Today in History
Today is Tuesday, Aug. 2, the 215th day of 2016. There are 151 days
left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Aug. 2, 1776,
members of the Continental Congress began attaching their signatures to
the Declaration of Independence. On this date: In 216 B.C., during the
Second Punic War, Carthaginian forces led by Hannibal defeated the
Roman army in the Battle of Cannae. In 1873, inventor Andrew S.
Hallidie (HAH'-lih-day) successfully tested a cable car he had designed
for the city of San Francisco. In 1876, frontiersman "Wild Bill" Hickok
was shot and killed while playing poker at a saloon in Deadwood, Dakota
Territory, by Jack McCall, who was later hanged. In 1909, the original
Lincoln "wheat" penny first went into circulation, replacing the
"Indian Head" cent. In 1923, the 29th president of the United States,
Warren G. Harding, died in San Francisco; Vice President Calvin
Coolidge became president. In 1934, German President Paul von
Hindenburg died, paving the way for Adolf Hitler's complete takeover.
In 1939, Albert Einstein signed a letter to President Franklin D.
Roosevelt urging creation of an atomic weapons research program.
President Roosevelt signed the Hatch Act, which prohibited civil
service employees from taking an active part in political campaigns. In
1943, during World War II, U.S. Navy boat PT-109, commanded by Lt. (jg)
John F. Kennedy, sank after being rammed in the middle of the night by
the Japanese destroyer Amagiri off the Solomon Islands. Two crew
members were killed. In 1964, the destroyer USS Maddox suffered light
damage during a skirmish with North Vietnamese patrol torpedo boats in
the Gulf of Tonkin. (This and an alleged second incident two days later
led to congressional approval of the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution that
propelled America deep into war.) In 1974, former White House counsel
John W. Dean III was sentenced to one to four years in prison for
obstruction of justice in the Watergate coverup. (Dean ended up serving
four months.) In 1985, 137 people were killed when Delta Air Lines
Flight 191, a Lockheed L-1011 Tristar, crashed while attempting to land
at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. In 1990, Iraq invaded
Kuwait, seizing control of the oil-rich emirate. (The Iraqis were later
driven out in Operation Desert Storm.) Ten years ago: Five days after
being pulled over by police, actor-director Mel Gibson was charged with
misdemeanor drunken driving, having an elevated blood-alcohol level and
having an open container of liquor in his car. (Gibson later pleaded no
contest to drunken driving under a deal in which he received three
years' probation, paid a fine and agreed to attend alcohol
rehabilitation classes.) Five years ago: The Senate passed, and
President Barack Obama signed, legislation to avoid an unprecedented
national default. New York Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira
(teh-SHEHR'-uh) set a major league record when he homered from both
sides of the plate for the 12th time in his career during a 6-0 win
over the Chicago White Sox. One year ago: The International Olympic
Committee said it would order testing for disease-causing viruses in
the sewage-polluted waters where athletes would be competing in the
2016 Rio Games, days after an Associated Press investigation revealed
high counts of viruses directly linked to human waste in the waters.
Inbee Park of South Korea rallied to win the Women's British Open to
become the seventh women to win four different major championships.
Today's Birthdays: Actor Nehemiah Persoff is 97. Former Sen. Paul
Laxalt, R-Nev., is 94. Rock musician Garth Hudson (The Band) is 79.
Singer Kathy Lennon (The Lennon Sisters) is 73. Actor Max Wright is 73.
Actress Joanna Cassidy is 71. Actress Kathryn Harrold is 66. Actor
Butch Patrick (TV: "The Munsters") is 63. Rock music producer/drummer
Butch Vig (Garbage) is 61. Singer Mojo Nixon is 59. Actress Victoria
Jackson is 57. Actress Apollonia is 57. Actress Cynthia Stevenson is
54. Actress Mary-Louise Parker is 52. Rock musician John Stanier is 48.
Writer-actor-director Kevin Smith is 46. Actor Sam Worthington is 40.
Figure skater Michael Weiss is 40. Actor Edward Furlong is 39. Rock
musician Devon Glenn is 36. TV meterologist Dylan Dreyer (TV: "Today")
is 35. Singer Charli XCX is 24. Actress Hallie Eisenberg is 24. Thought
for Today: "We look forward to the time when the power to love will
replace the love of power. William Ellery Channing, American clergyman
(1780-1842).
