Today in History

Today is Saturday, July 28, the 210th day of 2012. There are 156 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On July 28, 1932, federal troops acting at the order of President Herbert Hoover forcibly dispersed the so-called "Bonus Army" of World War I veterans who had gathered by the thousands in Washington to demand payments they weren't scheduled to receive until 1945.

On this date:

In 1540, King Henry VIII's chief minister, Thomas Cromwell, was executed, the same day Henry married his fifth wife, Catherine Howard.

In 1609, the English ship Sea Venture, commanded by Adm. Sir George Somers, ran ashore on Bermuda, where the passengers and crew founded a colony.

In 1794, Maximilien Robespierre, a leading figure of the French Revolution, was sent to the guillotine.

In 1821, Peru declared its independence from Spain.

In 1914, World War I began as Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia.

In 1928, the Summer Olympic games opened in Amsterdam.

In 1943, President Franklin D. Roosevelt announced the end of coffee rationing, which had limited people to one pound of coffee every five weeks since it began in Nov. 1942.

In 1945, a U.S. Army bomber crashed into the 79th floor of New York's Empire State Building, killing 14 people. The U.S. Senate ratified the United Nations Charter by a vote of 89-2.

In 1959, in preparation for statehood, Hawaiians voted to send the first Chinese-American, Republican Hiram L. Fong, to the U.S. Senate and the first Japanese-American, Democrat Daniel K. Inouye, to the U.S. House of Representatives.

In 1962, 19 passengers were killed when a Pennsylvania Railroad Co. train enroute from Harrisburg to Philadelphia derailed in Steelton.

In 1976, an earthquake devastated northern China, killing at least 242,000 people, according to an official estimate.

In 1990, political newcomer and upset winner Alberto Fujimori was sworn in for his first term as president of Peru.

Ten years ago: Nine coal miners trapped in the flooded Quecreek Mine in Somerset, Pa., were rescued after 77 hours underground. Speaking publicly on the church abuse scandal for the first time, Pope John Paul II told young Catholics in Toronto that sexual abuse of children by priests "fills us all with a deep sense of sadness and shame." Cycling champion Lance Armstrong won his fourth straight Tour de France.

Five years ago: Vice President Dick Cheney, with a history of heart problems, had surgery to replace an implanted device that was monitoring his heartbeat.

One year ago: The body of the military chief of the Libyan rebels' National Transitional Council, Abdel-Fattah Younis, was found dumped outside Benghazi along with those of two top aides. The president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the Rev. Howard Creecy Jr., died in a fall in his Atlanta home seven months after taking office; he was 57.

Today's Birthdays: Movie director Andrew V. McLaglen is 92. Actor Darryl Hickman is 81. Ballet dancer-choreographer Jacques d'Amboise is 78. Art critic Robert Hughes is 74. Musical conductor Riccardo Muti is 71. Former Senator and NBA Hall of Famer Bill Bradley is 69. "Garfield" creator Jim Davis is 67. Singer Jonathan Edwards is 66. Actress Linda Kelsey is 66. TV producer Dick Ebersol is 65. Actress Sally Struthers is 64. Actress Georgia Engel is 64. Rock musician Simon Kirke (Bad Company) is 63. The president of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, is 58. Rock musician Steve Morse (Deep Purple) is 58. CBS anchorman Scott Pelley is 55. Alt-country-rock musician Marc Perlman is 51. Actor Michael Hayden is 49. Actress Lori Loughlin is 48. Jazz musician-producer Delfeayo Marsalis is 47. Former hockey player turned general manager Garth Snow is 43. Actress Elizabeth Berkley is 40. Singer Afroman is 38. Country musician Todd Anderson (Heartland) is 37. Rock singer Jacoby Shaddix (Papa Roach) is 36. Country singer Carly Goodwin is 31. Actor Dustin Milligan is 27. Actor Nolan Gerard Funk is 26. Rapper Soulja Boy is 22.

Thought for Today: "Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power. If you realize that you have enough, you are truly rich." -- From the Tao Te Ching, the sacred book of Taoism.

Copyright 2012, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.