TODAY IN HISTORY

1533

Pope Clement VII issued a bull of excommunication against England’s King Henry VIII for the annulment of the king’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon and subsequent marriage to second wife Anne Boleyn.

1859

Big Ben, the great bell inside the famous London clock tower, chimed for the first time.

1936

New York City’s Triborough Bridge (now the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge) linking Manhattan, Queens and The Bronx was opened to traffic.

1960

The novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee was first published by J.B. Lippincott and Co.

1972

The World Chess Championship opened as grandmasters Bobby Fischer of the United States and defending champion Boris Spassky of the Soviet Union began play in Reykjavik, Iceland. (Fischer won after 21 games.)

1995

The U.N.-designated “safe haven” of Srebrenica in Bosnia-Herzegovina fell to Bosnian Serb forces, who then carried out the killings of more than 8,000 Muslim men and boys.

Birthdays

Actress Susan Seaforth Hayes is 77. Rock guitarist Richie Sambora (Bon Jovi) is 61. Rock musician Scott Shriner (Weezer) is 55. R&B/ pop singer Alessia Cara is 24.