Today in History
Today is Sunday, Aug. 14, the 227th day of 2016. There are 139 days
left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Aug. 14, 1941,
President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston
Churchill issued the Atlantic Charter, a joint declaration that
expressed hopes for "a better future for the world. On this date: In
1848, the Oregon Territory was created. In 1900, international forces,
including U.S. Marines, entered Beijing to put down the Boxer
Rebellion, which was aimed at purging China of foreign influence. In
1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act
into law. In 1936, Rainey Bethea became the last man to be publicly
executed in the United States as he was hanged in Owensboro, Kentucky,
for raping 70-year-old Lischia Edwards. In 1945, President Harry S.
Truman announced that Imperial Japan had surrendered unconditionally,
ending World War II. In 1947, Pakistan became independent of British
rule. In 1951, newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst, 88, died in
Beverly Hills, California. In 1956, German dramatist Bertolt Brecht
died in East Berlin at age 58. In 1969, British troops went to Northern
Ireland to intervene in sectarian violence between Protestants and
Roman Catholics. In 1973, U.S. bombing of Cambodia came to a halt. In
1980, workers went on strike at the Lenin Shipyard in Gdansk
(guh-DANSK'), Poland, in a job action that resulted in creation of the
Solidarity labor movement. Actress-model Dorothy Stratten, 20, was shot
to death by her estranged husband and manager, Paul Snider, who then
killed himself. In 1996, the Republican national convention in San
Diego nominated Bob Dole for president and Jack Kemp for vice
president. Ten years ago: Israel halted its offensive against Hezbollah
guerrillas as a U.N. -imposed cease-fire went into effect after a month
of warfare that had killed more than 900 people. Cuban state television
aired the first photos of Fidel Castro since he stepped down as
president to recover from surgery, showing the bedridden Cuban leader
talking with his brother Raul as well as Venezuelan President Hugo
Chavez (OO'-goh CHAH'-vez). Actor Bruno Kirby died in Los Angeles at
age 57. Five years ago: Syria used gunboats for the first time to crush
the uprising against Bashar Assad's regime, hammering parts of the
Mediterranean coastal city of Latakia after thousands marched there to
demand the president's ouster. Keegan Bradley won the PGA Championship
after staging an amazing comeback to force a three-hole playoff and
beat Jason Dufner at Atlanta Athletic Club. One year ago: The Stars and
Stripes rose over the newly reopened U.S. Embassy in Cuba after a half
century of often-hostile relations; U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry
celebrated the day, but also made an extraordinary, nationally
broadcast call for democratic change on the island. Today's Birthdays:
Broadway lyricist Lee Adams ("Bye Bye Birdie") is 92. Pulitzer
Prize-winning author Russell Baker is 91. Singer Buddy Greco is 90.
College Football Hall of Famer John Brodie is 81. Singer Dash Crofts is
78. Rock singer David Crosby is 75. Country singer Connie Smith is 75.
Comedian-actor Steve Martin is 71. Actor Antonio Fargas is 70.
Singer-musician Larry Graham is 70. Actress Susan Saint James is 70.
Actor David Schramm is 70. Author Danielle Steel is 69. Rock
singer-musician Terry Adams (NRBQ) is 66. "Far Side" cartoonist Gary
Larson is 66. Actor Carl Lumbly is 65. Olympic gold medal swimmer
Debbie Meyer is 64. Actress Jackee Harry is 60. Actress Marcia Gay
Harden is 57. Basketball Hall of Famer Earvin "Magic" Johnson is 57.
Singer Sarah Brightman is 56. Actress Susan Olsen is 55.
Actress-turned-fashion/interior designer Cristi Conaway is 52. Rock
musician Keith Howland (Chicago) is 52. Actress Halle Berry is 50.
Actor Ben Bass is 48. Actress Catherine Bell is 48. Country musician
Cody McCarver (Confederate Railroad) is 48. Rock musician Kevin Cadogan
is 46. Actor Scott Michael Campbell is 45. Actress Lalanya Masters is
44. Actor Christopher Gorham is 42. Actress Mila Kunis is 33. Actor
Lamorne Morris is 33. TV personality Spencer Pratt is 33. NFL
quarterback Tim Tebow is 29. Thought for Today: "The aims of life are
the best defense against death. Primo Levi, Italian chemist and writer
(1919-1987).
