Highlights in history
■ In 1777, France recognized American independence.
■ In 1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright of Dayton conducted the first successful manned powered-airplane flights near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, using their experimental craft, the Wright Flyer.
■ In 1944, the U.S. War Department announced it was ending its policy of excluding people of Japanese ancestry from the West Coast. ■ In members of the Red Brigades kidnapped Brig. Gen. James L. Dozier (above), the highest-ranking U.S. Army official in southern Europe, from his home in Verona, Italy. (Dozier was rescued 42 days later.)
■ In 2011, North Korean leader Kim Jong Il died after more than a decade of iron rule; he was 69, according to official records, but some reports indicated he was 70. ■ Ten years ago: President George W. Bush, addressing a Rotary Club meeting, tried to reassure an edgy public that the economy was "pretty good" despite the mix of a failing housing market, a national credit crunch and surging energy costs.
Birthdays
■ 81: Pope Francis
■ 72: Chris Matthews, political commentator
■ 71: Eugene Levy, actor-comedian
■ 64: Bill Pullman, actor
■ 43: Sarah Paulson, actress ■ 31: Emma Bell, actress
■ 23: Nat Wolff, actor-singer
Thought for today
"A fool and his money are soon parted, but you never call him a fool till the money is gone." — Author unknown