Today in History
Today is Thursday, July 7, the 189th day of 2016. There are 177 days
left in the year. Today's Highlights in History: On July 7, 1976,
President and Mrs. Gerald R. Ford hosted a White House dinner for
Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. The United States
Military Academy at West Point included female cadets for the first
time as 119 women joined the Class of 1980. On this date: In 1846, U.S.
annexation of California was proclaimed at Monterey (mahn-tuh-RAY')
after the surrender of a Mexican garrison. In 1865, four people were
hanged in Washington, D.C., for conspiring with John Wilkes Booth to
assassinate President Abraham Lincoln: Lewis Powell (aka Lewis Payne),
David Herold, George Atzerodt and Mary Surratt, the first woman to be
executed by the U.S. federal government. In 1898, the United States
annexed Hawaii. In 1919, the first Transcontinental Motor Convoy, in
which a U.S. Army convoy of motorized vehicles crossed the United
States, departed Washington, D.C. (The trip ended in San Francisco on
Sept. 6, 1919.) In 1937, the Second Sino-Japanese War erupted into
full-scale conflict as Imperial Japanese forces attacked the Marco Polo
Bridge in Beijing. In 1946, Jimmy Carter, 21, married Rosalynn
(ROH'-zuh-lihn) Smith, 18, in Plains, Georgia. Also in 1946,
Italian-born Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini was canonized as the first
American saint by Pope Pius XII. In 1948, six female U.S. Navy
reservists became the first women to be sworn in to the regular Navy.
In 1954, Elvis Presley made his radio debut as Memphis, Tennessee,
station WHBQ played his first recording for Sun Records, "That's All
Right. In 1969, Canada's House of Commons gave final approval to the
Official Languages Act, making French equal to English throughout the
national government. In 1981, President Ronald Reagan announced he was
nominating Arizona Judge Sandra Day O'Connor to become the first female
justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1987, Lt. Col. Oliver North began
his long-awaited public testimony at the Iran- Contra hearing, telling
Congress that he had "never carried out a single act, not one," without
authorization. In 1990, the first "Three Tenors" concert took place as
opera stars Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras
performed amid the brick ruins of Rome's Baths of Caracalla on the eve
of the World Cup championship. Ten years ago: Over Chinese and Russian
objections, Japan introduced a draft U.N. Security Council resolution
to sanction North Korea for test-launching a series of missiles. (The
Council unanimously adopted a compromise resolution on July 15.) Syd
Barrett, co-founder of Pink Floyd, died in Cambridge, England, at age
60. Five years ago: Rupert Murdoch's media empire unexpectedly
jettisoned News of the World, Britain's best-selling Sunday newspaper,
after a public backlash over claims it had used phone hacking and other
illegal tactics to expose the rich and famous, royals and ordinary
citizens. A Texas Rangers fan, 39-year-old Shannon Stone, died from a
fatal fall when reaching out to grab a baseball tossed his way by
All-Star outfielder Josh Hamilton during a Rangers game. "Harry Potter
and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2," the final movie based on the wizard
fantasy books, debuted in London on its way to becoming the year's
top-grossing movie. One year ago: President Barack Obama met at the
White House with the head of Vietnam's Communist Party, Nguyen Phu
Trong, as the U.S. pressed ahead to conclude talks on a groundbreaking
Asia-Pacific economic pact. Subway said it had mutually agreed with
Jared Fogle to suspend their relationship after the home of the
sandwich chain's longtime pitchman was raided by federal and state
investigators. (Fogle later pleaded guilty to one count each of
distributing and receiving child porn and traveling to engage in
illicit sexual conduct with a child, and was sentenced to more than 15
years in prison.) Three people were shot to death in a Baltimore
neighborhood near the University of Maryland campus. Today's Birthdays:
Musician-conductor Doc Severinsen is 89. Pulitzer Prize-winning author
David McCullough is 83. Rock star Ringo Starr is 76. Rock musician Jim
Rodford is 75. Comedian Bill Oddie is 75. Singer-musician Warren Entner
(The Grass Roots) is 73. Actor Joe Spano is 70. Pop singer David Hodo
(The Village People) is 69. Country singer Linda Williams is 69.
Actress Shelley Duvall is 67. Actress Roz Ryan is 65. Actor Billy
Campbell is 57. Actor Robert Taylor is 56. Rock musician Mark White
(Spin Doctors) is 54. Singer-songwriter Vonda Shepard is 53.
Actor-comedian Jim Gaffigan is 50. Rhythm-and-blues musician Ricky
Kinchen (Mint Condition) is 50. Actress Amy Carlson is 48. Actress
Jorja Fox is 48. Actress Cree Summer is 47. Actress Robin Weigert is
47. Actress Kirsten Vangsness is 44. Actor Troy Garity is 43. Actress
Berenice Bejo (BEH'-ruh-nees BAY'-hoh) is 40. Actor Hamish Linklater is
40. Olympic silver and bronze medal figure skater Michelle Kwan is 36.
Rapper Cassidy is 34. Country singer Gabbie Nolen is 34. Actor Ross
Malinger is 32. Pop singer Ally Hernandez (Fifth Harmony) (TV: "The X
Factor") is 23. Pop musician Ashton Irwin (5 Seconds to Summer) is 22.
Country singer Maddie Marlow (Maddie and Tae) is 21. Thought for Today:
"Nothing ever comes to one, that is worth having, except as a result of
hard work. Booker T. Washington, American educator and author
(1856-1915).
