Today in History

Today is Saturday, July 7, the 189th day of 2012. There are 177 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On July 7, 1937, the Second Sino-Japanese War erupted into full-scale conflict as Imperial Japanese forces attacked the Marco Polo Bridge in Beijing. (The end of the fighting coincided with the conclusion of World War II.)

On this date:

In 1846, U.S. annexation of California was proclaimed at Monterey after the surrender of a Mexican garrison.

In 1865, four people were hanged in Washington, D.C., for conspiring with John Wilkes Booth to assassinate President Abraham Lincoln.

In 1887 (New Style calendar), artist Marc Chagall was born in Vitebsk in present-day Belarus.

In 1898, the United States annexed Hawaii.

In 1919, the first Transcontinental Motor Convoy, in which a U.S. Army convoy of motorized vehicles crossed the United States, departed Washington, D.C. (The trip ended in San Francisco on Sept. 6, 1919.)

In 1930, construction began on Boulder Dam (later Hoover Dam).

In 1941, U.S. forces took up positions in Iceland, Trinidad and British Guiana to forestall any Nazi invasion, even though the United States had not yet entered the Second World War.

In 1952, the Republican National Convention, which nominated Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower for president and Sen. Richard Nixon for vice president, opened in Chicago.

In 1969, Canada's House of Commons gave final approval to the Official Languages Act, making French equal to English throughout the national government.

In 1981, President Ronald Reagan announced he was nominating Arizona Judge Sandra Day O'Connor to become the first female justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.

In 1983, 11-year-old Samantha Smith of Manchester, Maine, left for a visit to the Soviet Union at the personal invitation of Soviet leader Yuri V. Andropov.

In 1987, Lt. Col. Oliver North began his long-awaited public testimony at the Iran-Contra hearing, telling Congress that he had "never carried out a single act, not one," without authorization.

Ten years ago: Afghanistan's vice president, Abdul Qadir, was buried with full military honors a day after being assassinated. Texas Gov. Rick Perry saw by helicopter the devastation days of torrential rain had brought to central and southern Texas. Lleyton Hewitt crushed David Nalbandian in straight sets, 6-1, 6-3, 6-2, in the Wimbledon final to win his second Grand Slam title.

Five years ago: A truck bomb devastated the public market in Armili, Iraq, killing at least 115 people. A 24-hour music marathon spanning seven continents reached the Western Hemisphere with rappers, rockers and country stars taking the stage at Live Earth concerts to fight climate change. Venus Williams claimed her fourth Wimbledon title with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Marion Bartoli.

One year ago: Rupert Murdoch's media empire unexpectedly jettisoned News of the World, Britain's best-selling Sunday newspaper, after a public backlash over claims it had used phone hacking and other illegal tactics to expose the rich and famous, royals and ordinary citizens. A Texas Rangers fan, 39-year-old Shannon Stone, died from a fatal fall when reaching out to grab a baseball tossed his way by All-Star outfielder Josh Hamilton during a Rangers game. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2," the final movie based on the wizard fantasy books, debuted in London on its way to becoming the year's top-grossing movie.

Today's Birthdays: Musician-conductor Doc Severinsen is 85. Pulitzer Prize-winning author David McCullough is 79. Rock star Ringo Starr is 72. Singer-musician Warren Entner (The Grass Roots) is 69. Rock musician Jim Rodford is 67. Actor Joe Spano is 66. Pop singer David Hodo (The Village People) is 65. Country singer Linda Williams is 65. Actress Shelley Duvall is 63. Actress Roz Ryan is 61. Actor Billy Campbell is 53. Rock musician Mark White (Spin Doctors) is 50. Singer-songwriter Vonda Shepard is 49. Actor-comedian Jim Gaffigan is 46. Rhythm-and-blues musician Ricky Kinchen (Mint Condition) is 46. Actress Amy Carlson is 44. Actress Jorja Fox is 44. Actress Cree Summer is 43. Actress Kirsten Vangsness is 40. Actor Troy Garity is 39. Actress Berenice Bejo (Film: "The Artist") is 36. Actor Hamish Linklater is 36. Olympic silver and bronze medal figure skater Michelle Kwan is 32. Rapper Cassidy is 30. Country singer Gabbie Nolen is 30. Actor Ross Malinger is 28.

Thought for Today: "Nothing ever comes to one, that is worth having, except as a result of hard work." -- Booker T. Washington, American educator and author (1856-1915).

Copyright 2012, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.