TODAY IN HISTORY
TODAY IS FRIDAY, JULY 28, the 209th day of 2017. There are 156 days left in the year.
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS IN HISTORY:
On this date in 1945, a U.S. Army B-25 bomber flying in heavy fog crashed into the 79th floor of New York’s Empire State Building, killing all three people in the plane and 11 people in the building. The U.S. Senate ratified the United Nations Charter by a vote of 89-2.
In 1821, Peru declared its independence from Spain.
In 1914, World War I began as AustriaHungary declared war on Serbia.
In 1932, federal troops forcibly dispersed the so-called “Bonus Army” of World War I veterans who had gathered in Washington to demand payments they weren’t scheduled to receive until 1945.
In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson announced he was increasing the number of American troops in South Vietnam from 75,000 to 125,000 “almost immediately.”
In 1976, an earthquake devastated northern China, killing at least 242,000 people, according to an official estimate.
In 1977, Roy Wilkins turned over leadership of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People to Benjamin L. Hooks.
In 1984, the Los Angeles Summer Olympics opened.
In 1995, a jury in Union, S.C., rejected the death penalty for Susan Smith, sentencing her to life in prison for drowning her two young sons (Smith will be eligible for parole in 2024).
In 2002, nine coal miners trapped in the flooded Quecreek Mine in Somerset, Pa., were rescued after 77 hours underground.
TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS:
Actor Darryl Hickman is 86. Ballet dancerchoreographer Jacques d’Amboise is 83. Musical conductor Riccardo Muti is 76. Former senator and NBA Hallof-Famer Bill Bradley is 74. “Garfield” creator Jim Davis is 72. Singer Jonathan Edwards and actress Linda Kelsey are 71. TV producer Dick Ebersol and actress Sally Struthers are 70. Actress Georgia Engel is 69. Rock musician Simon Kirke (Bad Company) is 68. Rock musician Steve Morse (Deep Purple) is 63. Former CBS anchorman Scott Pelley is 60. Alt-country-rock musician Marc Perlman is 56. Actor Michael Hayden is 54. Actress Lori Loughlin is 53. Jazz musician-producer Delfeayo Marsalis is 52. Former hockey player turned general manager Garth Snow is 48. Actress Elizabeth Berkley is 45. Singer Afroman is 43. Country musician Todd Anderson (Heartland) is 42. Rock singer Jacoby Shaddix (Papa Roach) is 41. Country singer Carly Goodwin is 36. Actors Jon Michael Hill and Dustin Milligan are 32. Actor Nolan Gerard Funk is 31. Rapper Soulja Boy is 27. Pop/rock singer Cher Lloyd (TV: “The X Factor”) is 24.