Today In History
Today is Monday, Aug. 7, the 219th day of 2017. There are 146 days left in the year.
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT
› 1942: U.S. and other allied forces landed at Guadalcanal, marking the start of the first major allied offensive in the Pacific during World War II. (Japanese forces abandoned the island the following February.)
ON THIS DATE
› 1782: Gen. George Washington created the Order of the Purple Heart, a decoration to recognize merit in enlisted men and noncommissioned officers.
› 1789: The U.S. Department of War was established by Congress.
› 1882: The famous feud between the Hatfields of West Virginia and the McCoys of Kentucky erupted into fullscale violence.
› 1927: The already opened Peace Bridge connecting Buffalo, New York, and Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada, was officially dedicated.
› 1947: The balsa wood raft Kon-Tiki, which carried a sixman crew 4,300 miles across the Pacific Ocean, crashed into a reef in a Polynesian archipelago; all six crew members reached land safely.
› 1957: Oliver Hardy (the heavier half of the Laurel and Hardy comedy team) died in North Hollywood, California, at age 65.
› 1959: The United States launched the Explorer 6 satellite, which sent back images of Earth.
› 1964: Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin resolution, giving President Lyndon B. Johnson broad powers in dealing with reported North Vietnamese attacks on U.S. forces.
› 1974: French stuntman Philippe Petit repeatedly walked a tightrope strung between the twin towers of New York’s World Trade Center.
› 1989: A plane carrying U.S. Rep. Mickey Leland, D-Texas, and 14 others disappeared over Ethiopia. (The wreckage of the plane was found six days later; there were no survivors.)
› 2007: San Francisco’s Barry Bonds hit home run No. 756 to break Hank Aaron’s storied record with one out in the fifth inning of a game against the Washington Nationals, who ended up winning, 8-6.
› 2010: Elena Kagan was sworn in as the 112th justice and fourth woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court.
› 2012: JAly Raisman became the first U.S. woman to win Olympic gold on floor, and picked up a bronze on balance beam on the final day of the gymnastics competition at the London Games.
TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS
Magician, author and lecturer James Randi is
89. Former MLB pitcher Don Larsen is 88. Actress Verna Bloom is
79. Humorist Garrison Keillor is 75. Singer B.J. Thomas is 75. Singer Lana Cantrell is 74. Former FBI Director Robert Mueller is 73. Actor John Glover is
73. Actor David Rasche is
73. Former diplomat, talk show host and activist Alan Keyes is 67. Country singer Rodney Crowell is
67. Actress Caroline Aaron is 65. Comedian Alexei Sayle is 65. Actor Wayne Knight is 62. Rock singer Bruce Dickinson is 59. Marathon runner Alberto Salazar is 59. Actor David Duchovny is 57. Country musician Michael Mahler (Wild Horses) is 56. Actress Delane Matthews is 56. Actor Harold Perrineau is 54. Jazz musician Marcus Roberts is 54. Country singer Raul Malo is 52. Actor David Mann is 51. Actress Charlotte Lewis is 50. Actor Michael Shannon is 43. Actress Charlize Theron is 42. Rock musician Barry Kerch (Shinedown) is 41. Actor Eric Johnson is 38. Actor Randy Wayne is 36. Actor-writer Brit Marling is 35. Actor Liam James is 21.