Today in history
On August 13, 1961, East Germany sealed off the border between Berlin’s eastern and western sectors before building a wall that would divide the city for the next 28 years.
In 1521, Spanish conqueror Hernando Cortez captured Tenochtitlan, present-day Mexico City, from the Aztecs.
In 1792, French revolutionaries imprisoned the royal family.
In 1846, the American flag was raised for the first time in Los Angeles.
In 1910, Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing, died in London at age 90.
In 1932, Adolf Hitler rejected the post of vice chancellor of Germany, saying he was prepared to hold out “for all or nothing.”
In 1942, Walt Disney’s animated feature “Bambi” had its U.S. premiere at Radio City Music Hall in New York, five days after its world premiere in London.
In 1960, the first two-way telephone conversation by satellite took place with the help of Echo 1. The Central African Republic became totally independent of French rule.
In 1967, the crime caper biopic “Bonnie and Clyde,” starring Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway, had its U.S. premiere; the movie, directed by Arthur Penn, was considered shocking as well as innovative for its graphic portrayal of violence.
In 1979, Lou Brock of the St. Louis Cardinals became the 14th player in major league baseball history to reach the
3,000th career hit plateau as his team defeated the Chicago Cubs, 3-2.
In 1981, in a ceremony at his California ranch, President Ronald Reagan signed a historic package of tax and budget reductions.
In 1989, searchers in Ethiopia found the wreckage of a plane which had disappeared almost a week earlier while carrying Rep. Mickey Leland, D-Texas, and 14 other people — there were no survivors.
In 2003, Iraq began pumping crude oil from its northern oil fields for the first time since the start of the war. Libya agreed to set up a $2.7 billion fund for families of the
270 people killed in the 1988 Pan Am bombing.
Ten years ago: Michael Phelps swam into history as the winningest Olympic athlete ever with his 10th and 11th career gold medals. Phelps won the 200-meter butterfly, then swam the leadoff of a runaway victory by the U.S. 800 freestyle relay team. Sandy Allen, who was recognized as the world’s tallest female at 7 feet, 7 inches tall, died in Shelbyville, Ind., at age 53.
Five years ago: Israel released 26 Palestinian inmates, many convicted in grisly killings, on the eve of longstalled peace talks, angering families of those killed by the prisoners. Tompall Glaser, 79, a country music singer, publisher and studio owner best known for his association with the outlaw movement against record labels, died in Nashville.
One year ago: In a statement, the White House said President Donald Trump “very strongly” condemns individual hate groups such as “white supremacists, KKK and neo-Nazis;” the statement followed criticism of Trump for blaming the previous day’s deadly violence at a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, on “many sides.” Protesters decrying hatred and racism converged around the country, saying they felt compelled to respond to the white supremacist rally in Virginia.