Today in History

Today is Sunday, Aug. 18, the 230th day of 2013. There are 135 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On August 18, 1963, James Meredith became the first black student to graduate from the University of Mississippi.

On this date:

In 1587, Virginia Dare became the first child of English parents to be born on American soil, on what is now Roanoke Island in North Carolina. (However, the Roanoke colony ended up mysteriously disappearing.)

In 1838, the first marine expedition sponsored by the U.S. government set sail from Hampton Roads, Va.; the crews traveled the southern Pacific Ocean, gathering scientific information.

In 1846, U.S. forces led by General Stephen W. Kearny captured Santa Fe, N.M.

In 1862, Dakota Indians began an uprising in Minnesota (the revolt was crushed by U.S. forces some six weeks later).

In 1920, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, guaranteeing all American women's right to vote, was ratified as Tennessee became the 36th state to approve it.

In 1938, President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Canadian Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King dedicated the Thousand Islands Bridge connecting the United States and Canada.

In 1958, the novel "Lolita" by Vladimir Nabokov was first published in New York by G.P. Putnam's Sons, almost three years after it was originally published in Paris.

In 1969, the Woodstock Music and Art Fair in Bethel, N.Y., wound to a close after three nights with a midmorning set by Jimi Hendrix.

In 1976, two U.S. Army officers were killed in Korea's demilitarized zone as a group of North Korean soldiers wielding axes and metal pikes attacked U.S. and South Korean soldiers.

In 1983, Hurricane Alicia slammed into the Texas coast, leaving 21 dead and causing more than a billion dollars' worth of damage. The Kansas City Royals defeated the New York Yankees, 5-4, in the completion of the "pine-tar" game in just 12 minutes.

In 1988, Vice President George H.W. Bush accepted the presidential nomination of his party at the Republican National Convention in New Orleans.

In 1993, a judge in Sarasota, Fla., ruled that Kimberly Mays, the 14-year-old girl who had been switched at birth with another baby, need never again see her biological parents, Ernest and Regina Twigg, in accordance with her stated wishes. (However, Kimberly later moved in with the Twiggs.)

Ten years ago: A senior French health official resigned after France's health minister admitted that up to 5,000 people might have died in a heat wave. The Liberian government and rebels signed a peace accord. Islamic extremists freed 14 European tourists six months after they'd been kidnapped by an al-Qaida-linked group in the Algerian desert.

Five years ago: Pervez Musharraf resigned as the president of Pakistan. Tropical Storm Fay pounded Cuba with torrential rain and wind before sweeping across the Florida Keys.

One year ago: Tropical Storm Helene quickly weakened into a tropical depression after moving ashore on Mexico's Gulf Coast. Diana Nyad launched her latest attempt to become the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida without a wetsuit or a shark cage, ending her bid three days later. Singer Scott McKenzie, 73, who performed "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)" -- which became a hit in 1967 during the city's "Summer of Love" -- died in Los Angeles.

Today's Birthdays: Former first lady Rosalynn Carter is 86. Academy Award-winning director Roman Polanski is 80. Attorney and author Vincent Bugliosi is 79. Olympic gold medal decathlete Rafer Johnson is 78. Actor-director Robert Redford is 77. Actor Christopher Jones is 72. Actor Henry G. Sanders is 71. Rhythm-and-blues singer Sarah Dash (LaBelle) is 70. Actor-comedian Martin Mull is 70. Rock musician Dennis Elliott is 63. Comedian Elayne Boosler is 61. Country singer Steve Wilkinson (The Wilkinsons) is 58. Actor Denis Leary is 56. Actress Madeleine Stowe is 55. Former Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner is 52. ABC News reporter Bob Woodruff is 52. The former president of Mexico, Felipe Calderon, is 51. Bluegrass musician Jimmy Mattingly is 51. Actor Adam Storke is 51. Actor Craig Bierko is 49. Rock singer-musician Zac Maloy (The Nixons) is 45. Rock singer and hip-hop artist Everlast is 44. Rapper Masta Killa (Wu-Tang Clan) is 44. Actor Christian Slater is 44. Actor Edward Norton is 44. Actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner is 43. Actress Kaitlin Olson is 38. Actor-writer-director Hadjii is 37. Rock musician Dirk Lance is 37. Actor-comedian Andy Samberg ("Saturday Night Live") is 35. Actress Mika Boorem is 26. Actress Parker McKenna Posey is 18.

Thought for Today: "That is one of the bitter curses of poverty; it leaves no right to be generous." -- George Gissing, English author and critic (1857-1903).

Copyright 2013, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.