TODAY IN HISTORY

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT

August 5, 1957

The teenage dance show “American Bandstand,” hosted by Dick Clark, made its network debut on ABC-TV. The British cartoon character Andy Capp, created by Reginald Smythe, first appeared in the Daily Mirror. ALSO ON THIS DATE

1864

During the Civil War, Union Adm. David G. Farragut led his fleet to victory in the Battle of Mobile Bay, Alabama.

1884

The cornerstone for the Statue of Liberty’s pedestal was laid on Bedloe’s Island in New York Harbor.

1933

President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the National Labor Board, which was later replaced with the National Labor Relations Board.

1936

Jesse Owens of the United States won the 200-meter dash at the Berlin Olympics, collecting the third of his four gold medals.

1953

Operation Big Switch began as remaining prisoners taken during the Korean War were exchanged at Panmunjom.

1962

Actress Marilyn Monroe, 36, was found dead in her Los Angeles home; her death was ruled a probable suicide from “acute barbiturate poisoning.” South African antiapartheid activist Nelson Mandela was arrested; it was the beginning of 27 years of imprisonment.