Today in History

Today is Friday, July 6, the 188th day of 2012. There are 178 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On July 6, 1962, Nobel Prize-winning American author William Faulkner, one of the giants of Southern literature, died in Byhalia, Miss., at age 64.

On this date:

In 1535, St. Thomas More was executed in England for high treason.

In 1777, during the American Revolution, British forces captured Fort Ticonderoga.

In 1885, French scientist Louis Pasteur tested an anti-rabies vaccine on 9-year-old Joseph Meister, who had been bitten by an infected dog; the boy did not develop rabies.

In 1917, during World War I, Arab forces led by T.E. Lawrence and Auda Abu Tayi captured the port of Aqaba from the Turks.

In 1933, the first All-Star baseball game was played at Chicago's Comiskey Park; the American League defeated the National League, 4-2.

In 1942, Anne Frank, her parents and sister entered a "secret annex" in an Amsterdam building where they were later joined by four other people; they hid from Nazi occupiers for two years before being betrayed and arrested.

In 1944, an estimated 168 people died in a fire that broke out during a performance in the main tent of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in Hartford, Conn.

In 1945, President Harry S. Truman signed an executive order establishing the Medal of Freedom.

In 1957, Althea Gibson became the first black tennis player to win a Wimbledon singles title as she defeated fellow American Darlene Hard 6-3, 6-2.

In 1967, war erupted as Nigeria sent troops into the secessionist state of Biafra.

In 1971, jazz trumpeter and singer Louis Armstrong died in New York at age 69.

In 1988, 167 North Sea oil workers were killed when a series of explosions and fires destroyed a drilling platform.

Ten years ago: Gunmen assassinated Afghan Vice President Abdul Qadir, who was considered key to U.S.-backed efforts to stabilize the war-fractured nation. Serena Williams beat older sister Venus 7-6 (4), 6-3 to win her first Wimbledon title and second straight Grand Slam tournament. Movie director John Frankenheimer died in Los Angeles; he was 72.

Five years ago: A man on a balcony over the New York-New York casino floor in Las Vegas opened fire on the gamblers below, wounding four people before he was tackled by off-duty military reservists. (Steven Zegrean was later convicted of charges including attempted murder and was sentenced to 26 to 90 years in prison; he died in April 2010 less than a year into his term.) Kathleen E. Woodiwiss, pioneer of the modern historical romance novel, died in Princeton, Minn., at age 68.

One year ago: President Barack Obama held his first Twitter town hall, which focused on jobs and the economy. Jury selection began in the perjury trial of former baseball pitcher Roger Clemens, who was accused of lying under oath to Congress when he denied ever using performance-enhancing drugs during his career (the proceedings ended abruptly in a mistrial; Clemens was later acquitted in a retrial). The 2018 Winter Olympics were awarded to the South Korean city of Pyeongchang, sending the winter games to Asia for the first time since 1998.

Today's Birthdays: Former first lady Nancy Reagan is 91. Actor William Schallert is 90. Singer-actress Della Reese is 81. The 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet, Tenzin Gyatso, is 77. Actor Ned Beatty is 75. Singer Gene Chandler is 72. Country singer Jeannie Seely is 72. Actor Burt Ward is 67. Former President George W. Bush is 66. Actor-director Sylvester Stallone is 66. Actor Fred Dryer is 66. Actress Shelley Hack is 65. Actress Nathalie Baye is 64. Actor Geoffrey Rush is 61. Actress Allyce Beasley is 61. Rock musician John Bazz (The Blasters) is 60. Actor Grant Goodeve is 60. Country singer Nanci Griffith is 59. Jazz musician Rick Braun is 57. Country musician John Jorgenson is 56. Former first daughter Susan Ford Bales is 55. Hockey player and coach Ron Duguay (doo-GAY') is 55. Actress-writer Jennifer Saunders is 54. Rock musician John Keeble (Spandau Ballet) is 53. Actor Brian Posehn is 46. Actor Brian Van Holt (TV: "Cougar Town") is 43. Rapper Inspectah Deck (Wu-Tang Clan) is 42. Rapper 50 Cent is 37. Actress Tamera Mowry is 34. Actress Tia Mowry is 34. Actress Eva Green is 32. Actor Gregory Smith is 29. Rock singer Kate Nash is 25. Actor Jeremy Suarez is 22.

Thought for Today: "Read, read, read. Read everything -- trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You'll absorb it. Then write. If it's good, you'll find out. If it's not, throw it out the window." -- William Faulkner (1897-1962).

Copyright 2012, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.