Today in history

Today is Tuesday, July 10, the 191st day of 2018 and the 20th day of summer.

Today’s Highlights in History: In 1821, the United States took possession of Florida, which it had purchased from Spain. In 1890, Wyoming was admitted as

the 44th state. In 1940, Nazi forces began an air attack on southern Britain that would last 114 days and become known as the Battle of Britain. In 1962, AT&T (in conjunction with NASA) launched the first privately owned satellite, Telstar 1. In 1991, Boris Yeltsin took office as the first popularly elected president in Russia’s history.

Today’s fact: The United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force, which battled the German Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain, counted 11 American pilots among its 2,900 members.

Today’s sports: In 1999, the U.S. soccer team defeated China 5-4 to win the Women’s World Cup in Pasadena, California.

Today’s number: 134 – temperature (in degrees Fahrenheit) reached on this day in 1913 in Death Valley, California, the hottest peak temperature on U.S. record.

Today’s moon: Between last quarter moon (July 6) and new moon (July 12).

Birthdays

John Calvin (1509-1564), theologian/reformer; Nikola Tesla (1856-1943), physicist/engineer; Marcel Proust (1871-1922), author/ critic; Carl Orff (1895-1982), composer; David Brinkley (19202003), TV journalist; Alice Munro (1931- ), author; Arthur Ashe (1943-1993), tennis player; Arlo Guthrie (1947- ), singer-songwriter; Urban Meyer (1964- ), football coach; Sofia Vergara (1972- ), actress; Adrian Grenier (1976- ), actor; Chiwetel Ejiofor (1977- ), actor; Jessica Simpson (1980- ), actress/singer.