TODAY IN HISTORY
TODAY IS SUNDAY, JULY 5, the 187th day of 2020. There are 179 days left in the year.
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT IN HISTORY: On this date in 1947, Larry Doby made his debut with the Cleveland Indians, becoming the first Black player in the American League three months after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in the National League.
In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the National Labor Relations Act.
In 1943, the Battle of Kursk began during World War II; in the weeks that followed, the Soviets were able to repeatedly repel the Germans, who eventually withdrew in defeat.
In 1946, the bikini, created by Louis Reard, was modeled by Micheline Bernardini during a poolside fashion show in Paris.
In 1948, Britain’s National Health Service Act went into effect, providing publicly financed medical and dental care.
In 1954, Elvis Presley’s first commercial recording session took place at Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee; the song he recorded was “That’s All Right.”
In 1971, President Richard Nixon certified the 26th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which lowered the minimum voting age from 21 to 18.
In 1975, Arthur Ashe became the first Black man to win a Wimbledon singles title as he defeated Jimmy Connors, 6-1, 6-1, 5-7, 6-4.
In 1977, Pakistan’s army, led by General Mohammad Zia ul-Haq, seized power from President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. (Bhutto was executed in 1979.)
In 2003, Serena Williams beat sister Venus 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 for her second straight Wimbledon title.
In 2009, a bankruptcy judge ruled that General Motors Corp. could sell the bulk of its assets to a new company, clearing the way for the automaker to emerge from bankruptcy protection. Roger Federer won his record 15th Grand Slam title when he outlasted Andy Roddick 5-7, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (5), 3-6, 16-14 in a marathon match for his sixth Wimbledon championship.
In 2011, a jury in Orlando, Florida, found Casey Anthony, 25, not guilty of murder, manslaughter and child abuse in the 2008 disappearance and death of her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee.
In 2018, James Alex Fields Jr. pleaded not guilty to federal hate crime charges in a car attack on a crowd of protesters opposing a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, on Aug. 12, 2017; a 32-year-old woman died and dozens were injured. (Fields later pleaded guilty to 29 federal hate crime charges under a plea deal in which prosecutors agreed not to seek the death penalty.)
TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS: Singermusician Robbie Robertson is 77. Julie Nixon Eisenhower is 72. Rock star Huey Lewis is 70. Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Rich “Goose” Gossage is 69. Country musician Charles Ventre is 68. Singer-songwriter Marc Cohn is 61. Actors John Marshall Jones and Dorien Wilson are 58. Actress Edie Falco is 57. Actress Jillian Armenante is 56. Actress Kathryn Erbe is 55. Actor Michael Stuhlbarg is 52. Country musician Brent Flynn (Flynnville Train) is 51. Rapper RZA is 51. Rhythm and blues singer Joe and rock musician Bengt Lagerberg (The Cardigans) are 47. Actor Dale Godboldo is 45. Rapper Bizarre is 44. Rock singer Jason Wade (Lifehouse) is 40. Actor Ryan Hansen is 39. Country musician Dave Haywood (Lady A) is 38. Rock musician Nick O’Malley (Arctic Monkeys) is 35. Actor Jason Dolley is 29. California Angels pitcher and designated hitter Shohei Ohtani is 26.