down as CEO on Sept. 1, 2010, saying his mission was accomplished as the company reported its second straight quarterly profit. (Whitacre was succeeded as CEO by GM board member Daniel Akerson.)

Today's Birthdays: Former Senator Dale Bumpers, D-Ark., is 86. Actor George Hamilton is 72. Actress Dana Ivey is 70. Actress Jennifer Warren is 70. Rock Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist Mark Knopfler ("Dire Straits") is 62. Actor Jim Beaver is 61. Singer/Bassist/Guitarist Kid Creole aka August Darnell (real name Thomas August Darnell Browder)("Kid Creole and the Coconuts") is 61. Jazz Guitarist/Composer Pat Metheny is 57. Actor Sam J. Jones is 57. Actor Bruce Greenwood is 55. Country singer Danny Shirley is 55. Pop Keyboardist/Guitarist Roy Hay ("Culture Club") is 50. Rapper Sir Mix-A-Lot (real name Anthony Ray) is 48. Actor Peter Krause (KROW'-zuh) is 46. International Tennis Hall of Famer Pete Sampras is 40. Actor-comedian Michael Ian Black is 40. Actress Yvette Nicole Brown is 40. Actress Rebecca Gayheart is 40. Actor Casey Affleck is 36. Rock Bassist Bill Uechi ("Save Ferris") is 36. Actress Maggie Lawson is 31. Actress Dominique Swain is 31. Actress Imani Hakim ("Everybody Hates Chris") is 18.

Thought for Today: "Computers are like Old Testament gods; lots of rules and no mercy." — Joseph Campbell, American writer (1904-1987).
 
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Today In History
Associated Press – August 13, 2011, 12:00 am US


Today is Saturday, Aug. 13, the 225th day of 2011. There are 140 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Aug. 13, 1961, Berlin was divided as East Germany sealed off the border between the city's eastern and western sectors and began building a wall that would stand for the next 28 years until it finally came down in 1989.

On this date:

In 1521, Spanish conqueror Hernando Cortez captured Tenochtitlan (teh-natch-teet-LAHN'), present-day Mexico City, from the Aztecs.

In 1624, King Louis XIII of France appointed Cardinal Richelieu (ree-shuh-LYOO') his first minister.

In 1704, the Battle of Blenheim was fought during the War of the Spanish Succession, resulting in a victory for English-led forces over French and Bavarian soldiers.

In 1846, the American flag was raised for the first time in Los Angeles.

In 1910, Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing, died in London at age 90.

In 1932, Adolf Hitler rejected the post of vice chancellor of Germany, saying he was prepared to hold out "for all or nothing."

In 1934, the satirical comic strip "Li'l Abner," created by Al Capp, made its debut.

In 1960, the first two-way telephone conversation by satellite took place with the help of Echo 1. The Central African Republic became totally independent of French rule.

In 1981, in a ceremony at his California ranch, President Ronald Reagan signed a historic package of tax and budget reductions.

In 1989, searchers in Ethiopia found the wreckage of a plane which had disappeared almost a week earlier while carrying Texas Congressman Mickey Leland and 14 other people — there were no survivors.

Ten years ago: Macedonia's rival political leaders signed a landmark peace accord aimed at ending six months of bloody conflict and clearing the way for NATO troops to disarm ethnic Albanian rebels. Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi (joon-ee-chee-roh koh-ee-zoo-mee) tried, with little apparent success, to ease the anger of Asian neighbors by visiting a controversial war shrine two days before the actual anniversary of Japan's World War II surrender.

Five years ago: Israel's Cabinet became the final party to sign on to a U.N. cease-fire deal with Hezbollah. Fidel Castro sent Cubans a sober greeting on his 80th birthday, saying he faced a long recovery from surgery.

One year ago: Weighing in for the first time on a controversy gripping New York City and the nation, President Barack Obama endorsed allowing a mosque near ground zero, telling a White House dinner celebrating the Islamic holy month of Ramadan that the country's founding principles demanded no less. Former veteran NBC newsman Edwin Newman died in Oxford, England, at age 91.

Today's Birthdays: Former Cuban President Fidel Castro is 85. Actor Pat Harrington is 82. Former U.S. Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders is 78. Actor Kevin Tighe is 67. Actress Gretchen Corbett is 64. Opera singer Kathleen Battle is 63. High wire aerialist Philippe Petit is 62. Hockey Hall of Famer Bobby Clarke is 62. Comedian-writer Tom Davis is 59. Golf Hall of Famer Betsy King is 56. Movie director Paul Greengrass is 56. Actor Danny Bonaduce is 52. TV Host/Weatherman Sam Champion (TV's "Good Morning America") is 50. Actress Dawnn Lewis is 50. Actor John Slattery is 49. Actress Debi Mazar is 47. Actress Quinn Cummings is 44. Actress Seana Kofoed is 41. Country singer Andy Griggs is 38. Country Drummer Mike Melancon ("Emerson Drive") is 33. Actress Kathryn Fiore is 32. Pop-rock singer James Morrison is 27.

Thought for Today: "Before I built a wall I'd ask to know / What I was walling in or walling out, / And to whom I was like to give offence." — From the poem "Mending Wall" by American poet Robert Frost (1874-1963).
 
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Today In History
Associated Press – August 14, 2011, 12:00 am US


Today is Sunday, Aug. 14, the 226th day of 2011. There are 139 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Aug. 14, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill issued the Atlantic Charter, a statement of principles that renounced aggression, endorsed the right of people to choose their form of government and called for improving the economic well-being of nations.

On this date:

In 1848, the Oregon Territory was created.

In 1908, a race riot erupted in Springfield, Ill., as a white mob began setting black-owned homes and businesses on fire; at least two blacks and five whites were killed in the violence.

In 1909, the newly opened Indianapolis Motor Speedway held its first event, a series of motorcycle races.

In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act into law.

In 1936, Rainey Bethea became the last man to be publicly executed in the United States as he was hanged in Owensboro, Ky., for raping 70-year-old Lischia Edwards.

In 1945, President Harry S. Truman announced that Japan had surrendered unconditionally, ending World War II.

In 1947, Pakistan became independent of British rule.

In 1951, newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst, 88, died in Beverly Hills, Calif.

In 1969, British troops went to Northern Ireland to intervene in sectarian violence between Protestants and Roman Catholics.

In 1981, Pope John Paul II left a Rome hospital, three months after being wounded in an attempt on his life. Conductor Karl Boehm died in Salzburg, Austria, two weeks before his 87th birthday.

Ten years ago: Twenty people detained in riots at the Group of Eight summit in Italy the previous month were ordered released by a Genoa court — 15 Austrians, three Americans, a Slovak and a Swede.

Five years ago: Israel halted its offensive against Hezbollah guerrillas as a U.N.-imposed cease-fire went into effect after a month of warfare that had killed more than 900 people. Cuban state television aired the first video of Fidel Castro since he stepped down as president to recover from surgery, showing the bedridden Cuban leader talking with his brother Raul as well as Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez (OO'-goh CHAH'-vez). Actor Bruno Kirby died in Los Angeles at age 57.

One year ago: A day after weighing in on the issue, President Barack Obama repeated that Muslims had the right to build a mosque near New York's ground zero, but said he was not commenting on the "wisdom" of such a choice. Eight people leaving a party at a downtown Buffalo, N.Y., restaurant were shot, four fatally, including a Texas man who'd returned to his hometown to celebrate his first wedding anniversary. (Former gang member Riccardo McCray was later convicted of first-degree murder and attempted murder, and sentenced to life without parole.) A truck overturned during an off-road race in the Mojave Desert, killing eight spectators.

Today's Birthdays: Broadway lyricist Lee Adams ("Bye Bye Birdie") is 87. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Russell Baker is 86. Singer/Pianist Buddy Greco (born Armando Greco) is 85. Baseball Hall of Fame coach Earl Weaver is 81. College Football Hall of Famer John Brodie is 76. Singer/Songwriter/Mandolinist/Guitarist Dash Crofts (born Darrell Crofts)(Soft Rock/Pop duo "Seals & Crofts") is 73. Rock Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist David Crosby (The Byrds", "Crosby, Stills & Nash (and Young)" is 70. Country singer Connie Smith is 70. Comedian-actor Steve Martin is 66. Actor Antonio Fargas is 65. Singer/Songwriter/Bassist Larry Graham ("Sly & the Family Stone", "Graham Central Station") is 65. Actress Susan Saint James is 65. Actor David Schramm is 65. Author Danielle Steel is 64. Rock Singer/Pianist/Composer Terry Adams ("NRBQ") is 61. "Far Side" cartoonist Gary Larson is 61. Actor Carl Lumbly (TV's "Alias") is 60. Olympic gold medal swimmer Debbie Meyer is 59. Film composer James Horner is 58. Actress Jackee Harry is 55. Actress Marcia Gay Harden is 52. Former basketball player Earvin "Magic" Johnson is 52. Singer Sarah Brightman is 51. Actress Susan Olsen is 50. Actress-turned-fashion/interior designer Cristi Conaway is 47. Rock Guitarist Keith Howland ("Chicago") is 47. Actress Halle Berry is 45. Actress Catherine Bell is 43. Country Keyboardist Cody McCarver ("Confederate Railroad") is 43. Rock Guitarist/Songwriter Kevin Cadogan (formerly of "Third Eye Blind") is 41. Actor Scott Michael Campbell is 40. Actress Lalanya Masters is 39. Actor Christopher Gorham is 37. Actress Mila Kunis is 28. TV personality Spencer Pratt is 28.

Thought for Today: "Home is any four walls that enclose the right person." — Helen Rowland, American writer, journalist and humorist (1876-1950).
 
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Today In History
Associated Press – August 15, 2011, 12:00 am US


Today is Monday, Aug. 15, the 227th day of 2011. There are 138 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Aug. 15, 1961, as workers began constructing a Berlin Wall made of concrete, East German soldier Conrad Schumann leapt to freedom over a tangle of barbed wire in a scene captured in a famous photograph.

On this date:

In 1057, Macbeth, King of Scots, was killed in battle by Malcolm, the eldest son of King Duncan, whom Macbeth had slain.

In 1769, Napoleon Bonaparte was born on the island of Corsica.

In 1914, the Panama Canal opened to traffic.

In 1935, humorist Will Rogers and aviator Wiley Post were killed when their airplane crashed near Point Barrow in the Alaska Territory.

In 1945, in a radio address, Japan's Emperor Hirohito announced that his country had accepted terms of surrender for ending World War II.

In 1947, India became independent after some 200 years of British rule.

In 1969, the Woodstock Music and Art Fair opened in upstate New York.

In 1971, President Richard Nixon announced a 90-day freeze on wages, prices and rents. Bahrain declared its independence from Britain.

In 1974, a gunman attempted to shoot South Korean President Park Chung-hee during a speech; although Park was unhurt, his wife was struck and killed, along with a teenage girl. (The gunman was later executed.)

In 1998, 29 people were killed by a car bomb that tore apart the center of Omagh (OH'-mah), Northern Ireland; a splinter group calling itself the Real IRA claimed responsibility.

Ten years ago: A Texas appeals court halted the execution of Napoleon Beazley just hours before he was scheduled to die for a murder he'd committed as a teenager. (Beazley was executed in May 2002.) The Air Force gave the go-ahead to build its new F-22 fighter. Robert R. Courtney, a Kansas City, Mo., pharmacist accused of diluting chemotherapy drugs, surrendered to the FBI. (He was later sentenced to 30 years in prison.) Astronomers announced the discovery of the first solar system outside our own.

Five years ago: Israel began withdrawing its forces from southern Lebanon. Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu (teh-ah-ree-kee-noo-ee, Dame teh-ah-ty-rung-ee-kah-hoo), the queen of New Zealand's indigenous Maori population, died on North Island, New Zealand, at age 75.

One year ago: Former medical student Philip Markoff, charged with killing Julissa Brisman, a masseuse he'd met through Craigslist, was found dead in his Boston jail cell, a suicide. Martin Kaymer won the PGA Championship in Sheboygan, Wis., in a three-hole playoff that did not include Dustin Johnson, who was penalized two strokes for grounding his club in a bunker on the last hole.

Today's Birthdays: ose Actress/Comedienne Rose Marie (born Rose Marie Mazetta) is 88. Political activist Phyllis Schlafly is 87. Actor Mike Connors (born Krekor Ohanian)(best known for playing private detective Joe Mannix from 1967 through 1975 on the popular CBS drama "Mannix" on TV) is 86. Game show host Jim Lange is 79. Actress Lori Nelson is 78. Civil rights activist Vernon Jordan is 76. Actor Jim Dale is 76. Actress Pat Priest (played Marilyn in TV's "The Munsters") is 75. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer is 73. U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., is 73. Rock Drummer Pete York ("Spencer Davis Group") is 69. Author-journalist Linda Ellerbee is 67. Songwriter Jimmy Webb is 65. Rock Singer/Guitarist Tom Johnston ("The Doobie Brothers") is 63. Actress Phyllis Smith (TV: "The Office") is 62. Britain's Princess Anne is 61. Actress Tess Harper is 61. Actor Larry Mathews is 56. Actor Zeljko Ivanek is 54. Actor-comedian Rondell Sheridan is 53. Rock Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist/Keyboardist/Bassist Matt Johnson ("The The") is 50. Movie director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu is 48. Country singer Angela Rae ("Wild Horses") is 45. Actor Peter Hermann is 44. Actress Debra Messing is 43. Actor Anthony Anderson is 41. Actor/Director/Writer/Producer Ben Affleck is 39. Singer Mikey Graham ("Boyzone") is 39. Actress Natasha Henstridge is 37. Actress Nicole Paggi is 34. Figure skater Jennifer Kirk is 27. Latin pop singer Belinda (full name Belinda Peregrín Schüll)(Film: "The Cheetah Girls 2") is 22. Rock singer Joe Jonas ("The Jonas Brothers") is 22. Actor-singer Carlos Pena is 22. Actress Jennifer Lawrence (TV: "The Bill Engvall Show") is 21.

Thought for Today: "Life has taught me to think, but thinking has not taught me how to live." — Alexander Herzen, Russian author (1812-1870).
 
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Today In History
Associated Press – August 16, 2011, 12:00 am US


Today is Tuesday, Aug. 16, the 228th day of 2011. There are 137 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Aug. 16, 1861, President Abraham Lincoln issued Proclamation 86, which prohibited the states of the Union from engaging in commercial trade with states that were in rebellion — i.e., the Confederacy.

On this date:

In 1777, American forces won the Revolutionary War Battle of Bennington.

In 1812, Detroit fell to British and Indian forces in the War of 1812.
SIO Note: The Siege of Detroit, also known as the Surrender of Detroit, or the Battle of Fort Detroit, is recognised in Canada as an early victory against American invasion in the War of 1812. A British force under Major General Isaac Brock and Canadian militia, and Native Indian allies under the Shawnee leader Tecumseh were able to convince the poorly supplied, demoralised Americans to surrender early in the siege by giving the impression that they had several times more men then they actually had. Brock and Tecumseh are looked on as heroes of Canada for their victory.
The American commander, General Hull was tried by court martial and was sentenced to death for his conduct at Detroit, but the sentence was commuted by President Madison to dismissal from the Army, in recognition of his honourable service in the American Revolution.


In 1858, a telegraphed message from Britain's Queen Victoria to President James Buchanan was transmitted over the recently laid trans-Atlantic cable.

In 1920, Ray Chapman of the Cleveland Indians was struck in the head by a pitch thrown by Carl Mays of the New York Yankees; Chapman died the following morning.

In 1948, baseball legend Babe Ruth died in New York at age 53.

In 1954, Sports Illustrated was first published by Time Inc.

In 1956, Adlai E. Stevenson was nominated for president at the Democratic national convention in Chicago.

In 1977, Elvis Presley died at his Graceland estate in Memphis, Tenn., at age 42.

In 1987, 156 people were killed when Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashed while trying to take off from Detroit.

In 1991, Pope John Paul II began the first-ever papal visit to Hungary.

Ten years ago: Paul Burrell, trusted butler of Princess Diana for many years, was charged with the theft of hundreds of royal family items, a charge he denied. (The case collapsed when Queen Elizabeth II told prosecutors that Burrell had told her he was holding some of Diana's things for safekeeping. )

Five years ago: John Mark Karr was arrested in Thailand as a suspect in the slaying of child beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey. (Karr's confession that he had killed JonBenet was later discredited.) New York City officials released new tapes of hundreds of heart-wrenching phone calls from the World Trade Center on 9/11, along with other emergency transcripts. Alfredo Stroessner, the anti-communist general who'd ruled Paraguay for decades, died in Brasilia, Brazil, at age 93.

One year ago: A Boeing 737 jetliner filled with vacationers crashed in a thunderstorm and broke apart as it slid onto the runway on Colombia's San Andres Island; all but two of the 131 people on board survived. China eclipsed Japan as the world's second biggest economy after three decades of blistering growth. Bobby Thomson, whose 1951 "Shot Heard 'Round the World" clinched the National League pennant for the New York Giants, died in Savannah, Ga., at age 86.

Today's Birthdays: Actress Ann Blyth is 83. Sportscaster Frank Gifford is 81. Singer Eydie Gorme (born Edith Gormezano) is 80. Actor Gary Clarke is 78. Actress/Dancer/Singer Julie Newmar (born Julia Chalene Newmeyer) is 78. Actor John Standing is 77. College Football Hall of Famer and NFL player Bill Glass is 76. Actress/Singer Anita Gillette (born Anita Luebben) is 75. Actress Carole Shelley is 72. Country singer Billy Joe Shaver is 72. Movie director Bruce Beresford is 71. Rhythm-and-blues singer Robert "Squirrel" Lester ("The Chi-Lites") is 69. Actor Bob Balaban is 66. Ballerina Suzanne Farrell is 66. Actress Lesley Ann Warren is 65. Rock singer-musician Joey Spampinato (NRBQ) is 61. Actor Reginald VelJohnson is 59. TV personality Kathie Lee Gifford is 58. Rhythm-and-blues singer J.T. Taylor (former lead singer of "Kool & the Gang") is 58. Movie Director/Producer/Screenwriter/Film Editor James Cameron is 57. Actor Jeff Perry is 56. Rock Guitarist Tim Farriss ("INXS") is 54. Actress Laura Innes is 54. Singer/Dancer/Actress Madonna (born Madonna Louise Ciccone) is 53. Actress Angela Bassett is 53. Actor Timothy Hutton is 51. Actor Steve Carell is 49. Former tennis player Jimmy Arias is 47. Actor-singer Donovan Leitch is 44. Actor Andy Milder (TV's "Weeds") is 43. Actor Seth Peterson is 41. Country singer Emily Robison ("The Dixie Chicks") is 39. Actor George Stults is 36. Singer Vanessa Carlton is 31. Actor Cam Gigandet is 29. Actress Agnes Bruckner is 26. Actor Shawn Pyfrom is 25. Country singer Ashton Shepherd is 25. Actor Kevin G. Schmidt is 23. Actress Rumer Willis is 23. Singer-pianist Greyson Chance is 14.

Thought for Today: "Genius is the ability to act rightly without precedent — the power to do the right thing the first time." — Elbert Hubbard, American writer (1856-1915).
 
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Today In History
Associated Press – August 17, 2011, 12:00 am US


Today is Wednesday, Aug. 17, the 229th day of 2011. There are 136 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Aug. 17, 1807, Robert Fulton's North River Steamboat began heading up the Hudson River on its successful round trip between New York and Albany. (Contrary to popular belief, the vessel was not called the "Clermont.")

On this date:

In 1863, Federal batteries and ships began bombarding Fort Sumter in Charleston harbor during the Civil War, but the Confederates managed to hold on despite several days of pounding.

In 1915, a mob in Cobb County, Ga., lynched Jewish businessman Leo Frank, whose death sentence for the murder of 13-year-old Mary Phagan had been commuted to life imprisonment. (Frank, who'd maintained his innocence, was pardoned by the state of Georgia in 1986.)

In 1942, during World War II, U.S. 8th Air Force bombers attacked Rouen, France.

In 1943, the Allied conquest of Sicily was completed as U.S. and British forces entered Messina.

In 1960, the newly renamed Beatles (formerly the Silver Beetles) began their first gig in Hamburg, West Germany, at the Indra Club. The West African country of Gabon became independent of France.

In 1961, the United States and 19 Latin American countries signed the Charter of Punta del Este in Uruguay, creating the Alliance for Progress aimed at promoting economic growth and social justice.

In 1969, Hurricane Camille slammed into the Mississippi coast as a Category 5 storm that was blamed for 256 U.S. deaths, three in Cuba.

In 1978, the first successful trans-Atlantic balloon flight ended as Maxie Anderson, Ben Abruzzo and Larry Newman landed their Double Eagle II outside Paris.

In 1985, more than 1,400 meatpackers walked off the job at the Geo. A. Hormel and Co.'s main plant in Austin, Minn., in a bitter strike that lasted just over a year.

In 1987, Rudolf Hess, the last member of Adolf Hitler's inner circle, died at Spandau Prison at age 93, an apparent suicide.

Ten years ago: Millionaire Steve Fossett's fifth attempt to fly solo around the world ended in Brazil after his helium balloon ran into bad weather.

Five years ago: In a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union, a federal judge in Detroit ruled that President George W. Bush's warrantless surveillance program was unconstitutional. (A divided federal appeals court threw out the lawsuit in July 2007, and the U.S. Supreme Court later let the appeals court decision stand.) President Bush signed new rules to prod companies into shoring up their pension plans. Jordan became the first Arab state to send a fully accredited ambassador to Iraq.

One year ago: A mistrial was declared on 23 corruption charges against ousted Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (blah-GOY'-uh-vich), who was accused of trying to sell President Barack Obama's old Senate seat; the jury convicted him on one charge, that of lying to the FBI. (Blagojevich was convicted of 17 counts of corruption in a retrial; a sentencing hearing is scheduled for Oct. 2011.) A suicide bomber in Iraq detonated nail-packed explosives strapped to his body, killing 61 people, many of them army recruits.

Today's Birthdays: Actress Maureen O'Hara is 91. Former Chinese president Jiang Zemin is 85. Author V.S. Naipaul (full name Vidiadhar Surajprasad Naipaul) is 79. Former MLB All-Star Boog Powell (real name John Wesley Powell) is 70. Actor Robert DeNiro is 68. Movie director Martha Coolidge is 65. Rock Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist Gary Talley ("The Box Tops") 64. Rock musician Sib Hashian is 62. Actor Robert Joy is 60. International Tennis Hall of Famer Guillermo Vilas is 59. Rock Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist Kevin Rowland ("Dexy's Midnight Runners") is 58. Rock Singer/Songwriter/Bassist Colin Moulding ("XTC") is 56. Country singer-songwriter Kevin Welch is 56. Olympic gold medal figure skater Robin Cousins is 54. Singer/Songwriter Belinda Carlisle is 53. Author Jonathan Franzen is 52. Actor Sean Penn is 51. Jazz Saxophonist Everette Harp is 50. Rock Guitarist Gilby Clarke is 49. Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist Maria McKee ("Lone Justice") is 47. Rock Drummer Steve Gorman ("The Black Crowes") is 46. Rock Singer/Bassist Jill Cunniff ("Luscious Jackson") is 45. Actor David Conrad is 44. Singer/Actor Donnie Wahlberg is 42. Former NBA player Christian Laettner is 42. Rapper Posdnuos (real name Kelvin Mercer)("De La Soul") is 42. International Tennis Hall of Famer Jim Courier is 41. MLB player Jorge Posada is 40. Actor Mark Salling (TV's "Glee") is 29. Actor Bryton James is 25. Actor Brady Corbet is 23.

Thought for Today: "It is not love that is blind, but jealousy." — Lawrence Durrell, British-born author (1912-1990).
 
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Today In History
Associated Press – August 18, 2011, 12:00 am US


Today is Thursday, Aug. 18, the 230th day of 2011. There are 135 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Aug. 18, 1920, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, which guaranteed the right of all American women to vote, was ratified as Tennessee became the 36th state to approve it.

On this date:

In 1587, Virginia Dare became the first child of English parents to be born on American soil, on what is now Roanoke Island in North Carolina. (However, the Roanoke colony ended up mysteriously disappearing.)

In 1838, the first marine expedition sponsored by the U.S. government set sail from Hampton Roads, Va.; the crews traveled the southern Pacific Ocean, gathering scientific information.

In 1846, U.S. forces led by General Stephen W. Kearny captured Santa Fe, N.M.

In 1938, President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Canadian Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King dedicated the Thousand Islands Bridge connecting the United States and Canada.

In 1958, the novel "Lolita" by Vladimir Nabokov was first published in New York by G.P. Putnam's Sons, almost three years after it was originally published in Paris.

In 1961, federal appeals court Judge Learned Hand, 89, died in New York.

In 1963, James Meredith became the first black student to graduate from the University of Mississippi.

In 1969, the Woodstock Music and Art Fair in Bethel, N.Y., wound to a close after three nights with a mid-morning set by Jimi Hendrix.

In 1981, author and screenwriter Anita Loos ("Gentlemen Prefer Blondes") died in New York at age 93.

In 1983, Hurricane Alicia slammed into the Texas coast, leaving 21 dead and causing more than a billion dollars' worth of damage.

Ten years ago: Fire broke out at a budget hotel outside Manila, killing 75 people.

Five years ago: President George W. Bush criticized a federal court ruling the day before that his warrantless wiretapping program was unconstitutional, declaring that opponents "do not understand the nature of the world in which we live." Financially struggling Ford Motor Co. said it would temporarily halt production at ten assembly plants.

One year ago: General Motors filed the first batch of paperwork to sell stock to the public again, a significant step to shed U.S. government ownership a year after the automaker had filed for bankruptcy. A bull leapt into the packed grandstands of a bullring in northern Spain and ran amok, charging and trampling spectators and leaving dozens of people injured.

Today's Birthdays: Former first lady Rosalynn Carter is 84. Academy Award-winning director Roman Polanski is 78. Attorney and author Vincent Bugliosi is 77. Olympic gold medal decathlete Rafer Johnson is 76. Actor-director Robert Redford is 75. Actor Christopher Jones is 70. Actor Henry G. Sanders is 69. Rhythm-and-blues singer Sarah Dash ("LaBelle") is 68. Actor-comedian Martin Mull is 68. Rock Drummer/Sculptor Dennis Elliott (formerly of "Foreigner") is 61. Comedian Elayne Boosler is 59. Country singer Steve Wilkinson ("The Wilkinsons") is 56. Actor Denis Leary is 54. Actress Madeleine Stowe is 53. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner is 50. ABC News reporter Bob Woodruff is 50. The president of Mexico, Felipe Calderon, is 49. Bluegrass Fiddler Jimmy Mattingly is 49. Actor Adam Storke is 49. Actor Craig Bierko is 47. Rock Singer/Guitarist Zac Maloy ("The Nixons") is 43. Rock singer and hip-hop artist Everlast (real name Erik Schrody) is 42. Rapper Masta Killa (real name Elgin Turner)("Wu-Tang Clan") is 42. Actor Christian Slater is 42. Actor Edward Norton is 42. Actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner is 41. Actress Kaitlin Olson is 36. Actor-writer-director Hadjii is 35. Rock Bassist Dirk Lance (real name George Alex Katunich)(formerly of "Incubus") is 35. Actor-comedian Andy Samberg (TV's "Saturday Night Live") is 33. Actress Mika Boorem is 24. Actress Parker McKenna Posey is 16.

Thought for Today: "Memory is more indelible than ink." — Anita Loos (1888-1981).
 
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Today In History
Associated Press – August 19, 2011, 12:00 am US


Today is Friday, Aug. 19, the 231st day of 2011. There are 134 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Aug. 19, 1991, Soviet hard-liners made the stunning announcement that President Mikhail S. Gorbachev had been removed from power. (The coup attempt collapsed two days later with Gorbachev temporarily restored as leader until the dissolution of the Soviet Union in Dec. 1991.)

On this date:

In 1812, the USS Constitution defeated the British frigate Guerriere off Nova Scotia during the War of 1812.

In 1909, the first automobile races were run at the just-opened Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

In 1934, a plebiscite in Germany approved the vesting of sole executive power in Adolf Hitler.

In 1936, the first of a series of show trials orchestrated by Soviet leader Josef Stalin began in Moscow as 16 defendants faced charges of conspiring against the government (all were convicted and executed).

In 1942, during World War II, about 6,000 Canadian and British soldiers launched a disastrous raid against the Germans at Dieppe, France, suffering more than 50-percent casualties.

In 1951, the owner of the St. Louis Browns, Bill Veeck (vehk), sent in Eddie Gaedel, a 3-foot-7 midget, to pinch-hit in a game against Detroit. (In his only major league at-bat, Gaedel walked on four pitches and was replaced at first base by a pinch-runner.)

In 1960, a tribunal in Moscow convicted American U2 pilot Francis Gary Powers of espionage. (Although sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment, Powers was returned to the United States in 1962 as part of a prisoner exchange.)

In 1976, President Gerald R. Ford won the Republican presidential nomination at the party's convention in Kansas City.

In 1980, 301 people aboard a Saudi Arabian L-1011 died as the jetliner made a fiery emergency return to the Riyadh airport.

In 1991, rioting erupted in the Brooklyn, N.Y., Crown Heights neighborhood after a black 7-year-old, Gavin Cato, was struck and killed by a Jewish driver from the ultra-Orthodox Lubavitch community; three hours later, a gang of blacks fatally stabbed Yankel Rosenbaum, a rabinnical student.

Ten years ago: An underground methane and coal dust explosion in Ukraine killed 55 miners. Donald Woods, a veteran South African newspaper editor and apartheid opponent, died in Sutton, England, at age 67. Soul singer Betty Everett died in Beloit, Wis., at age 61. Davis Toms won the PGA Championship in Duluth, Ga., with a 1-under-par 69.

Five years ago: Israeli commandos raided a Hezbollah stronghold deep in Lebanon. (Israel said the raid was launched to stop arms smuggling from Iran and Syria to the militant Shiite fighters; Lebanon called the operation a "flagrant violation" of a U.N. truce.)

One year ago: The last American combat brigade exited Iraq, seven years and five months after the U.S.-led invasion began. A federal grand jury in Washington indicted seven-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens for allegedly lying to Congress about steroid use. (However, Clemens' trial this year ended early with the judge declaring a mistrial.)

Today's Birthdays: Actor L.Q. Jones (born Justus Ellis McQueen, he adopted the named L.Q. Jones from the character he played in the film "Battle Cry") is 84. Actress Debra Paget (born Debralee Griffin) is 78. USTA Eastern Tennis Hall of Famer Renee Richards is 77. Former MLB All-Star Bobby Richardson is 76. Actress Diana Muldaur is 73. Rock Drummer Ginger Baker (real name Peter Edward Baker)("Cream", "Blind Faith") is 72. Singer/Songwriter Johnny Nash (born John Lester Nash, Jr.) is 71. Actress Jill St. John (born Jill Arlyn Oppenheim) is 71. Actor and former U.S. senator Fred Thompson is 69. Singer Billy J. Kramer is 68. Country singer-songwriter Eddy Raven is 67. Rock singer Ian Gillan ("Deep Purple") is 66. Former President Bill Clinton is 65. Tipper Gore, wife of former Vice President Al Gore, is 63. Actor Gerald McRaney is 63. Rock Bassist John Deacon ("Queen") is 60. Actor-director Jonathan Frakes is 59. Political consultant Mary Matalin is 58. Actor Peter Gallagher is 56. Actor Adam Arkin is 55. Singer-songwriter Gary Chapman is 54. Actor Martin Donovan is 54. Pro Football Hall-of-Famer Anthony Munoz is 53. Rhythm-and-blues singer Ivan Neville is 52. Actor Eric Lutes is 49. Actor John Stamos is 48. Actress Kyra Sedgwick is 46. Actor Kevin Dillon is 46. Country singer Lee Ann Womack is 45. TV reporter Tabitha Soren is 44. Country Singer/Songwriter/Guiarist/Pianist Mark McGuinn is 43. Actor Matthew Perry is 42. Country singer Clay Walker is 42. Rapper Fat Joe (real name Joseph Cartagena) is 41. Olympic gold medal tennis player Mary Joe Fernandez is 40. Actress Tracie Thoms is 36. Country singer Rissi Palmer is 30. Actress Erika Christensen is 29. Pop singer Missy Higgins (born Melissa Morrison Higgins) is 28. Country singer Karli Osborn is 27. Olympic silver medal snowboarder Lindsey Jacobellis is 26. Actor J. Evan Bonifant is 26. Rapper Romeo (formerly Lil Romeo, born Percy Romeo Miller III) is 22.

Thought for Today: "Cheer up! The worst is yet to come!" — Philander Chase Johnson, American author (1866-1939).
 
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Today In History
Associated Press – August 20, 2011, 12:00 am US


Today is Saturday, Aug. 20, the 232nd day of 2011. There are 133 days left in the year.

Today's Highlights in History:

On Aug. 20, 1911, The New York Times sent a message around the world by regular commercial cable to see how long it would take; the dispatch, which said simply, "Times, New York: This message sent around world. Times," was filed at 7 p.m. and returned to its point of origin 161⁄2 minutes later.

On this date:

In 1833, Benjamin Harrison, 23rd president of the United States, was born in North Bend, Ohio.

In 1866, President Andrew Johnson formally declared the Civil War over, months after fighting had stopped.

In 1882, Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture" had its premiere in Moscow.

In 1910, a series of forest fires swept through parts of Idaho, Montana and Washington, killing at least 85 people and burning some 3 million acres.

In 1920, pioneering American radio station 8MK in Detroit (later WWJ) began daily broadcasting.

In 1940, during World War II, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill paid tribute to the Royal Air Force before the House of Commons, saying, "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few."

In 1955, hundreds of people were killed in anti-French rioting in Morocco and Algeria.

In 1968, the Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact nations began invading Czechoslovakia to crush the "Prague Spring" liberalization drive.

In 1977, the U.S. launched Voyager 2, an unmanned spacecraft carrying a 12-inch copper phonograph record containing greetings in dozens of languages, samples of music and sounds of nature.

In 1981, Michael Devine, a member of the Irish National Liberation Army, died after a 60-day hunger strike at the Maze Prison in Northern Ireland; he was the tenth and last hunger-striker to die that year.

Ten years ago: Nikolay Soltys (NIK'-oh-ly SOHL'-tihs), a 27-year-old Ukrainian immigrant in Sacramento, Calif., fled after killing his wife and five other relatives. (Soltys was later captured, but ended up committing suicide in his jail cell.) Sir Fred Hoyle, the astronomer who coined the term "Big Bang" but never accepted that theory for the origin of the universe, died in Bournemouth, England, at age 86. Actress Kim Stanley died in Santa Fe, N.M., at age 76.

Five years ago: John Mark Karr, the suspect in the death of 6-year-old JonBenet Ramsey, sipped champagne and dined on fried king prawns in business class of Thai Airways as he was flown to the U.S. (Although he'd implicated himself in JonBenet's slaying, Karr was later cleared.) Former Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal, who'd taken the iconic Iwo Jima flag-raising picture during World War II, died in Novato, Calif., at age 94. Tiger Woods won the PGA Championship, closing with a 4-under 68 for a 5-shot victory over Shaun Micheel and his 12th career major.

One year ago: President Barack Obama invited Israel and the Palestinians to meet face-to-face in Washington for talks aimed at achieving a historic agreement to establish an independent Palestinian state and secure peace for Israel.

Today's Birthdays: Writer-producer-director Walter Bernstein is 92. U.S. special envoy George Mitchell is 78. U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, is 76. Former MLB All-Star Graig Nettles is 67. Broadcast journalist Connie Chung is 65. Rock Trombonist Jimmy Pankow ("Chicago") is 64. Actor John Noble is 63. Rock singer Robert Plant ("Led Zeppelin") is 63. Country singer Rudy Gatlin is 59. Singer-songwriter John Hiatt is 59. Actor-director Peter Horton is 58. TV weatherman Al Roker is 57. Actor Jay Acovone is 56. Actress Joan Allen is 55. TV personality Asha Blake is 50. Actor James Marsters is 49. Rapper KRS-One (born Lawrence Parker) is 46. Actor Colin Cunningham is 45. Rock singer Fred Durst ("Limp Bizkit") is 41. Rock Guitarist Brad Avery is 40. Stunt Coordinator/Actor Jonathan Ke Quan (played 'Short Round' in "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom") is 40. Rock singer Monique Powell ("Save Ferris") is 36. Actor Ben Barnes is 30. Actor Andrew Garfield is 28. Actress Demi Lovato is 19.

Thought for Today: "Justice is conscience, not a personal conscience but the conscience of the whole of humanity." — Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Russian author (1918-2008).
 
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Today In History
Associated Press – August 21, 2011, 12:00 am US


Today is Sunday, Aug. 21, the 233rd day of 2011. There are 132 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Aug. 21, 1911, Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa" was stolen from the Louvre Museum in Paris. (The thief turned out to be museum employee Vincenzo Peruggia, who took the painting to Italy, where it was found two years later.)

On this date:

In 1609, Galileo Galilei demonstrated his new telescope to a group of officials atop the Campanile (kam-pah-NEE'-lee) in Venice.

In 1831, Nat Turner led a violent slave rebellion in Virginia resulting in the deaths of at least 55 white people. (He was later executed.)

In 1858, the first of seven debates between Illinois senatorial contenders Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas took place.

In 1878, the American Bar Association was founded in Saratoga, N.Y.

In 1940, exiled Communist revolutionary Leon Trotsky died in a Mexican hospital from wounds inflicted by an assassin the day before.

In 1959, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed an executive order making Hawaii the 50th state.

In 1961, country singer Patsy Cline recorded the Willie Nelson song "Crazy" in Nashville for Decca Records. (The recording was released in Oct. 1961.)

In 1983, Philippine opposition leader Benigno S. Aquino Jr., ending a self-imposed exile in the United States, was shot dead moments after stepping off a plane at Manila International Airport.

In 1986, more than 1,700 people died when toxic gas erupted from a volcanic lake in the West African nation of Cameroon.

In 1991, the hard-line coup against Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev collapsed in the face of a popular uprising led by Russian federation President Boris N. Yeltsin.

Ten years ago: Robert Tools, the first person to receive a self-contained artificial heart, was introduced to the public at Jewish Hospital in Louisville, Ky., through a video link from his doctor's office. Federal authorities working with McDonald's announced they'd broken up a criminal ring that had rigged the fast-food chain's popular "Monopoly" and "Who Wants To Be a Millionaire" games.

Five years ago: A defiant Saddam Hussein refused to enter a plea on genocide charges and dismissed the court as illegitimate as his second trial began. British prosecutors announced that 11 people had been charged in an alleged plot to blow up trans-Atlantic jetliners bound for the U.S. (Nine British Muslims were later convicted in connection with the plot.) A train crash on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt, killed at least 58 people. A bomb blast tore through a Moscow market, killing at least 14 people.

One year ago: Iranian and Russian engineers began loading fuel into Iran's first nuclear power plant, which Moscow promised to safeguard to prevent material at the site from being used in any potential weapons production. A Vincent van Gogh painting, "Poppy Flowers," was stolen in broad daylight from Cairo's Mahmoud Khalil Museum. (Although Egyptian authorities initially said they'd recovered the painting the same day at the Cairo airport, that report turned out to be erroneous.) Emmy-winning CBS News correspondent Harold Dow died at age 62.

Today's Birthdays: Former football player Pete Retzlaff is 80. Actor-director Melvin Van Peebles is 79. Playwright Mart Crowley ("The Boys in the Band") is 76. Singer Kenny Rogers is 73. Actor Clarence Williams III is 72. Rock-and-roll Guitarist James Burton is 72. Singer Harold Reid ("The Statler Brothers") is 72. Singer/Songwriter Jackie DeShannon is 70. Football Hall of Famer Willie Lanier is 66. Actress Patty McCormack is 66. Pop Singer/Guitarist Carl Giammarese is 64. Actress Loretta Devine is 62. NBC newsman Harry Smith is 60. Singer Glenn Hughes is 59. Country Guitarist Nick Kane is 57. Actress Kim Cattrall is 55. College Football Hall of Famer and former NFL quarterback Jim McMahon is 52. Actress Cleo King is 49. MLB All-Star pitcher John Wetteland is 45. Rock singer Serj Tankian ("System of a Down") is 44. Actress Carrie-Anne Moss is 41. MLB player Craig Counsell is 41. Rock Singer/Guitarist/Keyboardist/Bassist/Drummer/Turntablist Liam Howlett (born Gareth Paris Howlett)("Prodigy") is 40. Actress Alicia Witt is 36. Singer/Songwriter Kelis (born Kelis Rogers is 32. TV personality Brody Jenner is 28. Singer Melissa Schuman is 27. Olympic gold medal sprinter Usain Bolt is 25. Actor Cody Kasch is 24. Actress Hayden Panettiere is 22. Actor RJ Mitte (born Roy Frank Mitte III)(TV's "Breaking Bad") is 19.

Thought for Today: "I don't measure America by its achievement but by its potential." — Shirley Chisholm, American lawmaker and educator (1924-2005).
 
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Today In History
Associated Press – August 22, 2011, 12:00 am US


Today is Monday, Aug. 22nd, the 234th day of 2011. There are 131 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Aug. 22, 1851, the schooner America outraced more than a dozen British vessels off the English coast to win a trophy that came to be known as the America's Cup.

On this date:

In 1485, England's King Richard III was killed in the Battle of Bosworth Field, effectively ending the War of the Roses.

In 1787, inventor John Fitch demonstrated his steamboat on the Delaware River to delegates from the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia.

In 1846, Gen. Stephen W. Kearny proclaimed all of New Mexico a territory of the United States.

In 1922, Irish revolutionary Michael Collins was shot to death, apparently by Irish Republican Army members opposed to the Anglo-Irish Treaty that Collins had co-signed.

In 1932, the British Broadcasting Corp. conducted its first experimental television broadcast using a 30-line mechanical system.

In 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Vice President Richard Nixon were nominated for second terms in office by the Republican national convention in San Francisco.

In 1968, Pope Paul VI arrived in Bogota, Colombia, for the start of the first papal visit to South America.

In 1978, President Jomo Kenyatta, a leading figure in Kenya's struggle for independence, died; Vice President Daniel arap Moi was sworn in as acting president.

In 1986, Kerr-McGee Corp. agreed to pay the estate of the late Karen Silkwood $1.38 million, settling a 10-year-old nuclear contamination lawsuit.

In 1989, Black Panthers co-founder Huey P. Newton was shot to death in Oakland, Calif. (Gunman Tyrone Robinson was later sentenced to 32 years to life in prison.)

Ten years ago: Sen. Jesse Helms, R-N.C., announced he would not seek re-election the following year. Space shuttle Discovery glided to a landing, bringing home three spacefarers who had spent nearly six months aboard the international space station.

Five years ago: A Russian Pulkovo Airlines jet carrying 170 people crashed in eastern Ukraine, killing all aboard. Paramount Pictures severed its ties to actor Tom Cruise after 14 years, citing what it called unacceptable conduct.

One year ago: Chilean President Sebastian Pinera confirmed that all the miners trapped deep underground for 17 days were still alive after a probe came back with a handwritten note, "All 33 of us are fine in the shelter." (The miners were rescued the following October.) A proposed mosque near ground zero drew hundreds of fever-pitch demonstrators, with opponents carrying signs associating Islam with blood and supporters shouting, "Say no to racist fear!" Arjun Atwal captured the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, N.C., by one stroke to become India's first PGA Tour winner.

Today's Birthdays: Acclaimed Sci-Fi Author Ray Bradbury is 91. Pioneering Heart surgeon Dr. Denton Cooley (Performed the first successful heart transplant in the United States) is 91. Retired Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf is 77. Broadcast journalist Morton Dean is 76. Author Annie Proulx is 76. Baseball Hall-of-Famer Carl Yastrzemski is 72. Actress Valerie Harper is 72. Football coach Bill Parcells is 70. CBS newsman Steve Kroft is 66. Actress Cindy Williams is 64. Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist David Marks is 63. International Swimming Hall of Famer Diana Nyad is 62. Baseball Hall of Famer Paul Molitor is 55. Country Singer Holly Dunn is 54. Rock Guitarist Vernon Reid is 53. Country Singer Ricky Lynn Gregg is 52. Country Singer Collin Raye is 51. Actress Regina Taylor is 51. Rock Singer Roland Orzabal ("Tears For Fears") is 50. Rock Singer/Drummer Debbi Peterson ("The Bangles") is 50. Rock Guitarist Gary Lee Conner ("Screaming Trees") is 49. Singer/Songwriter/Keyboardist Tori (born Myra Ellen Amos) is 48. Country Singer Mila Mason is 48. Rhythm-and-blues Singer/Keyboardist James DeBarge is 48. International Tennis Hall of Famer Mats Wilander is 47. Rapper GZA/The Genius (real name Gary Grice) is 45. Actor Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje is 44. Actor Ty Burrell is 44. Actor Rick Yune is 40. Rock Guitarist/Drummer Paul Doucette ("Matchbox Twenty") is 39. Rap-Reggae Singer Beenie Man (born Anthony Moses Davis) is 38. Singer Howie Dorough ("Backstreet Boys") is 38. Comedian-actress Kristen Wiig is 38. Actress Jenna Leigh Green is 37. Rock Singer/Keyboardist/Percussionist Bo Koster ("My Morning Jacket") is 37. Rock Bassist Dean Back ("Theory of a Deadman") is 36. Rock Guitarist Jeff Stinco (real name Jean-François Stinco)("Simple Plan") is 33. Actor Brandon Adams is 32. Actress Aya Sumika (TV's "Numb3rs") is 31.

Thought for Today: "There are mighty few people who think what they think they think." — Robert Henri, American artist (1865-1929).
 
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/history

Today In History
Associated Press – August 23, 2011, 12:00 am US


Today is Tuesday, Aug. 23, the 235th day of 2011. There are 130 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Aug. 23, 1775, Britain's King George III proclaimed the American colonies to be in a state of "open and avowed rebellion."

On this date:

In 1305, Scottish rebel leader Sir William Wallace was executed by the English for treason.

In 1754, France's King Louis XVI was born at Versailles (vehr-SY').

In 1914, Japan declared war against Germany in World War I.

In 1926, silent film star Rudolph Valentino died in New York at age 31.

In 1927, amid protests, Italian-born anarchists Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were executed in Boston for the murders of two men during a 1920 robbery.

In 1939, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union agreed to a non-aggression treaty, the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, in Moscow.

In 1944, Romanian prime minister Ion Antonescu was dismissed by King Michael, paving the way for Romania to abandon the Axis in favor of the Allies.

In 1960, Broadway librettist Oscar Hammerstein (HAM'-ur-STYN') II, 65, died in Doylestown, Pa.

In 1973, a bank robbery-turned-hostage-taking began in Stockholm, Sweden; the four hostages ended up empathizing with their captors, a psychological condition now referred to as "Stockholm Syndrome."

In 1989, in a case that inflamed racial tensions in New York, Yusuf Hawkins, a 16-year-old black youth, was shot dead after he and his friends were confronted by a group of white youths in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn.

Ten years ago: Rep. Gary Condit, D-Calif., interviewed by Connie Chung on ABC, denied any involvement in the disappearance of Washington intern Chandra Levy. (Ingmar Guandique, an illegal immigrant from El Salvador, was convicted in Nov. 2010 of murdering Levy, and was sentenced to 60 years in prison.) Thierry Devaux, a Frenchman using a motor-driven parachute, was rescued and arrested after becoming snagged on the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor. NATO soldiers streamed into Macedonia as part of a mission to help end six months of ethnic hostilities by collecting and destroying rebel weapons.

Five years ago: A previously unknown militant group released the first video of two Fox News journalists who'd been kidnapped in Gaza. (Reporter Steve Centanni and cameraman Olaf Wiig were later freed.) The Citadel released the results of a survey in which almost 20 percent of female cadets reported being sexually assaulted since enrolling at the South Carolina military college. Jazz trumpeter Maynard Ferguson died in Ventura, Calif., at age 78.

One year ago: A dismissed policeman armed with an automatic rifle seized a bus in the Philippine capital with 25 people on board, mostly Hong Kong tourists; the gunman released nine of the hostages and demanded his job back to free the rest. (The hijacking lasted 11 hours before the gunman opened fire on his hostages; a Manila SWAT team then killed the hostage-taker, but not before eight tourists also died.) A jury in Goldsboro, N.C., convicted former Marine Cesar Laurean of first-degree murder in the death of a pregnant colleague, Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach. (Laurean was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.) Tiger Woods and his wife, Elin Nordegren, officially divorced.

Today's Birthdays: Actress Vera Miles is 81. Political satirist Mark Russell is 79. Actress Barbara Eden is 77. Pro Football Hall of Famer Sonny Jurgensen is 77. Actor Richard Sanders is 71. Ballet dancer Patricia McBride is 69. Former Surgeon General Antonia Novello is 67. Pro Football Hall of Famer Rayfield Wright is 66. Country singer Rex Allen Jr. is 64. Singer Linda Thompson is 64. Actress Shelley Long is 62. Actor/Singer/Guitarist/Keyboardist Rick Springfield (born Richard Lewis Springthorpe) is 62. Country Singer/Fiddler Woody Paul (real name Paul Chrisman)("Riders in the Sky") is 62. Queen Noor of Jordan (born Lisa Najeeb Halaby) is 60. Actor-producer Mark Hudson is 60. MLB All-Star pitcher Mike Boddicker is 54. Rock Guitarist Dean DeLeo ("Army of Anyone"; "Stone Temple Pilots") is 50. Tejano singer Emilio Navaira (nah-VY'-rah) is 49. Country Bassist Ira Dean ("Trick Pony") is 42. Actor Jay Mohr is 41. Actor Ray Park is 37. Actor Scott Caan is 35. Country singer Shelly Fairchild is 34. Figure skater Nicole Bobek is 34. Rock singer Julian Casablancas ("The Strokes") is 33. NBA player Kobe Bryant is 33. Actress Kimberly Matula is 23.

Thought for Today: "All life is a concatenation of ephemeralities." — Alfred E. Kahn, American economist (1917-2010).
 
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/history

Today In History
Associated Press – August 25, 2011, 12:01 am US


On Aug. 25, 1944, Paris was liberated by Allied forces after four years of Nazi occupation.

On this date:

In 1718, hundreds of French colonists arrived in Louisiana, with some settling in present-day New Orleans.

In 1825, Uruguay declared independence from Brazil.

In 1916, the National Park Service was established within the Department of the Interior.

In 1921, the United States signed a peace treaty with Germany.

In 1943, U.S. forces liberated New Georgia in the Solomon Islands from the Japanese during World War II.

In 1958, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a measure providing pensions for former U.S. presidents and their widows.

In 1960, opening ceremonies were held for the Summer Olympics in Rome.

In 1981, the U.S. spacecraft Voyager 2 came within 63,000 miles of Saturn's cloud cover, sending back pictures of and data about the ringed planet.

In 1985, Samantha Smith, 13, the schoolgirl whose letter to Yuri V. Andropov resulted in her famous peace tour of the Soviet Union, died with her father in an airliner crash in Auburn, Maine.

In 2009, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy died at age 77 in Hyannis Port, Mass.

Ten years ago: Mette-Marit Tjessem Hoiby (meh-tay mar-it shes-em hoy-bee), a single mother and former waitress, married Norway's Crown Prince Haakon (hoh-uh-kahn) in Oslo. Rhythm-and-blues singer Aaliyah (ah-LEE'-yah) was killed with eight others in a plane crash in the Bahamas; she was 22.

Five years ago: A college student's checked luggage on a Continental Airlines flight that had arrived in Houston from Buenos Aires, Argentina, was found to contain a stick of dynamite, one of six security incidents that day that caused U.S. flights to be diverted, evacuated or searched. Joseph Stefano, who wrote the screenplay for Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho," died in Thousand Oaks, Calif., at age 84.

One year ago: North Korea welcomed Jimmy Carter back to Pyongyang as the former U.S. president arrived to bring home Aijalon Mahli Gomes (EYE'-jah-lahn MAH'-lee gohms), an American jailed in the communist country since Jan. 2010 for entering the country illegally from China.

Today's Birthdays: Game show host Monty Hall is 90. Actor Sean Connery (born Thomas Sean Connery) is 81. Actor Page Johnson is 81. Talk Show/Game Show Host Regis Philbin is 80. Actor Tom Skerritt is 78. Jazz Saxophonist/Composer Wayne Shorter is 78. Movie director Hugh Hudson is 75. Author Frederick Forsyth is 73. Actor David Canary is 73. Movie director John Badham is 72. Filmmaker Marshall Brickman is 70. R&B Singer Walter Williams ("The O'Jays") is 69. Actor Anthony Heald is 67. Rock Drummer Danny Smythe ("The Box Tops") is 63. Rock Singer/Bassist/Actor Gene Simmons ("KISS") is 62. Actor John Savage is 62. Singer/Guitarist Henry Paul ("Outlaws"; "Blackhawk") is 62. Rock singer Rob Halford (formerly of "Judas Priest") is 60. Rock Keyboardist Geoff Downes ("Asia") is 59. Rock Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist/Pianist Elvis Costello (born 'Declan Patrick MacManus") is 57. Movie director Tim Burton is 53. Actor Christian LeBlanc is 53. Actress Ally Walker is 50. Country singer Billy Ray Cyrus is 50. Actress Joanne Whalley is 50. Rock Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist Vivian Campbell ("Def Leppard") is 49. Actor Blair Underwood is 47. Actor Robert Maschio is 45. Rap DJ Terminator X (real name Norman Rogers)("Public Enemy") is 45. Alternative country singer Jeff Tweedy ("Wilco") is 44. Actor David Alan Basche is 43. Television chef Rachael Ray is 43. Actor Cameron Mathison is 42. Country singer Jo Dee Messina is 41. Model Claudia Schiffer is 41. Country singer Brice Long is 40. Actor Eric Millegan is 37. Actor Jonathan Togo is 34. Actor Kel Mitchell is 33. Actress Rachel Bilson ("The O.C.") is 30. Actress Blake Lively is 24. Actor Josh Flitter is 17.

Thought for Today: "Tradition is what you resort to when you don't have the time or the money to do it right." — Kurt Herbert Adler, Austrian-born conductor (1905-1988).
 
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/history

Today In History
Associated Press – August 26, 2011, 12:00 am US


Today is Friday, Aug. 26, the 238th day of 2011. There are 127 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Aug. 26, 1920, the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, guaranteeing American women the right to vote, was certified in effect by Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby.

On this date:

In 55 B.C., Roman forces under Julius Caesar invaded Britain, with only limited success.

In 1883, the island volcano Krakatoa began cataclysmic eruptions, leading to a massive explosion the following day.

In 1910, Thomas Edison demonstrated for reporters an improved version of his Kinetophone, a device for showing a movie with synchronized sound.

In 1936, the Anglo-Egyptian Treaty, calling for most British troops to leave Egypt, was signed in Montreux, Switzerland (it was abrogated by Egypt in 1951).

In 1958, Alaskans went to the polls to overwhelmingly vote in favor of statehood.

In 1961, the original Hockey Hall of Fame was opened in Toronto.

In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson was nominated for a term of office in his own right at the Democratic national convention in Atlantic City, N.J.

In 1971, New Jersey Gov. William T. Cahill announced that the New York Giants football team had agreed to leave Yankee Stadium for a new sports complex to be built in East Rutherford.

In 1978, Cardinal Albino Luciani (al-BEE'-noh loo-CHYAH'-nee) of Venice was elected pope following the death of Paul VI. The new pontiff took the name Pope John Paul I. (However, he died just over a month later.)

In 1986, in the so-called "preppie murder case," 18-year-old Jennifer Levin was found strangled in New York's Central Park; Robert Chambers later pleaded guilty to manslaughter and served 15 years in prison.

Ten years ago: President George W. Bush admitted he was worried about the economy's "paltry" growth and, without making specific promises, assured steel company executives and workers at a picnic celebrating the 100th anniversary of USX Corp. that protecting domestic steel was a national security priority. The Tokyo Kitasuna beat Apopka, Fla., 2-1, to win the Little League championship in South Williamsport, Pa.

Five years ago: Iran's hard-line president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (mahk-MOOD' ah-muh-DEE'-neh-zhahd), inaugurated a heavy-water production plant, a facility the West feared would be used to develop a nuclear bomb. Chad's President Idriss Deby ordered California-based Chevron Corp. and Malaysian company Petronas to leave the country, saying neither had paid taxes. (The dispute over taxes was later resolved, with the two companies agreeing to pay $289 million.)

One year ago: The government of Chile released the first video of the 33 miners trapped deep in a copper mine; the men appeared slim but healthy as they sang the national anthem and yelled "long live Chile, and long live the miners!"

Today's Birthdays: Former Washington Post Executive Editor Benjamin C. Bradlee is 90. Actress Francine York is 75. Singer Vic Dana is 69. Rhythm-and-blues singer Valerie Simpson is 65. Pop singer Bob Cowsill is 62. Actor Brett Cullen is 55. NBA coach Stan Van Gundy is 52. Jazz Saxophonist/Composer/Bandleader Branford Marsalis is 51. Country Guitarist/Banjo Player Jimmy Olander ("Diamond Rio") is 50. Actor Chris Burke is 46. Actress-singer Shirley Manson ("Garbage") is 45. Rock Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist Dan Vickrey ("Counting Crowes") is 45. TV writer-actress Riley Weston is 45. Rock Drummer Adrian Young ("No Doubt") is 42. Actress Melissa McCarthy is 41. Latin pop singer Thalia (real name Ariadna Thalía Sodi Miranda) is 40. Rock Singer/Guitarist Tyler Connolly ("Theory of a Deadman") is 36. Actor Macaulay Culkin is 31. Actor Chris Pine is 31. Rhythm-and-blues singer Cassie Ventura is 25. Actress Keke Palmer is 18.

Thought for Today: "While we read history we make history." — George William Curtis, American author-editor (1824-1892).
 
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/history

Today In History
Associated Press – August 27, 2011, 12:00 am US


Today is Saturday, Aug. 27, the 239th day of 2011. There are 126 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Aug. 27, 1883, the island volcano Krakatoa blew up; the resulting tidal waves in Indonesia's Sunda Strait claimed some 36,000 lives in Java and Sumatra.

On this date:

In 1776, the Battle of Long Island began during the Revolutionary War as British troops attacked American forces, who ended up being forced to retreat two days later.

In 1859, Edwin L. Drake drilled the first successful oil well in the United States, at Titusville, Pa.

In 1908, Lyndon Baines Johnson, the 36th president of the United States, was born near Stonewall, Texas.

In 1928, the Kellogg-Briand Pact was signed in Paris, outlawing war and providing for the peaceful settlement of disputes.

In 1939, the first turbojet-powered aircraft, the Heinkel He 178, went on its first full-fledged test flight over Germany.

In 1949, a violent white mob prevented an outdoor concert headlined by Paul Robeson from taking place near Peekskill, N.Y. (The concert was held eight days later.)

In 1957, the USS Swordfish, the second Skate Class nuclear submarine, was launched from the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Maine.

In 1962, the United States launched the Mariner 2 space probe, which flew past Venus in Dec. 1962.

In 1979, British war hero Lord Louis Mountbatten and three other people, including his 14-year-old grandson Nicholas, were killed off the coast of Ireland in a boat explosion claimed by the Irish Republican Army.

In 1989, the first U.S. commercial satellite rocket was launched from Cape Canaveral, Fla. — a Delta booster carrying a British communications satellite, the Marcopolo 1.

Ten years ago: Israeli helicopters fired a pair of rockets through office windows and killed senior PLO leader Mustafa Zibri. Peru's Congress voted to lift the constitutional immunity of former President Alberto Fujimori, so that prosecutors could charge him with crimes against humanity. (Fujimori, who had fled to Japan, was extradited to Peru from Chile in 2007 and was later tried and convicted; he is serving a 25-year prison sentence.)

Five years ago: A Comair CRJ-100 crashed after trying to take off from the wrong runway in Lexington, Ky., killing 49 people and leaving the co-pilot the sole survivor. Two Fox News journalists, Steve Centanni and cameraman Olaf Wiig, were freed by militants nearly two weeks after being kidnapped in Gaza City. The action series "24" won Emmys for best drama series and best actor for Kiefer Sutherland; "The Office" was honored as best comedy.

One year ago: Aijalon Gomes (EYE'-jah-lahn gohms), an American held seven months in North Korea for trespassing, stepped off a plane in his hometown of Boston accompanied by former President Jimmy Carter, who had flown to Pyongyang to negotiate his freedom. Cuba issued a pair of surprising free market decrees, allowing foreign investors to lease government land for at least 99 years and loosening state controls on commerce to let citizens grow and sell their own fruits and vegetables.

Today's Birthdays: Cajun-country singer Jimmy C. Newman is 84. Author Antonia Fraser is 79. Actor Tommy Sands is 74. Bluegrass Singer/Banjo Player J.D. Crowe (born James Dee Crowe) is 74. Keyboardist Daryl Dragon (Pop duo "The Captain & Tennille") is 69. Actress Tuesday Weld (born Susan Ker Weld) is 68. Rock Singer/Bassist Tim Bogert ("Vanilla Fudge") is 67. Actress Marianne Sagebrecht is 66. Ex-porn star Harry Reems (born Herbert Streicher) is 64. Country Singer/Guitarist/Fiddler/Banjo Player Jeff Cook ("Alabama") is 62. Actor Paul Reubens (born Paul Rubenfeld)(known for his character "Pee-Wee Herman") is 59. Rock Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist Alex Lifeson (born Aleksandar Živojinović)("Rush") is 58. Actor Peter Stormare is 58. Actress Diana Scarwid is 56. Rock Bassist Glen Matlock ("The Sex Pistols") is 55. Pro golfer Bernhard Langer is 54. Country Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist Jeffrey Steele (born Jeffrey LeVasseur) is 50. Gospel singer Yolanda Adams is 49. Country Guitarist Matthew Basford ("Yankee Grey") is 49. Writer-producer Dean Devlin is 49. Rock Singer/Songwriter/Bassist Mike Johnson (former of "Snakepit") is 46. Hip Hop Percussionist Bobo (born Eric Correa)("Cypress Hill") is 43. Country singer Colt Ford is 42. Actress Chandra Wilson is 42. Rock Bassist/Keyboardist Tony Kanal ("No Doubt") is 41. Actress Sarah Chalke is 35. Actor RonReaco (correct) Lee is 35. Rapper Mase (born Mason Derelle Betha) is 34. Actor Aaron Paul is 32. Rock Guitarist Jon Siebels ("Eve 6") is 32. Actor Shaun Weiss is 32. Contemporary Christian Singer/Keyboardist Megan Garrett ("Casting Crowns") is 31. Actor Kyle Lowder is 31. Singer Mario (born Mario Dewar Barrett) is 25. Actress Alexa Vega ("Spy Kids") is 23.

Thought for Today: "Genuine tragedies in the world are not conflicts between right and wrong. They are conflicts between two rights." — Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, German philosopher (born this date in 1770, died 1831).
 
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