Today In History

Today is Thursday, July 28, the 210th day of 2016. There are 156 days left in the year.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT

1976: An earthquake devastated northern China, killing at least 242,000 people, according to an official estimate.

ON THIS DATE

1540: King Henry VIII’s chief minister, Thomas Cromwell, was executed, the same day Henry married his fifth wife, Catherine Howard.

1794: Maximilien Robespierre, a leading figure of the French Revolution, was sent to the guillotine.

1914: World War I began as Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia.

1945: A U.S. Army bomber crashed into the 79th floor of New York’s Empire State Building, killing 14 people. The U.S. Senate ratified the United Nations Charter by a vote of 89-2.

1959: In preparation for statehood, Hawaiians voted to send the first Chinese-American, Republican Hiram L. Fong, to the U.S. Senate and the first Japanese-American, Democrat Daniel K. Inouye, to the U.S. House of Representatives.

1984: The Los Angeles Summer Olympics opened.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS

Actor Darryl Hickman is 85. Ballet dancer-choreographer Jacques d’Amboise is 82. Musical conductor Riccardo Muti is 75. Former Senator and NBA Hall of Famer Bill Bradley is 73. “Garfield” creator Jim Davis is 71. Singer Jonathan Edwards is 70. Actress Linda Kelsey is 70. TV producer Dick Ebersol is 69. Actress Sally Struthers is 69. Actress Georgia Engel is 68. Rock musician Simon Kirke (Bad Company) is 67. Rock musician Steve Morse (Deep Purple) is 62. CBS anchorman Scott Pelley is 59. Alt-country-rock musician Marc Perlman is 55. Actor Michael Hayden is 53. Actress Lori Loughlin is 52. Jazz musician-producer Delfeayo Marsalis is 51. Former hockey player turned general manager Garth Snow is 47. Actress Elizabeth Berkley is 44. Singer Afroman is 42. Country musician Todd Anderson (Heartland) is 41. Rock singer Jacoby Shaddix (Papa Roach) is 40. Country singer Carly Goodwin is 35. Actor Jon Michael Hill (TV: “Elementary”) is 31. Actor Dustin Milligan is 31. Actor Nolan Gerard Funk is 30. Rapper Soulja Boy is 26. Pop/rock singer Cher Lloyd (TV: “The X Factor”) is 23.