TODAY IN HISTORY
Today is Friday, Aug. 4, the 216th day of 2017. There are 149 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History
On Aug. 4, 1892, businessman Andrew Borden and his wife, Abby, were axed to death in their home in Fall River, Massachusetts. Lizzie Borden, Andrew’s daughter from a previous marriage, was accused of the killings, but acquitted at trial.
On this date
1782 — Composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart married Constanze Weber at St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna. 1790 — The U.S. Coast Guard had its beginnings as President George Washington signed a measure authorizing a group of revenue cutters to enforce tariff and trade laws and prevent smuggling. 1792 — English romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley was born at Field Place near Horsham, England. 1830 — Plans for the city of Chicago were laid out. 1914 — Britain declared war on Germany for invading Belgium; the United States proclaimed its neutrality in the mushrooming world conflict. 1936 — Jesse Owens of the U.S. won the second of his four gold medals at the Berlin Olympics as he prevailed in the long jump over German Luz Long, who was the first to congratulate him. 1942 — The Irving Berlin musical “Holiday Inn,” starring Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire and Marjorie Reynolds, and featuring the song “White Christmas,” premiered in New York. 1944 — Fifteen-year-old diarist Anne Frank was arrested with her sister, parents and four others by the Gestapo after hiding for two years inside a building in Amsterdam. (Anne and her sister, Margot, died at the BergenBelsen concentration camp.) 1964 — The bodies of missing civil rights workers Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman and James Chaney were found buried in an earthen dam in Mississippi. 1977 — President Jimmy Carter signed a measure establishing the Department of Energy. 1987 — The Federal Communications Commission voted 4-0 to abolish the Fairness Doctrine, which required radio and television stations to present balanced coverage of controversial issues. 1991 — The Greek luxury liner Oceanos sank in heavy seas off South Africa’s southeast coast; the 402 passengers and 179 crew members all survived, largely through the efforts of ship’s entertainers who oversaw rescue operations. (Capt. Yiannis Avranas and other officers faced criticism for leaving the ship while some passengers were still on board.) 2007 — NASA launched the Phoenix Mars Lander, a robotic dirt and ice digger, toward the red planet. (It arrived in May 2008.)
One year ago
Speaking to reporters at the Pentagon, President Barack Obama vigorously denied that a $400 million cash payment to Iran was ransom to secure the release of four Americans jailed in Tehran.
Today’s Birthdays
Actress-singer Tina Cole is 74. Actor-comedian Richard Belzer is 73. Actor-screenwriter Billy Bob Thornton is 62. Actress Kym Karath (Film: “The Sound of Music”) is 59. Former President Barack Obama is 56. Retired MLB All-Star pitcher Roger Clemens is 55. Actor Daniel Dae Kim is 49. Actor Michael DeLuise is 48. Race car driver Jeff Gordon is 46. Rapper-actress Yo-Yo is 46. Rhythm-and-blues singer-actor Marques Houston is 36. Actress Meghan Markle is 36. Actress Abigail Spencer is 36. Actress Greta Gerwig is 34. Rock singer Tom Parker (The Wanted) is 29. Actors Dylan and Cole Sprouse are 25. Singer Jessica Sanchez (TV: “American Idol”) is 22.