Today in History
Today in History
Today is Saturday, July 13, the 194th day of 2019. There are 171 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On July 13, 1985, “Live Aid,” an international rock concert in London, Philadelphia, Moscow and Sydney, took place to raise money for Africa’s starving people.
On this date:
In 1863, deadly rioting against the Civil War military draft erupted in New York City. (The insurrection was put down three days later.)
In 1960, John F. Kennedy won the Democratic presidential nomination on the first ballot at his party’s convention in Los Angeles, outdrawing rivals including Lyndon B. Johnson, Stuart Symington and Adlai Stevenson.
In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson nominated Thurgood Marshall to be U.S. Solicitor General; Marshall became the first black jurist appointed to the post. (Two years later, Johnson nominated Marshall to the U.S. Supreme Court.)
In 1972, George McGovern received the Democratic presidential nomination at the party’s convention in Miami Beach.
In 1973, former presidential aide Alexander P. Butterfield revealed to Senate Watergate Committee staff members the existence of President Richard Nixon’s secret White House taping system. (Butterfield’s public revelation came three days later.)
In 1977, a blackout hit New York City in the mid-evening as lightning strikes on electrical equipment caused power to fail; widespread looting broke out. (The electricity was restored about 25 hours later.)
In 1978, Lee Iacocca was fired as president of Ford Motor Co. by chairman Henry Ford II.
In 1990, the romantic fantasy “Ghost,” starring Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore, was released by Paramount Pictures.
In 1999, Angel Maturino Resendiz (ahn-HEHL’ mah-tyoo-REE’-noh reh-SEHN’-deez), suspected of being the “Railroad Killer,” surrendered in El Paso, Texas. (Resendiz was executed in 2006.)
In 2005, A suicide car bomb exploded next to U.S. troops handing out candy and toys in Iraq, killing more than two dozen people, including 18 children and teenagers and an American soldier.
In 2006, Israel imposed a naval blockade against Lebanon and blasted the Beirut airport and army air bases; Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets into Israel.
In 2013, a jury in Sanford, Florida, cleared neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman of all charges in the shooting of Trayvon Martin, the unarmed black teenager whose killing unleashed furious debate over racial profiling, self-defense and equal justice. Actor Cory Monteith, who’d shot to fame in the hit TV series “Glee” but was beset by addiction struggles, was found dead in a hotel room in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; he was 31.
Ten years ago: Sonia Sotomayor, the first Hispanic Supreme Court nominee in history, vowed loyalty to “the impartiality of our justice system” at the start of her Senate confirmation hearing. President Barack Obama, back from his overseas trip, stepped forcefully back into the health care debate as he presented his nominee for surgeon general, Dr. Regina Benjamin.
Five years ago: Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Matthews Burwell met privately with dozens of governors as the Obama administration tried to get support from states that would host thousands of Central American children who had crossed the Mexican border on their own. Germany scored a 1-0 victory over Argentina to win the World Cup final. Death claimed conductor Lorin Maazel, 84; Nobel Prize-winning author Nadine Gordimer, 90; author Thomas Berger, 89.
One year ago: A grand jury indictment, sought by special counsel Robert Mueller, alleged that the Russian government was behind a sweeping conspiracy to interfere in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. The grand jury indicted 12 Russian military intelligence officers on charges that they had hacked Hillary Clinton’s campaign and the Democratic Party, releasing tens of thousands of stolen and politically damaging communications. President Donald Trump wrapped up a turbulent 30-hour visit to England, dropping by Windsor Castle for tea with the queen and lavishing praise on Prime Minister Theresa May after earlier questioning May’s leadership in an interview. Thousands crammed the streets of London to vent their anger over Trump’s first official visit to Britain. A suicide bomber killed 149 people at an election rally in Pakistan; hours later, disgraced former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was arrested on corruption charges upon his return from London.
Today’s Birthdays: Game show announcer Johnny Gilbert (TV: “Jeopardy!”) is 95. Actor Patrick Stewart is 79. Actor Robert Forster is 78. Actor Harrison Ford is 77. Singer-guitarist Roger McGuinn (The Byrds) is 77. Actor-comedian Cheech Marin is 73. Actress Daphne Maxwell Reid is 71. Actress Didi Conn is 68. Actor Gil Birmingham is 66. Singer Louise Mandrell is 65. Rock musician Mark “The Animal” Mendoza (Twisted Sister) is 63. Actor-director Cameron Crowe is 62. Former tennis player Anders Jarryd is 58. Rock musician Gonzalo Martinez De La Cotera is 57. Comedian Tom Kenny is 57. Country singer-songwriter Victoria Shaw is 57. Bluegrass singer Rhonda Vincent is 57. Actor Kenny Johnson is 56. Roots singer/songwriter Paul Thorn is 55. Country singer Neil Thrasher is 54. Actor Ken Jeong is 50. Bluegrass musician Mike Barber (The Gibson Brothers) is 49. Singer Deborah Cox is 46. Actress Ashley Scott is 42. Rock musician Will Champion (Coldplay) is 41. Actor Fran Kranz is 38. Actress Aya Cash is 37. St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina is 37. Actor Colton Haynes is 31. Actor Steven R. McQueen is 31. Soul singer Leon Bridges is 30. Actress Hayley Erin (“General Hospital”) is 25. Actor Kyle Harrison Breitkopf (BRYT’-kahpf) is 14.
Thought for Today: “Back of every mistaken venture and defeat is the laughter of wisdom, if you listen.” — Carl Sandburg, American writer (1878-1967).
Copyright 2019, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.