Today in History

Today in History

Today is Wednesday, July 5, the 186th day of 2017. There are 179 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On July 5, 1947, Larry Doby made his debut with the Cleveland Indians, becoming the first black player in the American League three months after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in the National League. In the game against the Chicago White Sox at Comiskey Park, Doby, pinch-hitting for Bryan Stephens, struck out in his first at-bat during the seventh inning; Chicago won 6-5.

On this date:

In 1687, Isaac Newton first published his Principia Mathematica, a three-volume work setting out his mathematical principles of natural philosophy.

In 1811, Venezuela became the first South American country to declare independence from Spain.

In 1865, the Secret Service Division of the U.S. Treasury Department was founded in Washington, D.C. with the mission of suppressing counterfeit currency.

In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the National Labor Relations Act.

In 1940, during World War II, Britain and the Vichy government in France broke off diplomatic relations.

In 1946, the bikini, created by Louis Reard, was modeled by Micheline Bernardini during a poolside fashion show in Paris.

In 1954, Elvis Presley's first commercial recording session took place at Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee; the song he recorded was "That's All Right."

In 1962, independence took effect in Algeria; the same day, civilians of European descent, mostly French, came under attack by extremists in the port city of Oran.

In 1977, Pakistan's army, led by General Mohammad Zia ul-Haq, seized power from President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. (Bhutto was executed in 1979.)

In 1984, the Supreme Court weakened the 70-year-old "exclusionary rule," deciding that evidence seized in good faith with defective court warrants could be used against defendants in criminal trials.

In 1991, a worldwide financial scandal erupted as regulators in eight countries shut down the Bank of Credit and Commerce International. Actress Mildred Dunnock died in Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts, at age 90.

In 2011, a jury in Orlando, Florida, found Casey Anthony, 25, not guilty of murder, manslaughter and child abuse in the 2008 disappearance and death of her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee.

Ten years ago: In a setback for President George W. Bush, GOP stalwart Sen. Pete Domenici withdrew his support for the president's Iraq war policy and embraced a proposal to bring home most troops by March 2008. French opera soprano Regine Crespin died in Paris at age 80.

Five years ago: Trucks carrying NATO supplies rolled into Afghanistan for the first time in more than seven months, ending a painful chapter in U.S.-Pakistan relations that saw the border closed until Washington apologized for an airstrike that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers. Former Argentine dictator Jorge Rafael Videla was convicted and sentenced to 50 years for a systematic program to steal babies from prisoners who were kidnapped, tortured and killed during the military junta's so-called "dirty war" on leftist dissidents. (Videla died in prison in May 2013.) Jockey Jorge Herrera, 33, died after falling from his horse during a race at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in California.

One year ago: The FBI recommended no criminal charges for Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server, but Director James Comey's scathing criticism of her "extremely careless" handling of classified material revitalized Republican attacks. President Barack Obama heartily vouched for Hillary Clinton's trustworthiness and dedication, making his first outing on the campaign stump for his former secretary of state with an appearance in Charlotte, North Carolina. Republican Donald Trump praised former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's ruthlessness, saying in Raleigh, North Carolina, that while Saddam was a "bad guy," he "killed terrorists. He did that so good."

Today's Birthdays: Actress Katherine Helmond is 88. Actress Shirley Knight is 81. Singer-musician Robbie Robertson is 74. Julie Nixon Eisenhower is 69. Rock star Huey Lewis is 67. Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Rich "Goose" Gossage is 66. Country musician Charles Ventre is 65. Singer-songwriter Marc Cohn is 58. Actor John Marshall Jones is 55. Actor Dorien Wilson is 55. Actress Edie Falco is 54. Actress Jillian Armenante is 53. Actress Kathryn Erbe is 52. Actor Michael Stuhlbarg is 49. Country musician Brent Flynn (Flynnville Train) is 48. Rapper RZA is 48. Rhythm-and-blues singer Joe is 44. Rock musician Bengt Lagerberg (The Cardigans) is 44. Actor Dale Godboldo is 42. Rapper Bizarre is 41. Rapper Royce da 5'9" is 40. Rock singer Jason Wade (Lifehouse) is 37. Actor Ryan Hansen is 36. Country musician Dave Haywood (Lady Antebellum) is 35. Rock musician Nick O'Malley (Arctic Monkeys) is 32. Actor Jason Dolley is 26.

Thought for Today: "The real drawback to 'the simple life' is that it is not simple. If you are living it, you positively can do nothing else. There is not time." -- Katharine Fullerton Gerould, American writer (1879-1944).