Today in History

1567 – At barely a year old, James VI is crowned king of Scotland. He later becomes James I of England. 1847 – Brigham Young and the first Mormons arrive at Great Salt Lake in present-day Utah.

1911 – Yale University professor Hiram Bingham discovers Inca city Machu Picchu in Peru.

1915 – The steamer Eastland overturns in the Chicago River, drowning between 800 and 850 of its passengers, who were heading to a picnic.

1917 – Dutch exotic dancer Mata Hari, left, goes on trial in Paris for allegedly spying for Germany. 1982 – Eye of the Tiger from Rocky III tops United States pop music charts.

1996 – In Colombo, Sri Lanka, two bombs rip through separate cars of a commuter train, killing 63 people in an attack blamed on Tamil Tiger separatist rebels. 1998 – Saving Private Ryan opens

in movie theatres.

2000 – Private Leonard Manning is killed in East Timor, the first New Zealander to die in combat since the Vietnam War.

2005 – United States cyclist Lance Armstrong wins his seventh consecutive Tour de France. He later admits to doping and is stripped of his titles.

2011 – Cadel Evans becomes the first Australian to win the Tour de France.

Birthdays

Simon Bolivar, leader of South American independence (1783-1830); Alexandre Dumas, French writer (1802-1870); Oswald Chambers, Scottish evangelist (1874-1917); Amelia Earhart, US aviation pioneer (1898-1937); Karl Malone, US basketball player (1963-); Barry Bonds, US baseball player (1964-); Andrew Gaze, Australian basketball player (1965-); Jennifer Lopez, US actress/singer (1969-); Anna Paquin, New Zealand actress (1982-); Bindi Irwin, Australian TV presenter and conservationist (1998-).