Today in History

Today is Sunday, July 8, the 190th day of 2012. There are 176 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On July 8, 1962, the United States conducted Starfish Prime, a nuclear test in which a 1.44 megaton warhead was detonated 250 miles above the Pacific Ocean; the resulting electromagnetic pulse caused limited electrical disruptions in parts of Hawaii.

On this date:

In 1663, King Charles II of England granted a Royal Charter to Rhode Island.

In 1776, Col. John Nixon gave the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence, in Philadelphia.

In 1853, an expedition led by Commodore Matthew Perry arrived in Yedo Bay, Japan, on a mission to seek diplomatic and trade relations with the Japanese.

In 1889, The Wall Street Journal was first published.

In 1907, Florenz Ziegfeld staged his first "Follies" on the roof of the New York Theater.

In 1911, cowgirl "Two-Gun Nan" Aspinwall became the first woman to make a solo trip by horse across the United States, arriving in New York 10 months after departing San Francisco.

In 1919, President Woodrow Wilson received a tumultuous welcome in New York City after his return from the Versailles Peace Conference in France.

In 1947, demolition work began in New York City to make way for the new permanent headquarters of the United Nations.

In 1950, President Harry S. Truman named Gen. Douglas MacArthur commander-in-chief of United Nations forces in Korea. (Truman ended up sacking MacArthur for insubordination nine months later.)

In 1962, just after midnight local time, Alitalia Flight 771, a DC-8, crashed as it was approaching Bombay (Mumbai), India, killing all 94 people on board.

In 1972, actress Jane Fonda began a two-week visit to Hanoi, where she denounced the Vietnam War in radio broadcasts, visited American POWs and was photographed sitting behind a North Vietnamese anti-aircraft gun, an image that sparked outrage in the U.S. (Years later, Fonda expressed regret for that particular episode.)

In 1994, Kim Il Sung, North Korea's communist leader since 1948, died at age 82.

Ten years ago: WorldCom and its former auditors clashed over responsibility for nearly $4 billion in accounting improprieties as WorldCom's former CEO, Bernard J. Ebbers, and finance chief Scott Sullivan refused to testify before a House panel investigating the debacle.

Five years ago: Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell ordered a range of state government services shut down and placed about a third of the state work force on indefinite unpaid furlough after last-minute negotiations failed to break a budget stalemate. (A budget deal was hammered out the following night.) Roger Federer won his fifth straight Wimbledon championship, beating Rafael Nadal 7-6 (7), 4-6, 7-6 (3), 2-6, 6-2.

One year ago: Former first lady Betty Ford died in Rancho Mirage, Calif., at age 93. Atlantis thundered into orbit on a cargo run that would close out the three-decade U.S. space shuttle program. Ohio State vacated its wins from the 2010 football season, including its share of the Big Ten championship and a victory over Arkansas in the Sugar Bowl, as it responded to the NCAA's investigation of a memorabilia-for-cash scandal.

Today's Birthdays: Singer Jerry Vale is 80. Singer Steve Lawrence is 77. Actor Jeffrey Tambor is 68. Ballerina Cynthia Gregory is 66. Actress Kim Darby is 65. Children's performer Raffi is 64. Actress Anjelica Huston is 61. Writer Anna Quindlen is 60. Actor Kevin Bacon is 54. Actor Robert Knepper is 53. Rock musician Andy Fletcher (Depeche Mode) is 51. Country singer Toby Keith is 51. Rock musician Graham Jones (Haircut 100) is 51. Rock singer Joan Osborne is 50. Writer-producer Rob Burnett is 50. Actor Rocky Carroll is 49. Actor Corey Parker is 47. Actor Billy Crudup is 44. Actor Michael Weatherly is 44. Singer Beck is 42. Country singer Drew Womack (Sons of the Desert) is 42. Christian rock musician Stephen Mason (Jars of Clay) is 37. Actor Milo Ventimiglia is 35. Rock musician Tavis Werts is 35. Singer Ben Jelen is 33. Actor Lance Gross is 31. Actress Sophia Bush is 30. Rock musician Jamie Cook (Arctic Monkeys) is 27. Actor Jake McDorman is 26. Actor Jaden Smith is 14.

Thought for Today: "America is not just a power, it is a promise." -- Nelson A. Rockefeller, American politician and businessman (born this date in 1908, died 1979).

Copyright 2012, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.