TODAY IN HISTORY

FRIDAY AUG 13, 2021 1910

Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing, died in London at age 90.

1521

Spanish conqueror Hernando Cortez captured Tenochtitlan, present-day Mexico City, from the Aztecs.

1704

The Battle of Blenheim was fought during the War of the Spanish Succession, resulting in a victory for Englishled forces over French and Bavarian soldiers.

1846

The American flag was raised in Los Angeles for the first time.

1860

Legendary sharpshooter Annie Oakley was born in Darke County, Ohio.

1889

William Gray of Hartford, Conn., received a patent for a coin-operated telephone.

1932

Adolf Hitler rejected the post of vice chancellor of Germany, saying he was prepared to hold out “for all or nothing.”

1942

Walt Disney’s animated feature “Bambi” had its U.S. premiere at Radio City Music Hall in New York, five days after its world premiere in London.

1961

East Germany sealed off the border between Berlin’s eastern and western sectors before building a wall that would divide the city for the next 28 years.

1967

The crime caper biopic “Bonnie and Clyde,” starring Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway, had its U.S. premiere; the movie, directed by Arthur Penn, was considered shocking as well as innovative for its graphic portrayal of violence.

2003

Iraq began pumping crude oil from its northern oil fields for the first time since the start of the war. Libya agreed to set up a $2.7 billion fund for families of the 270people killed in the 1988 Pan Am bombing.

2004

TV chef Julia Child died in Montecito, California, two days short of her 92nd birthday.