TODAY IN HISTORY
Today is Wednesday, July 5, the 186th day of 2017. There are 179 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On July 5, 1947, Larry Doby made his debut with the Cleveland Indians, becoming the first black player in the American League three months after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in the National League. In the game against the Chicago White Sox at Comiskey Park, Doby, pinch-hitting for Bryan Stephens, struck out in his first at-bat during the seventh inning; Chicago won 6-5.
On this date:
In 1811, Venezuela became the first South American country to declare independence from Spain.
In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the National Labor Relations Act.
In 1946, the bikini, created by Louis Reard, was modeled by Micheline Bernardini during a poolside fashion show in Paris.
In 1954, Elvis Presley’s first commercial recording session took place at Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee; the song he recorded was “That’s All Right.”
In 1984, the Supreme Court weakened the 70-year-old “exclusionary rule,” deciding that evidence seized in good faith with defective court warrants could be used against defendants in criminal trials.
Ten years ago: In a setback for President George W. Bush, GOP stalwart Sen. Pete Domenici withdrew his support for the president’s Iraq war policy and embraced a proposal to bring home most troops by March 2008.
Five years ago: Former Argentine dictator Jorge Rafael Videla was convicted and sentenced to 50 years for a systematic program to steal babies from prisoners who were kidnapped, tortured and killed during the military junta’s so-called “dirty war” on leftist dissidents. (Videla died in prison in May 2013.)
One year ago: The FBI recommended no criminal charges for Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server, but Director James Comey’s scathing criticism of her “extremely careless” handling of classified material revitalized Republican attacks. President Barack Obama heartily vouched for Hillary Clinton’s trustworthiness and dedication, making his first outing on the campaign stump for his former secretary of state with an appearance in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Today’s Birthdays: Actress Katherine Helmond is 88. Actress Shirley Knight is 81. Singermusician Robbie Robertson is 74. Julie Nixon Eisenhower is 69. Rock star Huey Lewis is 67. Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Rich “Goose” Gossage is 66. Country musician Charles Ventre is 65. Singer-songwriter Marc Cohn is 58. Actor John Marshall Jones is 55. Actor Dorien Wilson is 55. Actress Edie Falco is 54. Actress Jillian Armenante is 53. Actress Kathryn Erbe is 52. Actor Michael Stuhlbarg is 49. Country musician Brent Flynn (Flynnville Train) is 48. Rapper RZA is 48. Rhythmandsinger Joe is 44. Rock musician Bengt Lagerberg (The Cardigans) is 44. Actor Dale Godboldo is 42. Rapper Bizarre is 41. Actor Ryan Hansen is 36. Country musician Dave Haywood (Lady Antebellum) is 35. Rock musician Nick O’Malley (Arctic Monkeys) is 32. Actor Jason Dolley is 26.
Thought for Today: “The real drawback to ‘the simple life’ is that it is not simple. If you are living it, you positively can do nothing else. There is not time.”— Katharine Fullerton Gerould, American writer (1879-1944).