Today in History

Today is Saturday, August 22, the 234th day of 2015. There are 131 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On August 22, 1485, England's King Richard III was killed in the Battle of Bosworth Field, effectively ending the War of the Roses.

On this date:

In 1787, inventor John Fitch demonstrated his steamboat on the Delaware River to delegates from the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia.

In 1846, Gen. Stephen W. Kearny proclaimed all of New Mexico a territory of the United States.

In 1851, the schooner America outraced more than a dozen British vessels off the English coast to win a trophy that came to be known as the America's Cup.

In 1914, Austria-Hungary declared war against Belgium.

In 1922, Irish revolutionary Michael Collins was shot to death, apparently by Irish Republican Army members opposed to the Anglo-Irish Treaty that Collins had co-signed.

In 1932, the British Broadcasting Corp. conducted its first experimental television broadcast, using a 30-line mechanical system.

In 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Vice President Richard Nixon were nominated for second terms in office by the Republican National Convention in San Francisco.

In 1962, French President Charles de Gaulle survived an attempt on his life in suburban Paris.

In 1968, Pope Paul VI arrived in Bogota, Colombia, for the start of the first papal visit to South America.

In 1972, President Richard Nixon was nominated for a second term of office by the Republican National Convention in Miami Beach.

In 1985, 55 people died when fire broke out aboard a British Airtours charter jet on a runway at Manchester Airport in England.

In 1989, Black Panthers co-founder Huey P. Newton was shot to death in Oakland, California. (Gunman Tyrone Robinson was later sentenced to 32 years to life in prison.)

Ten years ago: The last Jewish settlers left Gaza, making way for the Palestinian government. During a speech to the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Salt Lake City, President George W. Bush compared the fight against terrorism to both world wars and other great conflicts of the 20th century. Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson suggested on "The 700 Club" that American operatives assassinate Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, whom he called a "terrific danger" to the United States. (Robertson later apologized, saying he had spoken out of frustration.)

Five years ago: Chilean President Sebastian Pinera confirmed that all the miners trapped deep underground for 17 days were still alive after a probe came back with a handwritten note, "All 33 of us are fine in the shelter." (The miners were rescued the following October.) A proposed mosque near ground zero drew hundreds of fever-pitch demonstrators, with opponents carrying signs associating Islam with blood and supporters shouting, "Say no to racist fear!" Arjun Atwal captured the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, North Carolina, by one stroke to become the first Indian-born PGA Tour winner.

One year ago: Tensions between Russia and Ukraine escalated sharply as Moscow sent more than 130 trucks rolling across the border in what it said was a mission to deliver humanitarian aid. The United Nations reported the death toll from three years of Syria's civil war had risen to more than 191,000 people. Gunmen attacked a Sunni mosque in Iraq during Friday prayers and killed at least 64 people.

Today's Birthdays: Heart surgeon Dr. Denton Cooley is 95. Broadcast journalist Morton Dean is 80. Author Annie Proulx (proo) is 80. Baseball Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski is 76. Actress Valerie Harper is 76. Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells is 74. Writer-producer David Chase is 70. CBS newsman Steve Kroft is 70. Actress Cindy Williams is 68. Pop musician David Marks is 67. International Swimming Hall of Famer Diana Nyad is 66. Baseball Hall of Famer Paul Molitor is 59. Country singer Holly Dunn is 58. Rock musician Vernon Reid is 57. Country singer Ricky Lynn Gregg is 56. Country singer Collin Raye is 55. Actress Regina Taylor is 55. Rock singer Roland Orzabal (Tears For Fears) is 54. Rock musician Debbi Peterson (The Bangles) is 54. Rock musician Gary Lee Conner (Screaming Trees) is 53. Singer Tori Amos is 52. Country singer Mila Mason is 52. Rhythm-and-blues musician James DeBarge is 52. International Tennis Hall of Famer Mats Wilander is 51. Actress Brooke Dillman is 49. Rapper GZA/The Genius is 49. Actor Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje is 48. Actor Ty Burrell is 48. Celebrity chef Giada DeLaurentiis is 45. Actress Melinda Page Hamilton is 44. Actor Rick Yune is 44. Rock musician Paul Doucette (Matchbox Twenty) is 43. Rap-reggae singer Beenie Man is 42. Singer Howie Dorough (Backstreet Boys) is 42. Comedian-actress Kristen Wiig is 42. Actress Jenna Leigh Green is 41. Rock musician Bo Koster is 41. Rock musician Dean Back (Theory of a Deadman) is 40. Talk show host James Corden (TV: "The Late Late Show with James Corden") is 37. Rock musician Jeff Stinco (Simple Plan) is 37. Actor Brandon Adams is 36. Actress Aya Sumika is 35.

Thought for Today: "There are mighty few people who think what they think they think." -- Robert Henri, American artist (1865-1929).

Copyright 2015, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.