Today in History

Today in History

Today is Friday, Aug. 5, the 218th day of 2016. There are 148 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Aug. 5, 1966, the Beatles' "Revolver" album was released in the United Kingdom on the Parlophone label; it was released in the United States three days later by Capitol Records. (Songs included "Eleanor Rigby" and "Yellow Submarine," which were also issued as a double A-side single on Aug. 5 and 8.)

On this date:

In 1864, during the Civil War, Union Adm. David G. Farragut led his fleet to victory in the Battle of Mobile Bay, Alabama.

In 1884, the cornerstone for the Statue of Liberty's pedestal was laid on Bedloe's Island in New York Harbor.

In 1924, the comic strip "Little Orphan Annie" by Harold Gray made its debut.

In 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the National Labor Board, which was later replaced with the National Labor Relations Board.

In 1936, Jesse Owens of the United States won the 200-meter dash at the Berlin Olympics, collecting the third of his four gold medals.

In 1953, Operation Big Switch began as remaining prisoners taken during the Korean War were exchanged at Panmunjom.

In 1957, the teenage dance show "American Bandstand," hosted by Dick Clark, made its network debut on ABC-TV.

In 1962, actress Marilyn Monroe, 36, was found dead in her Los Angeles home; her death was ruled a probable suicide from "acute barbiturate poisoning." South African anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela was arrested; it was the beginning of 27 years of imprisonment.

In 1969, the U.S. space probe Mariner 7 flew by Mars, sending back photographs and scientific data.

In 1974, the White House released transcripts of subpoenaed tape recordings showing that President Richard Nixon and his chief of staff, H.R. Haldeman, had discussed a plan in June 1972 to use the CIA to thwart the FBI's Watergate investigation; revelation of the tape sparked Nixon's resignation.

In 1986, it was revealed by Arts & Antiques magazine that artist Andrew Wyeth had, over a 15-year period, secretly created some 240 drawings and paintings of a woman named Helga Testorf, a neighbor in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania.

In 1991, Democratic congressional leaders formally launched an investigation into whether the 1980 Reagan-Bush campaign had secretly conspired with Iran to delay release of American hostages until after the presidential election, thereby preventing an "October surprise" that supposedly would have benefited President Jimmy Carter. (A task force later concluded there was "no credible evidence" of such a deal.)

Ten years ago: Floyd Landis was fired by his team and the Tour de France no longer considered him its champion after his second doping sample tested positive for higher-than-allowable levels of testosterone. The late Reggie White was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame along with Troy Aikman, Warren Moon, John Madden, Rayfield Wright and Harry Carson. Four-time Iditarod champion Susan Butcher died in Seattle at age 51.

Five years ago: Standard & Poor's lowered the United States' AAA credit rating by one notch to AA-plus. A federal jury convicted three New Orleans police officers, a former officer and a retired sergeant of civil rights violations in the 2005 shooting deaths of a teenager and a mentally disabled man crossing the Danziger Bridge following Hurricane Katrina. (The convictions were overturned because of prosecutorial misconduct, and the former officers pleaded guilty in April 2016 to a reduced number of charges.) The sun-powered robotic explorer Juno rocketed toward Jupiter on a five-year quest to discover the secret recipe for making planets. (Juno reached Jupiter on July 4, 2016.)

One year ago: In a speech at American University in Washington, President Barack Obama assailed critics of his Iran nuclear deal as "selling a fantasy" to the American people, warning Congress that blocking the accord would damage the nation's credibility and increase the likelihood of more war in the Middle East. Actress Jennifer Aniston secretly married actor-director Justin Theroux at their home in Bel Air, California.

Today's Birthdays: Actor John Saxon is 80. College Football Hall of Famer and former NFL player Roman Gabriel is 76. Country songwriter Bobby Braddock is 76. Actress Loni Anderson is 71. Actress Erika Slezak is 70. Rock singer Rick Derringer is 69. Actress Holly Palance is 66. Singer Samantha Sang is 63. Rock musician Eddie Ojeda (Twisted Sister) is 61. Actress-singer Maureen McCormick is 60. Rock musician Pat Smear is 57. Author David Baldacci is 56. Actress Tawney Kitaen (kih-TAYN') is 55. Actress Janet McTeer is 55. Country musician Mark O'Connor is 55. Basketball Hall-of-Famer Patrick Ewing is 54. Actor Mark Strong is 53. Actor Jonathan Silverman is 50. Country singer Terri Clark is 48. Retired MLB All-Star John Olerud is 48. Rock musician Eicca Toppinen (Apocalyptica) is 41. Country musician Will Sellers (Old Dominion) is 38. Actor Jesse Williams is 36. Actor Brendon Ryan Barrett is 30. Actor Albert Tsai is 12.

Thought for Today: "For life: It is rather a determination not to be overwhelmed. For work: The truth can only be recalled, never invented." -- Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962).