Today in History

Today in History

Today is Wednesday, July 27, the 209th day of 2016. There are 157 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On July 27, 1996, terror struck the Atlanta Olympics as a pipe bomb exploded at Centennial Olympic Park, directly killing one person and injuring 111. (Anti-government extremist Eric Rudolph later pleaded guilty to the bombing, exonerating security guard Richard Jewell, who had been wrongly suspected.)

On this date:

In 1789, President George Washington signed a measure establishing the Department of Foreign Affairs, forerunner of the Department of State.

In 1866, Cyrus W. Field finished laying out the first successful underwater telegraph cable between North America and Europe (a previous cable in 1858 burned out after only a few weeks' use).

In 1921, Canadian researcher Frederick Banting and his assistant, Charles Best, succeeded in isolating the hormone insulin at the University of Toronto.

In 1946, American author, poet and publisher Gertrude Stein, 72, died in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France.

In 1953, the Korean War armistice was signed at Panmunjom, ending three years of fighting.

In 1960, Vice President Richard M. Nixon was nominated for president on the first ballot at the Republican national convention in Chicago.

In 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed the Kerner Commission to assess the causes of urban rioting, the same day black militant H. Rap Brown said in Washington that violence was "as American as cherry pie."

In 1974, the House Judiciary Committee voted 27-11 to adopt the first of three articles of impeachment against President Richard Nixon.

In 1976, Air Force veteran Ray Brennan became the first person to die of so-called "Legionnaire's Disease" following an American Legion convention in Philadelphia.

In 1980, on day 267 of the Iranian hostage crisis, the deposed Shah of Iran died at a military hospital outside Cairo, Egypt, at age 60.

In 1995, the Korean War Veterans Memorial was dedicated in Washington by President Bill Clinton and South Korean President Kim Young-sam.

In 2003, comedian Bob Hope died in Toluca Lake, California, at age 100.

Ten years ago: Floyd Landis' stunning Tour de France victory just four days earlier was thrown into doubt when he tested positive for high levels of testosterone during the race. (Landis was stripped of his title for doping.)

Five years ago: A Russian space official (Vitaly Davydov) said that once the mammoth International Space Station was no longer needed, it would be sent into the Pacific Ocean. Julio Lugo scored from third base on a blown umpire's call at the plate, giving the Atlanta Braves a post-midnight 4-3 win in 19 innings over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Ervin Santana pitched the first solo no-hitter for the Angels in nearly 27 years, striking out 10 and leading Los Angeles over Cleveland 3-1. Former New York Yankees pitcher Hideki Irabu, 42, was found dead of an apparent suicide in the affluent Los Angeles suburb of Rancho Palos Verdes.

One year ago: President Barack Obama, during a visit to Ethiopia, unleashed a blistering and belittling rebuke of Republican White House hopefuls, calling their attack on his landmark nuclear deal with Iran "ridiculous if it weren't so sad." The Boy Scouts of America ended its blanket ban on gay adult leaders while allowing church-sponsored Scout units to maintain the exclusion for religious reasons.

Today's Birthdays: TV producer Norman Lear is 94. Actor Jerry Van Dyke is 85. Sportscaster Irv Cross is 77. Actor John Pleshette is 74. Actress-director Betty Thomas is 69. Olympic gold medal figure skater Peggy Fleming is 68. Singer Maureen McGovern is 67. Actress Janet Eilber is 65. Rock musician Tris Imboden (Chicago) is 65. Actress Roxanne Hart is 62. Country musician Duncan Cameron is 60. Comedian-actress-writer Carol Leifer is 60. Comedian Bill Engvall is 59. Jazz singer Karrin Allyson is 54. Country singer Stacy Dean Campbell is 49. Rock singer Juliana Hatfield is 49. Actor Julian McMahon is 48. Actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau is 46. Comedian Maya Rudolph is 44. Rock musician Abe Cunningham is 43. Singer-songwriter Pete Yorn is 42. MLB All-Star Alex Rodriguez is 41. Actor Seamus Dever is 40. Actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers is 39. Actor Blair Redford is 33. Actress Taylor Schilling is 32. Singer Cheyenne Kimball is 26. Golfer Jordan Spieth is 23. Actress Alyvia Alyn Lind is nine.

Thought for Today: "We are always the same age inside." -- Gertrude Stein (1874-1946).