Today in History

Today is Tuesday, July 22nd, the 204th day of 2008. There are 162 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History: On July 22nd, 1933, American aviator Wiley Post completed the first solo flight around the world as he returned to New York's Floyd Bennett Field after traveling for seven days, 18 and three-quarter hours.

On this date: In 1587, an English colony fated to vanish under mysterious circumstances was established on Roanoke Island off North Carolina.

In 1796, Cleveland, Ohio, was founded by General Moses Cleaveland (correct).

In 1908, American etiquette expert Amy Vanderbilt was born in New York City.

In 1934, a man identified as bank robber John Dillinger was shot to death by federal agents outside Chicago's Biograph Theater.

In 1937, the Senate rejected President Roosevelt's proposal to add more justices to the Supreme Court.

In 1942, the Nazis began transporting Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto to the Treblinka concentration camp.

In 1943, American forces led by General George S. Patton captured Palermo, Sicily, during World War II.

In 1946, Jewish extremists blew up a wing of the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, killing 90 people.

In 1975, the House of Representatives joined the Senate in voting to restore the American citizenship of Confederate General Robert E. Lee.

In 1983, Samantha Smith and her parents returned home to Manchester, Maine, after completing a whirlwind tour of the Soviet Union.

Ten years ago: The Senate Armed Services Committee rejected, on a 9-9 vote, Daryl Jones' bid to become Air Force secretary.

President CLinton, with Republican lawmakers at his side, signed a bill designed to mold the Internal Revenue Service into a friendlier, fairer tax collector.

Five years ago: Saddam Hussein's sons Odai (oh-DAY') and Qusai (ku-SAY') were killed when U.S. forces stormed a villa in Mosul (MOH'-sul), Iraq. Months after her prisoner-of-war ordeal, Private First Class Jessica Lynch returned home to a hero's welcome in Elizabeth, West Virginia.

One year ago: A bus carrying Polish Catholic pilgrims from a holy site in the French Alps plunged off a steep mountain road, killing 26 people. Padraig Harrington survived a calamitous finish in regulation and a tense putt for bogey on the final hole of a playoff to win the British Open. Cinematographer Laszlo Kovacs died in Beverly Hills, California, at age 74.

Today's Birthdays: Former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole (Republican, Kansas) is 85. Singer Margaret Whiting is 84.

Actor-comedian Orson Bean is 80. Fashion designer Oscar de la Renta is 76. Actress Louise Fletcher is 74. Movie director John Korty is 72. Rhythm-and-blues singer Chuck Jackson is 71. Actor Terence Stamp is 69. Game show host Alex Trebek is 68. Singer George Clinton is 67. Actor-singer Bobby Sherman is 65. Singer Estelle Bennett (The Ronettes) is 64. Movie writer-director Paul Schrader is 62. Actor Danny Glover is 61. Actor-comedian-director Albert Brooks is 61. Rock singer Don Henley is 61. Movie composer Alan Menken is 59. Actor Willem Dafoe is 53. Rhythm-and-blues singer Keith Sweat is 47. Actress Joanna Going is 45. Actor Rob Estes is 45. Folk singer Emily Saliers (Indigo Girls) is 45. Actor John Leguizamo is 44. Actor-comedian David Spade is 44. Actor Patrick Labyorteaux is 43. Rock musician Pat Badger is 41. Actress Irene Bedard is 41. Actor Rhys Ifans (rees EYE'-fanz) is 41. Actor Colin Ferguson is 36. Rock musician Daniel Jones is 35. Singer Rufus Wainwright is 35. Actress Franka Potente (poh-TEN'-tay) is 34.

Actress A.J. Cook is 30.

Thought for Today: "Somehow a bachelor never quite gets over the idea that he is a thing of beauty and a boy forever." Helen Rowland, American writer and humorist (1875-1950).

(Above Advance for Use Tuesday, July 22nd)


Copyright 2008, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APNP 07-13-08 0832CDT | save this article / add to your favorites list