Today is Sunday, July 10, the 191st day of 2005. There are 174 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On July 10, 1940, during World War II, the 114-day Battle of Britain began as Nazi forces began attacking southern England by air.
On this date:
In 1850, Vice President Millard Fillmore assumed the presidency, following the death of President Taylor.
In 1890, Wyoming became the 44th state.
In 1919, President Wilson personally delivered the Treaty of Versailles to the Senate, and urged its ratification.
In 1925, the official news agency of the Soviet Union, TASS, was established.
In 1943, during World War II, U.S. and British forces invaded Sicily.
In 1951, armistice talks aimed at ending the Korean conflict began at Kaesong.
In 1962, the Telstar communications satellite was launched from Cape Canaveral, Fla.
In 1973, the Bahamas became independent after three centuries of British colonial rule.
In 1985, bowing to pressure from irate customers, the Coca-Cola Co. said it would resume selling old-formula Coke, while continuing to sell New Coke.
In 1991, Boris N. Yeltsin took the oath of office as the first elected president of the Russian republic.
Ten years ago: Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi was freed from almost six years of house arrest in Yangon, Myanmar. The defense opened its case at the O.J. Simpson murder trial in Los Angeles. President Clinton embraced mandatory ratings for TV programs and legislation to put parental-control chips in new sets.
Five years ago: Texas Gov. George W. Bush, facing a skeptical audience, told the NAACP convention in Baltimore that “the party of Lincoln has not always carried the mantle of Lincoln,” and promised to work to improve relations. Israeli President Ezer Weizman resigned, effectively ending a seven-year term that turned sour when he was found to have acted improperly by accepting gifts while in office.
One year ago: President Bush said in his weekly radio address that legalizing gay marriage would redefine the most fundamental institution of civilization, and that a constitutional amendment was needed to protect traditional marriage.
Today’s Birthdays: “Mr. Wizard” Don Herbert is 88. Eunice Kennedy Shriver is 84. Former boxer Jake LaMotta is 84. Writer-producer Earl Hamner Jr. is 82. Former New York City Mayor David N. Dinkins is 78. Actor William Smithers is 78. Broadway composer Jerry Herman is 72. Director Ivan Passer is 72. Actor Lawrence Pressman is 66. Singer Mavis Staples is 66. Actor Mills Watson is 65. Actor Robert Pine is 64. Rock musician Jerry Miller (Moby Grape) is 62. Tennis player Virginia Wade is 60. Actor Ron Glass is 60. Actress Sue Lyon is 59. Folk singer Arlo Guthrie is 58. Country-folk singer-songwriter Cheryl Wheeler is 54. Rock singer Neil Tennant (Pet Shop Boys) is 51. Banjo player Bela Fleck is 47. Country musician Shaw Wilson (BR549) is 45. Country singer-songwriter Ken Mellons is 40. Rock musician Peter DiStefano (Porno for Pyros) is 40. Country singer Gary LeVox (Rascal Flats) is 35. Actress Sofia Vergara is 33. Actor Adrian Grenier is 29. Actor Thomas Ian Nicholas is 25. Singer-actress Jessica Simpson is 25.
Thought for Today: “A concept is stronger than a fact.” — Charlotte Perkins Gilman, American economist and feminist (1860-1935).