Today in History

Today is Friday, July 11, the 192nd day of 2014. There are 173 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On July 11, 1914, Babe Ruth made his Major League baseball debut, pitching the Boston Red Sox to a 4-3 victory over Cleveland.

On this date:

In 1767, John Quincy Adams, the sixth president of the United States, was born in Braintree, Massachusetts.

In 1798, the U.S. Marine Corps was formally re-established by a congressional act that also created the U.S. Marine Band.

In 1804, Vice President Aaron Burr mortally wounded former Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton during a pistol duel in Weehawken, New Jersey.

In 1864, Confederate forces led by Lt. Gen. Jubal Early began an abortive invasion of Washington, turning back the next day.

In 1922, the Hollywood Bowl officially opened with a program called "Symphonies Under the Stars" with Alfred Hertz conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

In 1934, President Franklin D. Roosevelt became the first incumbent chief executive to travel through the Panama Canal.

In 1937, American composer and pianist George Gershwin died at a Los Angeles hospital of a brain tumor; he was 38.

In 1952, the Republican National Convention, meeting in Chicago, nominated Dwight D. Eisenhower for president and Richard M. Nixon for vice president.

In 1960, the novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee was first published by J.B. Lippincott and Co.

In 1974, the House Judiciary Committee released volumes of evidence it had gathered in its Watergate inquiry.

In 1979, the abandoned U.S. space station Skylab made a spectacular return to Earth, burning up in the atmosphere and showering debris over the Indian Ocean and Australia.

In 1989, actor and director Laurence Olivier died in Steyning, West Sussex, England, at age 82.

Ten years ago: Japan's largest opposition party experienced strong gains in upper house elections, while Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and his Liberal Democratic Party-led ruling bloc held on to a majority. The International AIDS Conference opened in Bangkok, Thailand, with U.N. chief Kofi Annan challenging world leaders to do more to combat the raging global epidemic. Joe Gold, the founder of the original Gold's Gym in 1965, died in Los Angeles at age 82.

Five years ago: During a visit to sub-Saharan Africa, President Barack Obama addressed Ghana's Parliament, where he challenged the continent of his ancestors to shed corruption and conflict in favor of peace. Funeral services were held in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, for former NFL star Steve McNair, who had been shot to death in Nashville a week earlier by Sahel Kazemi, who then took her own life.

One year ago: In a potential setback for George Zimmerman, the jury at the neighborhood watch captain's second-degree murder trial in Sanford, Florida, was given the option of convicting him on the lesser charge of manslaughter in the shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. (Zimmerman ended up being acquitted of all charges.) Tens of thousands of workers across Brazil walked off their jobs in a mostly peaceful nationwide strike, demanding better working conditions and improved public services in Latin America's largest nation.

Today's Birthdays: Actor Tab Hunter is 83. Actress Susan Seaforth Hayes is 71. Singer Jeff Hanna (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band) is 67. Ventriloquist-actor Jay Johnson is 65. Actor Bruce McGill is 64. Singer Bonnie Pointer is 64. Actor Stephen Lang is 62. Actress Mindy Sterling is 61. Boxer Leon Spinks is 61. Actress Sela Ward is 58. Reggae singer Michael Rose (Black Uhuru) is 57. Singer Peter Murphy is 57. Actor Mark Lester is 56. Jazz musician Kirk Whalum is 56. Singer Suzanne Vega is 55. Rock guitarist Richie Sambora (Bon Jovi) is 55. Actress Lisa Rinna is 51. Rock musician Scott Shriner (Weezer) is 49. Actress Debbe Dunning is 48. Actor Gred Grunberg is 48. Wildlife expert Jeff Corwin is 47. Actor Justin Chambers is 44. Actress Leisha Hailey is 43. Actor Michael Rosenbaum is 42. Pop-rock singer Andrew Bird is 41. Country singer Scotty Emerick is 41. Rapper Lil' Kim is 39. Rock singer Ben Gibbard is 38. Rapper Lil' Zane is 32. Pop-jazz singer-musician Peter Cincotti is 31. Actress Serinda Swan (TV: "Graceland") is 30. Actor Robert Adamson is 29. Actor David Henrie is 25. Actor Connor Paolo is 24. Tennis player Caroline Wozniacki is 24.

Thought for Today: "Don't waste your time striving for perfection, instead, strive for excellence -- doing your best." -- Laurence Olivier (1907-1989).

Copyright 2014, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.