Highlights in history
• In 1914, Britain declared war on Germany for invading Belgium; the United States proclaimed its neutrality in the mushrooming world conflict.
• In 1916, the United States reached agreement with Denmark to purchase the Danish Virgin Islands for $25 million.
• In 1944, 15-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 Bergen-belsen concentration camp.)
• In 1964, the bodies of missing civil-rights workers Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman and James Chaney were found buried in an earthen dam in Mississippi.
• In 1977, President Jimmy Carter signed a measure establishing the Department of Energy.
• In 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.
• In 1993, a federal judge sentenced Los Angeles police officers Stacey Koon and Laurence Powell to 2½ years in prison for violating Rodney King’s civil rights.
• In 2001, thousands of admirers turned out in London for what would prove to be the last birthday celebration for Britain’s Queen Mother Elizabeth, who had turned 101. (The Queen Mother died in March 2002.)
• In 2009, North Korean leader Kim Jong Il pardoned American journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee for entering the country illegally and ordered their release during a surprise visit by former U.S. President Bill Clinton.
Birthdays
• Actor-singer Tina Cole is 77 • Actor-comedian Richard Belzer is 76
• Football hall-of-famer John Riggins is 71
• Actor-screenwriter Thornton is 65
• Hall of fame track star Mary Decker Slaney is 62
• Former President Barack Obama is 59
Billy
Bob
• Retired MLB Allstar pitcher Roger Clemens is 58
• Actress Chappell is 55
• Author Dennis Lehane is 55
• Former race-car driver Jeff Gordon is 49
• Rapper-actor Yo-yo is 49
• Rhythm-and-blues singer-actor Marques Houston is 39
• Actress Spencer is 39 • Actress/director Greta Gerwig is 37 • Country singer Crystal Bowersox (TV: “American Idol”) is 35
• Actors Dylan and Cole Sprouse are 28
Source: Associated Press
Crystal
Abigail