Today In History

Today is Monday, Aug. 6, the 218th day of 2018. There are 147 days left in the year.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT

› 1945: During World War II, the U.S. B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb code-named “Little Boy” on Hiroshima, Japan, resulting in an estimated 140,000 deaths. (Three days later, the United States exploded a nuclear device over Nagasaki; five days after that, Imperial Japan surrendered.)

ON THIS DATE

› 1914: AustriaHungary declared war against Russia and Serbia declared war against Germany.

› 1926: Gertrude Ederle became the first woman to swim the English Channel, arriving in Kingsdown, England, from France in 14 1/2 hours.

› 1942: Queen Wilhemina of the Netherlands became the first reigning queen to address a joint session of Congress, telling lawmakers that despite Nazi occupation, her people’s motto remained, “No surrender.”

› 1961: Soviet cosmonaut Gherman Titov became the second man to orbit Earth as he flew aboard Vostok 2; his call sign, “Eagle,” prompted his famous declaration: “I am Eagle!”

› 1962: Jamaica, formerly ruled by Britain, became an independent dominion within the Commonwealth of Nations.

› 1965: President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act.

› 1973: Former Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista, 72, died in exile in Spain. Entertainer Stevie Wonder was seriously injured in a car accident in North Carolina.

› 1986: William J. Schroeder died at Humana Hospital-Audubon in Louisville, Ky., after living 620 days with the Jarvik 7 artificial heart.

› 1999: In Canton, Texas, a 36-year-old woman facing lifelong heart problems that she blamed on the diet drug combination fenphen was awarded $23.3 million in the first such lawsuit to reach a jury. (The case was settled for less than a tenth of that amount during an appeal.)

› 2003: Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger used an appearance on NBC’s “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” to announce his successful bid to replace California Gov. Gray Davis.

› 2009: Sonia Sotomayor was confirmed as the first Hispanic Supreme Court justice by a Senate vote of 68-31.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS

Children’s performer Ella Jenkins is 94. Actor-director Peter Bonerz is 80. Actress Louise Sorel is 78. Actor Michael Anderson Jr. is

75. Actor Ray Buktenica is 75. Actor Dorian Harewood is 68. Actress Catherine Hicks is 67. Rock singer Pat MacDonald (Timbuk 3) is 66. Country musician Mark DuFresne (Confederate Railroad) is 65. Actress Stepfanie Kramer is 62. Actress Faith Prince is

61. Rhythm and blues singer Randy DeBarge is

60. Actor Leland Orser is 58. Actress Michelle Yeoh is 56. Country singers Patsy and Peggy Lynn are 54. Basketball Hall of Famer David Robinson is

53. Actor Jeremy Ratchford is 53. Actor Benito Martinez is 50. Country singer Lisa Stewart is 50. Movie writer-director M. Night Shyamalan is 48. Actress Merrin Dungey is 47. Singer Geri Halliwell Horner is 46. Actor Jason O’Mara is 46. Singer-actor David Campbell is 45. Actress Vera Farmiga is 45. Actress Ever Carradine is 44. Actress Soleil Moon Frye is 42. Actress Melissa George is 42. Rock singer Travis McCoy (Gym Class Heroes) is 37. Actor Leslie Odom Jr. is 37. Actress Romola Garai is 36. Rock musician Eric Roberts (Gym Class Heroes) is

34.