Today in history
On July 7, 1865, four people were hanged in Washington, D.C. for conspiring with John Wilkes Booth to assassinate President Abraham Lincoln: Lewis Powell (aka Lewis Payne), David Herold, George Atzerodt and Mary Surratt, the first woman to be executed by the federal government.
In 1846, U.S. annexation of California was proclaimed at Monterey (mahn-tuh-RAY’) after the surrender of a Mexican garrison.
In 1898, the United States annexed Hawaii.
In 1919, the first Transcontinental Motor Convoy, in which a U.S. Army convoy of motorized vehicles crossed the United States, departed Washington, D.C. (The trip ended in San Francisco on Sept. 6, 1919.)
In 1937, the Second Sino-Japanese War erupted into full-scale conflict as Imperial Japanese forces attacked the Marco Polo Bridge in Beijing.
In 1946, Italian-born Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini was canonized as the first American saint by Pope Pius XII. Jimmy Carter, 21, married Rosalynn (ROH’-zuhlihn) Smith, 18, in Plains, Georgia.
In 1948, six female U.S. Navy reservists became the first women to be sworn in to the regular Navy.
In 1954, Elvis Presley made his radio debut as Memphis, Tennessee, station WHBQ played his first recording for Sun Records, “That’s All Right.”
In 1969, Canada’s House of Commons gave final approval to the Official Languages Act, making French equal to English throughout the national government.
In 1976, President and Mrs. Gerald R. Ford hosted a White House dinner for Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. The United States Military Academy at West Point included female cadets for the first time as
119 women joined the Class of 1980.
In 1981, President Ronald Reagan announced he was nominating Arizona Judge Sandra-Day O’Connor to become the first female justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.
In 1987, Lt. Col. Oliver North began his long-awaited public testimony at the Iran-Contra hearing, telling Congress that he had “never carried out a single act, not one,” without authorization.
In 1990, the first “Three Tenors” concert took place as opera stars Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras performed amid the brick ruins of Rome’s Baths of Caracalla on the eve of the World Cup championship.
Ten years ago: A truck bomb devastated the public market in Armili, Iraq, killing at least 115 people. A 24-hour music marathon spanning seven continents reached the Western Hemisphere with rappers, rockers and country stars taking the stage at Live Earth concerts to fight climate change. Venus Williams claimed her fourth Wimbledon title with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Marion Bartoli.
Five years ago: Jubilant Libyans chose a new parliament in their first nationwide vote in decades. The Obama administration declared Afghanistan the United States’ newest “major non-NATO ally.” Serena Williams beat Agnieszka Radwanska (ahgnee-ESH’-kuh rahd-VAHN’-skuh) of Poland 6-1, 5-7, 6-2 to win a fifth Wimbledon singles championship; about five hours later, she and sister Venus were back on Centre Court to beat Czech duo Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka 7-5, 6-4 in the doubles final; it was the Williamses’ fifth Wimbledon doubles title together. U.S. Rep. Barney Frank tied the knot with his longtime partner, Jim Ready, in a ceremony officiated by Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick.
One year ago: Micah Johnson, a black Army veteran who served in Afghanistan, opened fire on Dallas police, killing five officers in an act of vengeance for the fatal police shootings of black men; the attack ended with Johnson being blown up by a bomb delivered by a police robot. President Barack Obama embarked on a five-day, two-country mission to buck up a beleaguered Europe and brush back an aggressive Moscow; after arriving in Warsaw, Poland, Obama denounced the fatal attack in Dallas as “despicable” and declared there was no justification for the violence.
“Only a mediocre person is always at his best.” — W. Somerset Maugham, English author and dramatist (1874-1965).