On this day, July 16

1790 A site along the Potomac River was designated the permanent seat of the United States government. The area became Washington, D.C.

1928 The first film “talkie,” titled “Tenderloin,” was shown in Pittsburgh at the Stanley Theater. Previewers said it had less than 10 minutes’ “audible” dialogue, and one described the project as “so new that its possibilities scarcely can be gauged yet.”

1945 The United States exploded its first experimental atomic bomb in the desert of Alamogordo, N.M. The same day, the heavy cruiser USS Indianapolis left Mare Island Naval Shipyard in California on a secret mission to deliver atomic bomb components to Tinian Island in the Marianas.

1970 After many delays, Three Rivers Stadium opened on the North Side with the Pirates losing to the Cincinnati Reds, 3-2. 1987 President Ronald Reagan awarded Pittsburgh the status of an All-American City.

2008 Florida resident Casey Anthony, whose 2-year-old daughter, Caylee, had been missing a month, was arrested on charges of child neglect, making false official statements and obstructing a criminal investigation. (Casey Anthony was later acquitted at trial of murdering Caylee, whose skeletal remains were found in December 2008. She was convicted of lying to police.)

Some items are from Stefan Lorant’s “Pittsburgh: The Story of an American City” (digital.library.pitt.edu/chronology). — Compiled by Alyssa Brown

Today’s birthdays: Former U.S. Attorney General Dick Thornburgh, 88. International Tennis Hall of Famer Margaret Court,

78. College Football Hall of Famer and football coach Jimmy Johnson, 77. Actor-singer Ruben Blades, 72. Playwright Tony Kushner, 64. Actress Faye Grant, 63. Dancer Michael Flatley,

62. Actress Phoebe Cates, 57. Actor Paul Hipp, 57. Actor-comedian Will Ferrell, 53. College and Pro Football Hall of Famer Barry Sanders, 52. Actress Rain Pryor, 51. Actor Corey Feldman, 49. Actor-singer James Maslow, 30.

Thought for today: “Any life, however long and complicated it may be, actually consists of a single moment: the moment when a man knows forever more who he is.”

— Jorge Luis Borges, Argentine author (1899-1986)