Today in History
Today is Monday, Aug. 29, the 242nd day of 2016. There are 124 days
left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Aug. 29, 1966, the
Beatles concluded their fourth American tour with their last public
concert, held at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. On this date: In
1533, the last Incan King of Peru, Atahualpa (ah-tuh-WAHL'-puh), was
executed on orders of Spanish conqueror Francisco Pizarro. In 1877, the
second president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints,
Brigham Young, died in Salt Lake City, Utah, at age 76. In 1910, Korean
Emperor Sunjong abdicated as the Japan-Korea Annexation Treaty went
into effect. In 1935, the film "Top Hat," starring Fred Astaire and
Ginger Rogers, premiered at Radio City Music Hall in New York. In 1944,
15,000 American troops of the 28th Infantry Division marched down the
Champs Elysees (shahms ay-lee-ZAY') in Paris as the French capital
continued to celebrate its liberation from the Nazis. In 1952, the
composition 4'33" ("Four Minutes, Thirty-three Seconds") by avant-garde
composer John Cage premiered in Woodstock, New York, as David Tudor sat
down at a piano, shut the keyboard lid, and, for four minutes and 33
seconds, played ... nothing. In 1958, pop superstar Michael Jackson was
born in Gary, Indiana. In 1965, Gemini 5, carrying astronauts Gordon
Cooper and Charles "Pete" Conrad, splashed down in the Atlantic after 8
days in space. In 1972, swimmer Mark Spitz of the United States won the
third of his seven gold medals at the Munich Olympics, finishing first
in the 200-meter freestyle. In 1981, broadcaster and world traveler
Lowell Thomas died in Pawling, New York, at age 89. In 1996, the
Democratic National Convention in Chicago nominated Al Gore for a
second term as vice president. Earlier in the day, President Bill
Clinton's chief political strategist, Dick Morris, resigned amid a
scandal over his relationship with a prostitute. In 2005, Hurricane
Katrina hit the Gulf Coast near Buras, Louisiana, bringing floods that
devastated New Orleans. More than 1,800 people in the region died. Ten
years ago: President George W. Bush visited New Orleans one year after
Hurricane Katrina devastated the region to offer comfort and hope to
residents. Tropical Storm Ernesto's leading edge drenched Miami and the
rest of southern Florida. Five years ago: In a sign Moammar Gadhafi had
lost grip on his country, his wife and three of his children fled Libya
to neighboring Algeria. Grammy-winning blues musician David "Honey Boy"
Edwards, believed to be the oldest surviving Delta bluesman, died in
his Chicago home at age 96. One year ago: Church bells rang marking the
decade since Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast; local and
congressional leaders laid wreaths at a memorial in New Orleans holding
the unclaimed and unidentified bodies from the deadly storm. An
Egyptian court sentenced three journalists for Al-Jazeera English to
three years in prison for broadcasting "false news," sparking an
international outcry. Triple Crown winner American Pharoah lost to Keen
Ice in the $1.6 million Travers Stakes before a stunned crowd at
Saratoga Race Course. Author and motivational speaker Wayne W. Dyer,
75, died in Hawaii. Today's Birthdays: Actress Betty Lynn (TV: "The
Andy Griffith Show") is 90. Movie director William Friedkin is 81. Sen.
John McCain, R-Ariz., is 80. Actor Elliott Gould is 78. Movie director
Joel Schumacher is 77. TV personality Robin Leach is 75. Actress
Deborah Van Valkenburgh is 64. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew is 61.
Dancer-choreographer Mark Morris is 60. Country musician Dan Truman
(Diamond Rio) is 60. Actress Rebecca DeMornay is 57. Singer Me'Shell
NdegeOcello (n-DAY'-gay-OH'-chehl-oh) is 48. Rhythm-and-blues singer
Carl Martin (Shai) is 46. Actress Carla Gugino is 45. Rock musician
Kyle Cook (Matchbox Twenty) is 41. Actor John Hensley is 39. Actress
Kate Simses (TV: "Dr. Ken") is 37. Rock musician David Desrosiers
(Simple Plan) is 36. Rapper A+ is 34. Actress Jennifer Landon is 33.
Actor Jeffrey Licon is 31. Actress-singer Lea Michele is 30. Actress
Charlotte Ritchie (TV: "Call the Midwife") is 27. Actress Nicole Gale
Anderson is 26. Rock singer Liam Payne (One Direction) is 23. Thought
for Today: "Whom the gods wish to destroy they first call promising.
Cyril Connolly, British journalist-writer (1903-1974).
