TODAY IN HISTORY

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT

Aug. 2, 1939

Albert Einstein signed a letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt urging creation of an atomic weapons research program.

ALSO ON THIS DATE

1610

During his fourth voyage to the Western Hemisphere, English explorer Henry Hudson sailed into what is now known as Hudson Bay.

1776

Members of the Second Continental Congress began attaching their signatures to the Declaration of Independence.

1876

Frontiersman “Wild Bill” Hickok was shot and killed while playing poker at a saloon in Deadwood, Dakota Territory, by Jack McCall, who was later hanged.

1909

The original Lincoln “wheat” penny first went into circulation, replacing the “Indian Head” cent.

1923

The 29th president of the United States, Warren G. Harding, died in San Francisco; Vice President Calvin Coolidge became president.

1939

President Roosevelt signed the Hatch Act, which prohibited civil service employees from taking an active part in political campaigns.

1943

During World War II, U.S. Navy boat PT-109, commanded by Lt. John F. Kennedy, sank after being rammed in the middle of the night by the Japanese destroyer Amagiri off the Solomon Islands.

1990

Iraq invaded Kuwait, seizing control of the oil-rich emirate.

2000

Republicans awarded Texas Gov. George W. Bush their 2000presidential nomination and ratified Dick Cheney as his running mate.