Today in History

Today is Thursday, August 14, the 226th day of 2014. There are 139 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On August 14, 1944, the federal government allowed the manufacture of certain domestic appliances, such as electric ranges and vacuum cleaners, to resume on a limited basis.

On this date:

In 1848, the Oregon Territory was created.

In 1900, international forces, including U.S. Marines, entered Beijing to put down the Boxer Rebellion, which was aimed at purging China of foreign influence.

In 1909, the newly opened Indianapolis Motor Speedway held its first event, a series of motorcycle races.

In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act into law.

In 1945, President Harry S. Truman announced that Japan had surrendered unconditionally, ending World War II.

In 1947, Pakistan became independent of British rule.

In 1951, newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst, 88, died in Beverly Hills, California.

In 1969, British troops went to Northern Ireland to intervene in sectarian violence between Protestants and Roman Catholics.

In 1973, U.S. bombing of Cambodia came to a halt.

In 1980, workers went on strike at the Lenin Shipyard in Gdansk, Poland, in a job action that resulted in creation of the Solidarity labor movement. Actress-model Dorothy Stratten, 20, was shot to death by her estranged husband and manager, Paul Snider, who then killed himself.

In 1989, South African President P.W. Botha announced his resignation after losing a bitter power struggle within his National Party.

In 1994, Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, the terrorist known as "Carlos the Jackal," was captured by French agents in Sudan.

Ten years ago: A visibly weak Pope John Paul II joined thousands of other ailing pilgrims at a cliffside shrine in Lourdes, France, telling them he shared in their physical suffering and assuring them the burden was part of God's "wondrous plan." Nobel Prize-winning poet Czeslaw Milosz died in Krakow, Poland, at age 93. Fifteen-term congressman William D. Ford died in Ypsilanti Township, Michigan, at age 77.

Five years ago: Kicking off a four-state push for his health care overhaul plan, President Barack Obama denounced what he suggested was news media overemphasis on scenes of angry protesters at town-hall meetings, telling his own gathering in Belgrade, Montana, that "TV loves a ruckus." Charles Manson follower Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme, 60, convicted of trying to assassinate President Gerald Ford in 1975, was released from a Texas prison hospital after more than three decades behind bars.

One year ago: Israeli and Palestinian negotiators kicked off their first substantive round of peace talks in nearly five years, meeting at an undisclosed location in Jerusalem. Riot police swept away two encampments of supporters of ousted Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi in Cairo, sparking running street battles. Former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., D-Ill., was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison for illegally spending $750,000 in campaign funds on personal items.

Today's Birthdays: Broadway lyricist Lee Adams ("Bye Bye Birdie") is 90. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Russell Baker is 89. Singer Buddy Greco is 88. College Football Hall of Famer John Brodie is 79. Singer Dash Crofts is 76. Rock singer David Crosby is 73. Country singer Connie Smith is 73. Comedian-actor Steve Martin is 69. Actor Antonio Fargas is 68. Singer-musician Larry Graham is 68. Actress Susan Saint James is 68. Actor David Schramm is 68. Author Danielle Steel is 67. Rock singer-musician Terry Adams (NRBQ) is 64. "Far Side" cartoonist Gary Larson is 64. Actor Carl Lumbly is 63. Olympic gold medal swimmer Debbie Meyer is 62. Film composer James Horner is 61. Actress Jackee Harry is 58. Actress Marcia Gay Harden is 55. Basketball Hall of Famer Earvin "Magic" Johnson is 55. Singer Sarah Brightman is 54. Actress Susan Olsen is 53. Actress-turned-fashion/interior designer Cristi Conaway is 50. Rock musician Keith Howland (Chicago) is 50. Actress Halle Berry is 48. Actress Catherine Bell is 46. Country musician Cody McCarver (Confederate Railroad) is 46. Rock musician Kevin Cadogan is 44. Actor Scott Michael Campbell is 43. Actress Lalanya Masters is 42. Actor Christopher Gorham is 40. Actress Mila Kunis is 31. TV personality Spencer Pratt is 31. NFL quarterback Tim Tebow is 27.

Thought for Today: "Freedom of speech and freedom of action are meaningless without freedom to think. And there is no freedom of thought without doubt." -- Bergen Baldwin Evans, American author (1904-1978).

Copyright 2014, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.