Today in History

Today is Saturday, August 16, the 228th day of 2014. There are 137 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On August 16, 1954, Sports Illustrated was first published by Time Inc.

On this date:

In 1777, American forces won the Revolutionary War Battle of Bennington.

In 1812, Detroit fell to British and Indian forces in the War of 1812.

In 1858, a telegraphed message from Britain's Queen Victoria to President James Buchanan was transmitted over the recently laid trans-Atlantic cable.

In 1861, President Abraham Lincoln issued Proclamation 86, which prohibited the states of the Union from engaging in commercial trade with states in rebellion, namely, the Confederacy.

In 1937, the American Federation of Radio Artists was chartered.

In 1948, baseball legend Babe Ruth died in New York at age 53.

In 1956, Adlai E. Stevenson was nominated for president at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

In 1960, Britain ceded control of the crown colony of Cyprus.

In 1962, The Beatles fired their original drummer, Pete Best, replacing him with Ringo Starr.

In 1977, Elvis Presley died at his Graceland estate in Memphis, Tennessee, at age 42.

In 1987, 156 people were killed when Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashed while trying to take off from Detroit; the sole survivor was 4-year-old Cecelia Cichan. People worldwide began a two-day celebration of the "harmonic convergence," which heralded what believers called the start of a new, purer age of humankind.

In 1999, the U.S. version of the quiz show "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," hosted by Regis Philbin, began a limited two-week run on ABC.

Ten years ago: President George W. Bush announced a plan to bring home two Army divisions from Cold War-era bases in Germany. Election officials in Venezuela announced that voters had overwhelmingly chosen to keep President Hugo Chavez in office.

Five years ago: Negotiators averted a strike against the San Francisco Bay Area's commuter rail hours before a midnight deadline. Y.E. Yang of South Korea became the first Asian-born player to win one of golf's majors with a three-stroke win over Tiger Woods at the PGA Championship in Chaska, Minnesota. Usain Bolt ran to another world record, winning the 100-meter race in 9.58 seconds at the world championships in Berlin.

One year ago: In a spacewalk lasting seven hours and 29 minutes, Russian cosmonauts rigged cable outside the International Space Station for a new lab that was due to arrive in a few months.

Today's Birthdays: Actress Ann Blyth is 86. Sportscaster Frank Gifford is 84. Actor Gary Clarke is 81. Actress Julie Newmar is 81. Actor John Standing is 80. College Football Hall of Famer and NFL player Bill Glass is 79. Actress Anita Gillette is 78. Actress Carole Shelley is 75. Country singer Billy Joe Shaver is 75. Movie director Bruce Beresford is 74. Actor Bob Balaban is 69. Ballerina Suzanne Farrell is 69. Actress Lesley Ann Warren is 68. Rock singer-musician Joey Spampinato is 64. Actor Reginald VelJohnson is 62. TV personality Kathie Lee Gifford is 61. Rhythm-and-blues singer J.T. Taylor is 61. Movie director James Cameron is 60. Actor Jeff Perry is 59. Rock musician Tim Farriss (INXS) is 57. Actress Laura Innes is 57. Singer Madonna is 56. Actress Angela Bassett is 56. Actor Timothy Hutton is 54. Actor Steve Carell is 52. Former tennis player Jimmy Arias is 50. Actor-singer Donovan Leitch is 47. Actor Andy Milder is 46. Actor Seth Peterson is 44. Country singer Emily Robison (The Dixie Chicks) is 42. Actor George Stults is 39. Singer Vanessa Carlton is 34. Actor Cam Gigandet is 32. Actress Agnes Bruckner is 29. Singer-musician Taylor Goldsmith (Dawes) is 29. Actress Cristin Milioti is 29. Actor Shawn Pyfrom is 28. Country singer Ashton Shepherd is 28. Country singer Dan Smyers (Dan & Shay) is 27. Actor Kevin G. Schmidt is 26. Actress Rumer Willis is 26. Actor Parker Young is 26. Singer-pianist Greyson Chance is 17.

Thought for Today: "The most persistent threat to freedom, to the rights of Americans, is fear." -- George Meany (born this date in 1894, died in 1980).

Copyright 2014, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.