Today in History

Today is Wednesday, August 13, the 225th day of 2014. There are 140 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On August 13, 1934, the satirical comic strip "Li'l Abner," created by Al Capp, made its debut.

On this date:

In 1624, King Louis XIII of France appointed Cardinal Richelieu his first minister.

In 1792, French revolutionaries imprisoned the royal family.

In 1814, the Cape Colony in southern Africa was ceded by the Dutch to Britain. Swedish physicist Anders Jonas Angstrom was born in Logdo.

In 1846, the American flag was raised for the first time in Los Angeles.

In 1910, Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing, died in London at age 90.

In 1923, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk was again elected Speaker of Turkey's Grand Assembly.

In 1932, Adolf Hitler rejected the post of vice chancellor of Germany, saying he was prepared to hold out "for all or nothing."

In 1946, author H.G. Wells, 79, died in London.

In 1961, East Germany sealed off the border between Berlin's eastern and western sectors and began building a wall that would stand for the next 28 years.

In 1979, Lou Brock of the St. Louis Cardinals became the 14th player in major league baseball history to reach the 3,000th career hit plateau as his team defeated the Chicago Cubs, 3-2.

In 1981, in a ceremony at his California ranch, President Ronald Reagan signed a historic package of tax and budget reductions.

In 1989, searchers in Ethiopia found the wreckage of a plane which had disappeared almost a week earlier while carrying Rep. Mickey Leland, D-Texas, and 14 other people -- there were no survivors.

Ten years ago: A stronger-than-expected Hurricane Charley roared ashore Florida's Gulf Coast as a dangerous Category 4 storm, resulting in at least 10 U.S. deaths. Hutu marauders raided a U.N. refugee camp in western Burundi, shooting and hacking at least 150 Congolese Tutsis to death. The summer Olympic games officially opened in Athens. TV chef Julia Child died in Montecito, California, two days short of her 92nd birthday.

Five years ago: The Philadelphia Eagles signed Michael Vick to a one-year deal, prompting criticism from animal rights activists over his role in a dogfighting ring. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell suspended Cleveland Browns receiver Donte Stallworth for the entire season after Stallworth served 24 days in jail for DUI manslaughter in the death of 59-year-old Mario Reyes in Miami.

One year ago: Israel released 26 Palestinian inmates, many convicted in grisly killings, on the eve of long-stalled peace talks, angering families of those killed by the prisoners. Tompall Glaser, 79, a country music singer, publisher and studio owner best known for his association with the outlaw movement against record labels, died in Nashville.

Today's Birthdays: Former Cuban President Fidel Castro is 88. Actor Pat Harrington is 85. Former U.S. Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders is 81. Actor Kevin Tighe is 70. Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen is 68. Actress Gretchen Corbett is 67. Opera singer Kathleen Battle is 66. High wire aerialist Philippe Petit is 65. Hockey Hall of Famer Bobby Clarke is 65. Golf Hall of Famer Betsy King is 59. Movie director Paul Greengrass is 59. Actor Danny Bonaduce is 55. TV weatherman Sam Champion is 53. Actress Dawnn Lewis is 53. Actor John Slattery is 52. Actress Debi Mazar is 50. Actress Quinn Cummings is 47. Actress Seana Kofoed is 44. Country singer Andy Griggs is 41. Country musician Mike Melancon (Emerson Drive) is 36. Actress Kathryn Fiore is 35. Pop-rock singer James Morrison is 30. Actress Lennon Stella (TV: "Nashville") is 15.

Thought for Today: "The great business of life is to be, to do, to do without, and to depart." -- John, Viscount Morley of Blackburn, English journalist (1838-1923).

Copyright 2014, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.