Today in History

Today is Tuesday, July 15, the 196th day of 2014. There are 169 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On July 15, 1964, Sen. Barry M. Goldwater of Arizona was nominated for president by the Republican national convention in San Francisco.

On this date:

In 1799, French soldiers in Egypt discovered the Rosetta Stone, which proved instrumental in deciphering ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs.

In 1870, Georgia became the last Confederate state to be readmitted to the Union. Manitoba entered confederation as the fifth Canadian province.

In 1916, Boeing Co., originally known as Pacific Aero Products Co., was founded in Seattle.

In 1932, President Herbert Hoover announced he was slashing his own salary by 20 percent, from $75,000 to $60,000 a year; he also cut Cabinet members' salaries by 15 percent, from $15,000 to $12,750 a year.

In 1948, President Harry S. Truman was nominated for another term of office by the Democratic national convention in Philadelphia.

In 1954, a prototype of the Boeing 707, the model 367-80, made its maiden flight from Renton Field south of Seattle.

In 1971, President Richard Nixon delivered a televised address in which he announced that he had accepted an invitation to visit the People's Republic of China.

In 1976, a 36-hour kidnap ordeal began for 26 schoolchildren and their bus driver as they were abducted near Chowchilla, California, by three gunmen and imprisoned in an underground cell. (The captives escaped unharmed.)

In 1979, President Jimmy Carter delivered his "malaise" speech in which he lamented what he called a "crisis of confidence" in America.

In 1983, eight people were killed when a suitcase bomb planted by Armenian extremists exploded at the Turkish Airlines counter at Orly Airport in Paris.

In 1992, Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton was nominated for president at the Democratic national convention in New York.

In 2010, after 85 days, BP stopped the flow of oil from a blown-out well in the Gulf of Mexico using a 75-ton cap lowered onto the wellhead earlier in the week.

Ten years ago: President George W. Bush signed into law a measure imposing mandatory prison terms for criminals who used identity theft in committing terrorist acts and other offenses. The Senate approved a plan to pay tobacco farmers $12 billion to give up federal quotas propping up their prices. Retired Air Force Gen. Charles W. Sweeney, who'd piloted the plane that dropped the atomic bomb on Nagasaki in the final days of World War II, died in Boston at age 84.

Five years ago: A Russian-made Iranian jetliner carrying 168 people crashed after taking off from Tehran, killing everyone aboard. After more than a month's delay, space shuttle Endeavour and seven astronauts thundered into orbit on a flight to the international space station.

One year ago: Two days after a Florida jury acquitted George Zimmerman in the death of Trayvon Martin, Attorney General Eric Holder called the killing a "tragic, unnecessary shooting," and said the Justice Department would follow "the facts and the law" as it reviewed evidence to see whether federal criminal charges were warranted. (Federal authorities have yet to reach a decision in the case.) Miguel Angel Trevino Morales, the notoriously brutal leader of the feared Zetas drug cartel, was captured in the first major blow against an organized crime leader by Mexican officials.

Today's Birthdays: Author Clive Cussler is 83. Actor Ken Kercheval is 79. Former Sen. George V. Voinovich, R-Ohio, is 78. Actor Patrick Wayne is 75. Actor Jan-Michael Vincent is 70. Rhythm-and-blues singer Millie Jackson is 70. Rock singer-musician Peter Lewis (Moby Grape) is 69. Singer Linda Ronstadt is 68. Rock musician Artimus Pyle is 66. Actor Terry O'Quinn is 62. Rock musician Marky Ramone is 58. Rock musician Joe Satriani is 58. Country singer-songwriter Mac McAnally is 57. Model Kim Alexis is 54. Actor Willie Aames is 54. Actor-director Forest Whitaker is 53. Actress Lolita Davidovich is 53. Actress Brigitte Nielsen is 51. Rock musician Jason Bonham is 48. Actress Amanda Foreman is 48. Actor Kristoff St. John is 48. Rock musician Phillip Fisher is 47. Rhythm-and-blues singer Stokley (Mint Condition) is 47. Actor-comedian Eddie Griffin is 46. Actor Stan Kirsch is 46. Actor Reggie Hayes is 45. Actor-screenwriter Jim Rash is 43. Rock musician John Dolmayan is 42. Actor Scott Foley is 42. Actor Brian Austin Green is 41. Rapper Jim Jones is 38. Actress Diane Kruger is 38. Actress Lana Parrilla is 37. Rock musician Ray Toro (My Chemical Romance) is 37. Actress Laura Benanti is 35. Actor Travis Fimmel is 35. Rhythm-and-blues singer Kia Thornton (Divine) is 33. Actor Tristan Wilds is 25.

Thought for Today: "Advice is a free gift that can become expensive for the one who gets it." -- Armenian proverb.

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