Today In History
Today is Wednesday, Aug. 16, the 228th day of 2017. There are 137 days left in the year.
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT
› 1977: Elvis Presley died at his Graceland estate in Memphis, Tennessee, at age 42.
ON THIS DATE
› 1777: American forces won the Battle of Bennington in what was considered a turning point of the Revolutionary War.
› 1812: Detroit fell to British and Indian forces in the War of 1812.
› 1858: A telegraphed message from Britain’s Queen Victoria to President James Buchanan was transmitted over the recently laid trans-Atlantic cable.
› 1954: Sports Illustrated was first published by Time Inc.
› 1967: Louis Armstrong recorded “What a Wonderful World” by Bob Thiele and George David Weiss for ABC Records.
› 1977: A judge in New York ruled that Renee Richards, a male-to-female transgender, had the right to compete in the U.S. Open without having to pass a sex chromosome test. (In the opening round of the Open, Richards lost to Virginia Wade in straight sets, 6-1, 6-4).
› 1987: People worldwide began a two-day celebration of the “harmonic convergence,” which heralded what believers called the start of a new, purer age of humankind.
TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS
Actress Ann Blyth is
89. Actor Gary Clarke is
84. Actress Julie Newmar is 84. Actress Carole Shelley is 78. Country singer Billy Joe Shaver is
78. Movie director Bruce Beresford is 77. Actor Bob Balaban is 72. Ballerina Suzanne Farrell is 72. Actress Lesley Ann Warren is 71. Actor Marshall Manesh is 67. Rock singer-musician Joey Spampinato is 67. Actor Jeff Perry is 62. Rock musician Tim Farriss (INXS) is
60. Actress Laura Innes is 60. Singer Madonna is 59. Actress Angela Bassett is 59. Actor Timothy Hutton is 57. Actor Steve Carell is 55. Former tennis player Jimmy Arias is 53. Actor-singer Donovan Leitch is 50. Singer Vanessa Carlton is 37. Actor Cam Gigandet is 35. Actress Agnes Bruckner is 32. Singer-musician Taylor Goldsmith (Dawes) is
32. Actress Cristin Milioti is 32. Actor Shawn Pyfrom is 31. Country singer Ashton Shepherd is 31. Actor Kevin G. Schmidt is 29. Actor Parker Young is 29. Actor Cameron Monaghan is 24. Singer-pianist Greyson Chance is 20.