Today in History

Today is Tuesday, July 3, the 185th day of 2012. There are 181 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On July 3, 1962, French President Charles de Gaulle signed an agreement recognizing Algeria as an independent state after 132 years of French rule. (The same day, U.S. President John F. Kennedy sent a congratulatory message to the Algerian people.)

On this date:

In 1608, the city of Quebec was founded by Samuel de Champlain.

In 1775, Gen. George Washington took command of the Continental Army at Cambridge, Mass.

In 1863, the three-day Civil War Battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania ended in a major victory for the North as Confederate troops retreated.

In 1890, Idaho became the 43rd state of the Union.

In 1898, the U.S. Navy defeated a Spanish fleet outside Santiago Bay in Cuba during the Spanish-American War.

In 1944, during World War II, Soviet forces recaptured Minsk.

In 1950, the first carrier strikes of the Korean War took place as the USS Valley Forge and the HMS Triumph sent fighter planes against North Korean targets.

In 1971, singer Jim Morrison of The Doors died in Paris at age 27.

In 1979, Dan White, convicted of voluntary manslaughter in the shooting deaths of San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk, was sentenced to 7 years and 8 months in prison. (He ended up serving 5 years.)

In 1987, British millionaire Richard Branson and Per Lindstrand became the first hot-air balloon travelers to cross the Atlantic, jumping into the sea as their craft went down off the Scottish coast.

In 1988, the USS Vincennes shot down an Iran Air jetliner over the Persian Gulf, killing all 290 people aboard.

In 1992, the first U.S. Air Force C-130 from Operation Provide Promise arrived in the besieged Bosnian capital of Sarajevo.

Ten years ago: Jean-Marie Messier, chairman of Vivendi Universal, was formally removed from his post and replaced by Jean-Rene Fourtou of the pharmaceutical company Aventis.

Five years ago: President George W. Bush refused to rule out an eventual pardon for I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby after already commuting his prison sentence in the CIA leak case (as it turned out, Bush didn't pardon Libby). Japan's defense minister (Fumio Kyuma) resigned after drawing furious criticism for suggesting the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were inevitable. The Alinghi team from Switzerland succeeded in defending sailing's coveted America's Cup, beating Emirates Team New Zealand 5-2. Saxophonist Boots Randolph ("Yakety Sax") died in Nashville at age 80.

One year ago: A chartered fishing boat, the Erik, sank in Mexico's Sea of Cortez, leaving one Northern California man dead and seven still classified as missing. Yingluck Shinawatra, the sister of Thailand's fugitive former prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, led his loyalists to a landslide election victory, a stunning rout of the military-backed government that had crushed protests by his supporters. Novak Djokovic won his first Wimbledon, beating defending champion Rafael Nadal 6-4, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3.

Today's Birthdays: Actor Tim O'Connor is 85. Jazz musician Pete Fountain is 82. Playwright Tom Stoppard is 75. Writer-producer Jay Tarses is 73. Singer Fontella Bass is 72. Attorney Gloria Allred is 71. Actor Kurtwood Smith is 69. Actor Michael Cole ("The Mod Squad") is 67. Country singer Johnny Lee is 66. Humorist Dave Barry is 65. Actress Betty Buckley is 65. Rock singer-musician Paul Barrere (Little Feat) is 64. Actress Jan Smithers is 63. Actor Bruce Altman is 57. Former Haitian President Jean-Claude Duvalier is 61. Talk show host Montel Williams is 56. Country singer Aaron Tippin is 54. Rock musician Vince Clarke (Erasure) is 52. Actor Tom Cruise is 50. Actor Thomas Gibson is 50. Actress Hunter Tylo is 50. Actress Connie Nielsen is 48. Actress Yeardley Smith is 48. Singer Ishmael Butler is 43. Rock musician Kevin Hearn (Barenaked Ladies) is 43. Actress-singer Shawnee Smith is 43. Actress-singer Audra McDonald is 42. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is 41. Actor Patrick Wilson is 39. Country singer Trent Tomlinson is 37. Actress Andrea Barber is 36. Singer Shane Lynch (Boyzone) is 36. Actor Ian Anthony Dale is 34. Actress Elizabeth Hendrickson is 33. Rhythm-and-blues singer Tonia Tash (Divine) is 33. Country singer-songwriter Sarah Buxton is 32. Actress Shoshannah Stern is 32. Actor Grant Rosenmeyer is 21. Actress Kelsey Batelaan is 17.

Thought for Today: "Perhaps too much of everything is as bad as too little." -- Edna Ferber, American author and playwright (1885-1968).

Copyright 2012, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.