TODAY IN HISTORY
Today is Saturday, Aug. 5, the 217th day of 2023. There are 148 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On Aug. 5, 1981, the federal government began firing air traffic controllers who had gone out on strike.
On this date:
In 1864, during the Civil War, Union Adm. David G. Farragut led his fleet to victory in the Battle of Mobile Bay, Alabama.
In 1914, what’s believed to be the first electric traffic light system was installed in Cleveland, Ohio, at the intersection of East 105th Street and Euclid Avenue.
In 1936, Jesse Owens of the United States won the 200-meter dash at the Berlin Olympics, collecting the third of his four gold medals.
In 1957, the teenage dance show “American Bandstand,” hosted by Dick Clark, made its network debut on ABC-TV.
In 1962, South African anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela was arrested on charges of leaving the country without a passport and inciting workers to strike; it was the beginning of 27 years of imprisonment. Marilyn Monroe, 36, was found dead in her Los Angeles home; her death was ruled a probable suicide from “acute barbiturate poisoning.”
In 1964, U.S. Navy pilot Everett Alvarez Jr. became the first American flier to be shot down and captured by North Vietnam; he was held prisoner until February 1973.
In 1974, the White House released transcripts of subpoenaed tape recordings showing that President Richard Nixon and his chief of staff, H.R. Haldeman, had discussed a plan in June 1972 to use the CIA to thwart the FBI’s Watergate investigation; revelation of the tape sparked Nixon’s resignation.
In 2010, the Senate confirmed Elena Kagan, 63-37, as the Supreme Court’s 112th justice and the fourth woman in its history. Thirty-three workers were trapped in a copper mine in northern Chile after a tunnel caved in (all were rescued after being entombed for 69 days).
In 2011, the sun-powered robotic explorer Juno rocketed toward Jupiter on a fiveyear quest to discover the secret recipe for making planets. (Juno reached Jupiter on July 4, 2016.)
Today’s Birthdays: Actor-singer Maureen McCormick is 67. Author David Baldacci is 63. Basketball Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing is 61. Actor Mark Strong is 60. Actor Jesse Williams is 43. Actor Meegan Warner is 32. Actor/singer Olivia Holt is 26. Actor Devin Trey Campbell is 15.