Today is Sunday, July ninth, the 190th day of 2006. There are 175 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On July ninth, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was read aloud to General George Washington’s troops in New York.
On this date:
In 1540, England’s King Henry the Eighth had his six-month-old marriage to his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, annulled.
In 1816, Argentina declared independence from Spain.
In 1850, the 12th president of the United States, Zachary Taylor, died after serving only 16 months of his term.
In 1896, William Jennings Bryan delivered his famous “cross of gold” speech at the Democratic national convention in Chicago.
In 1918, 101 people were killed in a train collision in Nashville, Tennessee.
In 1944, during World War Two, American forces secured Saipan as the last Japanese defenses fell.
In 1947, the engagement of Britain’s Princess Elizabeth to Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten was announced.
In 1951, President Truman asked Congress to formally end the state of war between the United States and Germany.
In 1982, a Pan Am Boeing 727 crashed in Kenner, Louisiana, killing all 146 people aboard and eight people on the ground.
In 1986, the Attorney General’s Commission on Pornography released the final draft of its report, which linked hard-core porn to sex crimes.
Ten years ago: Former Colorado Governor Richard Lamm began a drive for the presidential nomination of Ross Perot’s fledgling Reform Party. Attorney Melvin Belli died in San Francisco at age 88. The National League won the All-Star game, defeating the American League 6-to-0 in Philadelphia.
Five years ago: A divided court in Chile ruled that General Augusto Pinochet could not be tried on human rights charges because of his deteriorating health and mental condition, a ruling that effectively brought the 85-year-old former dictator’s legal troubles to an end. Wild-card entrant Goran Ivanisevic (ee-van-EE’-seh-vihch) won the men’s title at Wimbledon by beating Patrick Rafter 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 2-6, 9-7.
One year ago: A purported Taliban spokesman in Afghanistan said the group had beheaded a missing American commando, but he offered no proof and the U-S military said it was still searching for the Navy SEAL. (The body of the commando was found the next day.) A panda cub, later named Tai Shan (ty shawn), was born at the National Zoo in Washington.
Today’s Birthdays: Actor-singer Ed Ames is 79. Singer-songwriter Lee Hazelwood is 77. Actor James Hampton is 70. Actor Brian Dennehy is 68. Actor Richard Roundtree is 64. Author Dean Koontz is 61. Football Hall-of-Famer O.J. Simpson is 59. Actor Chris Cooper is 55. TV personality John Tesh is 54. Country singer David Ball is 53. Rhythm-and-blues singer Debbie Sledge (Sister Sledge) is 52. Actor Jimmy Smits is 51. Actress Lisa Banes is 51. Actor Tom Hanks is 50. Singer Marc Almond is 49. Actress Kelly McGillis is 49. Rock singer Jim Kerr (Simple Minds) is 47. Actress-rock singer Courtney Love is 42. Rock musician Frank Bello (Anthrax) is 41. Actor David O’Hara is 41. Actor Scott Grimes is 35. Actor Enrique Murciano is 33. Rock musician Dan Estrin (Hoobastank) is 30. Actor Fred Savage is 30. Country musician Pat Allingham is 28. Actress Megan Parlen is 26. Rhythm-and-blues singer Kiely Williams (3lw) is 20.
Thought for Today: “Quotations (such as have point and lack triteness) from the great old authors are an act of filial reverence on the part of the quoter, and a blessing to a public grown superficial and external.” -- Louise Imogen Guiney, American poet and essayist (1861-1920).