Today is Wednesday, Aug. 22, the 234th day of 2007. There are 131 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:On Aug. 22, 1787, inventor John Fitch demonstrated his steamboat on the Delaware River to delegates of the Continental Congress.
On this date:In 1485, England’s King Richard III was killed in the Battle of Bosworth Field, ending the War of the Roses.
In 1846, Gen. Stephen W. Kearny proclaimed all of New Mexico a territory of the United States.
In 1851, the schooner America outraced more than a dozen British vessels off the English coast to win a trophy that came to be known as the America’s Cup.
In 1904, Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping was born in Sichuan province.
In 1910, Japan annexed Korea, which remained under Japanese colonial rule until 1945.
In 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Vice President Richard M. Nixon were nominated for second terms in office by the Republican national convention in San Francisco.
In 1968, Pope Paul VI arrived in Bogota, Colombia, for the start of the first papal visit to Latin America.
In 1978, President Jomo Kenyatta, a leading figure in Kenya’s struggle for independence, died; Vice President Daniel Arap Moi was sworn in as acting president.
In 1985, 55 people died when fire broke out aboard a British Airtours charter jet on a runway at Manchester Airport in England.
In 1989, Black Panther co-founder Huey P. Newton was shot to death in Oakland, Calif. (Gunman Tyrone Robinson was later sentenced to 32 years to life in prison.)
Ten years ago: A federal official threw out the contentious Teamsters election because of alleged campaign fund-raising abuses, forcing union President Ron Carey into another race against James P. Hoffa.
Five years ago: President Bush proposed to end the government’s “hands-off” policy in national forests and ease logging restrictions in fire-prone areas. A small plane carrying 18 people, including tourists from Germany, the United States and Britain, crashed in Nepal, killing all aboard.
One year ago: A Russian Pulkovo Airlines jet carrying 170 people crashed in eastern Ukraine, killing all aboard. Paramount Pictures severed ties to Tom Cruise after 14 years, citing unacceptable conduct.
Today’s Birthdays: Author Ray Bradbury is 87. Heart surgeon Dr. Denton Cooley is 87. Retired Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf is 73. Broadcast journalist Morton Dean is 72. Writer Annie Proulx is 72. Rockabilly singer Dale Hawkins is 71. Baseball Hall-of-Famer Carl Yastrzemski is 68. Actress Valerie Harper is 67. Football coach Bill Parcells is 66. CBS newsman Steve Kroft is 62. Actress Cindy Williams is 60. Musician David Marks is 59. Country singer Holly Dunn is 50. Rock musician Vernon Reid is 49. Country singer Collin Raye is 47. Actress Regina Taylor is 47. Country singer Ricky Lynn Gregg is 46. Rock singer Roland Orzabal (Tears For Fears) is 46. Rock musician Debbi Peterson (The Bangles) is 46. Rock musician Gary Lee Connor (Screaming Trees) is 45. Singer Tori Amos is 44. Country singer Mila Mason is 44. Rhythm-and-blues musician James DeBarge is 44. Tennis player Mats Wilander is 43. Rapper GZA/The Genius is 41. Actor Rick Yune is 36. Rock musician Paul Doucette (Matchbox Twenty) is 35. Rap-reggae singer Beenie Man is 34. Singer Howie Dorough (Backstreet Boys) is 34. Actress Jenna Leigh Green is 33. Rock musician Jeff Stinco (Simple Plan) is 29.
Thought for Today: “The individual says, ’My crowd doesn’t run that way.’ I say, don’t run with crowds.” — Robert Henri, American artist (1865-1929).