On this day, July 17
1840 William Robinson was inaugurated as the first mayor of Allegheny City.
1928 Called the “scenic boulevard of Pittsburgh,” McArdle Roadway, to the top of Mount Washington, was opened with a milelong parade followed by a celebration. 1944 During World War II, 320 men — two-thirds of them African American — were killed when a pair of ammunition ships exploded at the Port Chicago Naval Magazine in California.
1996 TWA Flight 800, a Europe-bound Boeing 747, exploded and crashed off Long Island, N.Y., shortly after departing John F. Kennedy International Airport, killing all 230 people on board.
1997 President Bill Clinton addressed the 88th NAACP convention, which was being held in Pittsburgh for the first time since 1931.
2007 Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick was indicted by a federal grand jury in
Richmond, Va., on charges related to competitive dogfighting. (Vick later admitted bankrolling the dogfighting operation and helping to kill six to eight dogs. He served 23 months in federal custody, the last 60 days in home confinement.)
2014 Eric Garner, an unarmed Black man accused of selling loose, untaxed cigarettes, died shortly after being wrestled to the ground by New York City police officers. A video of the takedown showed Garner repeatedly saying, “I can’t breathe.” (Garner’s family received $5.9 million from the city in 2015 to settle a wrongful death claim.) 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: Actor Donald Sutherland, 85. Rock musician Spencer Davis, 81. Sportscaster Verne Lundquist, 80. Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, 73. Rock musician
Terry “Geezer” Butler (Black Sabbath), 71. Actress Lucie Arnaz, 69. Actor David Hasselhoff, 68. Rock musician Fran Smith Jr. (The Hooters), 68. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, 66. Television producer Mark Burnett, 60. Actress Nancy Giles, 60. Singer Regina Belle, 57. Country singer Craig Morgan,
56. Rock musician Lou Barlow (Dinosaur Jr.),
54. Contemporary Christian singer Susan Ashton, 53. Actor Andre Royo, 52. Actress Bitty Schram, 52. Actor Jason Clarke, 51. Movie director F. Gary Gray, 51. Singer JC (PM Dawn), 49. Rapper Sole’, 47. Country singer Luke Bryan, 44. Actor Eric Winter, 44. Actor Mike Vogel, 41. Actor Tom Cullen, 35. Actor Brando Eaton, 34. Rhythm-and-blues singer Jeremih, 33. Actress Billie Lourd, 28. Actor Leo Howard, 23.
Thought for today: “Dreams have as much influence as actions.”