TODAY IN HISTORY
Today is Wednesday, Aug. 16, the 228th day of 2017. There are 137 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History
On Aug. 16, 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 transAtlantic cable. 1937 — The American Federation of Radio Artists was chartered. 1954 — Sports Illustrated was first published by Time Inc. 1956 — Adlai E. Stevenson was nominated for president at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. 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). The Debby Boone recording of “You Light Up My Life” by Joseph Brooks was released by Warner Bros./Curb Records. 1987 — Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashed while trying to take off from Detroit killing 156; the sole survivor was 4-year-old Cecelia Cichan. 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. 1991 — Pope John Paul II began the first-ever papal visit to Hungary. 2007 — Jose Padilla, a U.S. citizen held for 3½ years as an enemy combatant, was convicted in Miami of helping Islamic extremists and plotting overseas attacks. (Padilla, once accused of plotting with al-Qaida to detonate a radioactive “dirty bomb,” was later sentenced to 17 years and four months in prison on the unrelated terror support charges, but that sentence was later increased to 21 years.)
Five years ago
A U.S. military helicopter crashed during a firefight with insurgents in southern Afghanistan, killing seven Americans and four Afghans.
Ecuador decided to identify WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange as a refugee and give him asylum in its London embassy.
Today’s Birthdays
Actress Ann Blyth is 89. Actress Julie Newmar is 84. Ballerina Suzanne Farrell is 72. Actress Lesley Ann Warren is 71. TV personality Kathie Lee Gifford is 64. Movie director James Cameron is 63. Rock musician Tim Farriss (INXS) is 60. Singer Madonna is 59. Actress Angela Bassett is 59. Actor Timothy Hutton is 57. Actor Steve Carell is 55. Country singer Emily Robison (The Dixie Chicks) is 45. Actor Shawn Pyfrom is 31. Actress Rumer Willis is 29. Actor Cameron Monaghan is 24. Singer-pianist Greyson Chance is 20.