Today In History

Today is Wednesday, July 26, the 207th day of 2017. There are 158 days left in the year.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT

› 2016: Hillary Clinton became the first woman to be nominated for president by a major political party at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.

ON THIS DATE

› 1775: The Continental Congress established a Post Office and appointed Benjamin Franklin its Postmaster-General.

› 1847: The western African country of Liberia, founded by freed American slaves, declared its independence.

› 1887: The artificial language Esperanto, intended as a universal form of communication, was published by its creator, Dr. L.L. Zamenhof.

› 1908: U.S. Attorney General Charles J. Bonaparte ordered creation of a force of special agents that was a forerunner of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

› 1945: The Potsdam Declaration warned Imperial Japan to unconditionally surrender, or face “prompt and utter destruction.”

› 1947: President Harry S. Truman signed the National Security Act, which reorganized America’s armed forces as the National Military Establishment and created the Central Intelligence Agency.

› 1990: President George H.W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS

Jackson Five patriarch Joe Jackson is 89. Actor Robert Colbert is

86. Songwriter-music producer-label executive Fred Foster (co-writer of “Me and Bobby McGee”) is 86. Actress-singer Darlene Love is 76. Actress Helen Mirren is 72. Rock musician Roger Taylor (Queen) is 68. Actress Susan George is 67. Olympic gold medal figure skater Dorothy Hamill is

61. Actor Kevin Spacey is

58. Rock singer Gary Cherone is 56. Rapper-reggae singer Wayne Wonder is

51. Actor Jason Statham is

50. Actor Cress Williams is 47. TV host Chris Harrison is 46. Actress Kate Beckinsale is 44. Actor Gary Owen is 44. Rock musician Dan Konopka (OK Go) is 43. Gospel/ Contemporary Christian singer Rebecca St. James is 40. Actress Eve Myles is 39. Actress Juliet Rylance is 38. Actress Monica Raymund is 31. Actress Caitlin Gerard is

29. Actress Bianca Santos is 27. Actress-singer Taylor Momsen is 24. Actress Elizabeth Gillies is 24.