Today In History

Today is Saturday, July 30, the 212th day of 2016. There are 154 days left in the year.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT

› 1916: German saboteurs blew up a munitions plant on Black Tom, an island near Jersey City, New Jersey. Although casualties were limited (about a dozen people were killed), the explosion was so huge, it was felt throughout New York City and damaged the Statue of Liberty.

ON THIS DATE

› 1619: The first representative assembly in America convened in Jamestown in the Virginia Colony.

› 1729: Baltimore, Maryland, was founded.

› 1864: During the Civil War, Union forces tried to take Petersburg, Virginia, by exploding a gunpowder-laden mine shaft beneath Confederate defense lines; the attack failed.

› 1956: President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a measure making “In God We Trust” the national motto, replacing “E Pluribus Unum” (Out of many, one).

› 1965: President Lyndon B. Johnson signed a measure creating Medicare, which began operating the following year.

› 1975: Former Teamsters union president Jimmy Hoffa disappeared in suburban Detroit; although presumed dead, his remains have never been found.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS

Actor Edd “Kookie” Byrnes is 83. Former Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig is 82. Blues musician Buddy Guy is 80. Movie director Peter Bogdanovich is 77. Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is 69. Actor William Atherton is 69. Actor Jean Reno is 68. Blues singer-musician Otis Taylor is 68. Actor Frank Stallone is 66. Actor Ken Olin is 62. Actress Delta Burke is 60. Law professor Anita Hill is 60. Singer-songwriter Kate Bush is 58. Country singer Neal McCoy is 58. Actor Richard Burgi is 58. Country musician Dwayne O’Brien is 53. Actress Vivica A. Fox is 52. Actor Terry Crews is 48. Actor Simon Baker is 47. Actor Donnie Keshawarz is 47. Movie director Christopher Nolan is 46. Actor Tom Green is 45. Rock musician Brad Hargreaves (Third Eye Blind) is 45. Actress Jaime Pressly is 39. Alt-country singer-musician Seth Avett is 36. Actress April Bowlby is 36. Actress Gina Rodriguez is 32. Actor Nico Tortorella is 28. Actress Joey King is 17.