Today In History
Today is Tuesday, Aug. 7, the 219th day of 2018. There are 146 days left in the year.
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT
1782: Gen. George Washington created the Order of the Purple Heart, a decoration to recognize merit in enlisted men and noncommissioned officers.
ON THIS DATE
1789: The U.S. Department of War was established by Congress.
1882: The famous feud between the Hatfields of West Virginia and the McCoys of Kentucky erupted into fullscale violence.
1942: U.S. and other allied forces landed at Guadalcanal, marking the start of the first major allied offensive in the Pacific during World War II. (Japanese forces abandoned the island the following February.)
1959: The United States launched the Explorer 6 satellite, which sent back images of Earth.
1990: President George H.W. Bush ordered U.S. troops and warplanes to Saudi Arabia to guard the oil-rich desert kingdom against a possible invasion by Iraq.
2007: San Francisco’s Barry Bonds hit home run No. 756 to break Hank Aaron’s storied record with one out in the fifth inning of a game against the Washington Nationals, who won, 8-6.
2010: Elena Kagan was sworn in as the 112th justice and fourth woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court.
TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS
Magician, author and lecturer James Randi is 90. Former MLB pitcher Don Larsen is 89. Actress Verna Bloom is 80. Humorist Garrison Keillor is 76. Actor David Rasche is 74. Former diplomat, talk show host and activist Alan Keyes is 68. Country singer Rodney Crowell is 68. Actress Caroline Aaron is 66. Comedian Alexei Sayle is 66. Actor Wayne Knight is 63. Rock singer Bruce Dickinson is 60. Marathon runner Alberto Salazar is 60. Actor David Duchovny is 58. Country musician Michael Mahler (Wild Horses) is 57. Actress Delane Matthews is 57. Actor David Mann is 52. Actress Charlotte Lewis is 51. Actress Sydney Penny is 47. Actor Greg Serano is 46. Actor Michael Shannon is 44. Actress Charlize Theron is 43. Rock musician Barry Kerch (Shinedown) is 42. Actor Eric Johnson is 39. Actor Randy Wayne is 37. Actor-writer Brit Marling is 36. Actor Liam James is 22.