TODAY IN HISTORY
TODAY IS SATURDAY, AUG. 4, the 216th day of 2018. There are 149 days left in the year.
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT IN HISTORY: On this date in 1944, 15-year-old diarist Anne Frank was arrested with her sister, parents and four others by the Gestapo after hiding for two years in a building in Amsterdam. Anne and her sister, Margot, died at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.
In 1790, the U.S. Coast Guard had its beginnings as President George Washington signed a measure authorizing a group of revenue cutters to enforce tariff and trade laws and prevent smuggling.
In 1914, Britain declared war on Germany for invading Belgium; the United States proclaimed its neutrality in the mushrooming world conflict.
In 1936, Jesse Owens of the U.S. won the second of his four gold medals at the Berlin Olympics when he prevailed in the long jump over German Luz Long, who was the first to congratulate him.
In 1964, the bodies of missing civil rights workers Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman and James Chaney were found buried in an earthen dam in Mississippi.
In 1972, Arthur Bremer was convicted and sentenced in Upper Marlboro, Md., to 63 years in prison for his attempt on the life of Alabama Gov. George C. Wallace. The sentence was later reduced to 53 years; Bremer was released from prison in 2007.
In 1977, President Jimmy Carter signed a measure establishing the Department of Energy.
In 1987, the Federal Communications Commission voted 4-0 to abolish the Fairness Doctrine, which required radio and television stations to present
balanced coverage of controversial issues.
In 1993, a federal judge sentenced Los Angeles police officers Stacey Koon and Laurence Powell to 2½ years in prison for violating Rodney King’s civil rights.
In 2009, North Korean leader Kim Jong Il pardoned American journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee for entering the country illegally and ordered their release during a surprise visit by former U.S. President Bill Clinton.
TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS: Actress-singer Tina Cole is 75. Actor-comedian Richard Belzer is 74. Football Hall-of-Famer John Riggins is 69. Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and actor-screenwriter Billy Bob Thornton are 63. Actress Kym Karath (Film: “The Sound of Music”) and Hall of Fame track star Mary Decker Slaney are 60. Actress Lauren Tom is 59. Former President Barack Obama and producer Michael Gelman (TV: “Live with Kelly & Ryan”) are 57. Retired MLB All-Star pitcher Roger Clemens is 56. Actress Crystal Chappell and author Dennis Lehane are 53. Rock musician Rob Cieka (Boo Radleys) and actor Daniel Dae Kim are 50. Actor Michael DeLuise is 49. Race car driver Jeff Gordon and rapperactress Yo-Yo are 47. Country singer Jon Nicholson is 45. Rhythm-and-blues singer-actor Marques Houston, Britain’s Duchess of Sussex, the former actress Meghan Markle, and actress Abigail Spencer are 37. Actress Greta Gerwig is 35. Country singer Crystal Bowersox (TV: “American Idol”) is 33. Rock singer Tom Parker (The Wanted) is 30. Actors Dylan and Cole Sprouse are 26. Singer Jessica Sanchez (TV: “American Idol”) is 23.