TODAY IN HISTORY

1883

The island volcano Krakatoa began cataclysmic eruptions, leading to a massive explosion the following day.

1920

The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, guaranteeing American women’s right to vote, was certified in effect by Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby.

1939

The first televised major league baseball games were shown on experimental station W2XBS: a doubleheader between the Cincinnati Reds and the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field.

1957

The Soviet Union announced it had successfully tested an intercontinental ballistic missile.

1972

The summer Olympics opened in Munich, West Germany.

2017

Hurricane Harvey spun into Texas, unloading extraordinary amounts of rain. The hurricane killed nearly 70 people, damaged more than 300,000structures and caused an estimated $125 billion in damage.

Birthdays

Former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge is 76. Former NBA coach Stan Van Gundy is 62. Actorsinger Shirley Manson (Garbage) is 55. Actor Melissa McCarthy is 51. Actor Macaulay Culkin is 41. Comedian/actor/ writer John Mulaney is 39. Actor Evan Ross is 33. Actor Keke Palmer is 28.