Today in History

Today in History

Today is Friday, July 14, the 195th day of 2017. There are 170 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On July 14, 1789, in an event symbolizing the start of the French Revolution, citizens of Paris stormed the Bastille prison and released the seven prisoners inside.

On this date:

In 1798, Congress passed the Sedition Act, making it a federal crime to publish false, scandalous or malicious writing about the United States government.

In 1881, outlaw William H. Bonney Jr., alias "Billy the Kid," was shot and killed by Sheriff Pat Garrett in Fort Sumner in present-day New Mexico.

In 1913, Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr., the 38th president of the United States, was born Leslie Lynch King Jr. in Omaha, Nebraska.

In 1917, CBS newsman Douglas Edwards, who in 1948 became network television's first nightly news anchor, was born in Ada, Oklahoma.

In 1921, Italian-born anarchists Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were convicted in Dedham, Massachusetts, of murdering a shoe company paymaster and his guard. (Sacco and Vanzetti were executed six years later.)

In 1933, all German political parties, except the Nazi Party, were outlawed. Cartoon character Popeye the Sailor made his movie debut in the Fleischer Studios animated short, "Popeye the Sailor."

In 1945, Italy formally declared war on Japan, its former Axis partner during World War II.

In 1958, the army of Iraq overthrew the monarchy.

In 1966, the city of Chicago awoke to the shocking news that eight student nurses had been brutally slain during the night in a South Side dormitory. Drifter Richard Speck was convicted of the mass killing and condemned to death, but had his sentence reduced to life in prison, where he died in 1991.

In 1976, Jimmy Carter won the Democratic presidential nomination at the party's convention in New York.

In 1980, the Republican national convention opened in Detroit, where nominee-apparent Ronald Reagan told a welcoming rally he and his supporters were determined to "make America great again."

In 1999, race-based school busing in Boston came to an end after 25 years.

Ten years ago: North Korea told the United States it had shut down its nuclear reactor, hours after a ship cruised into port loaded with oil promised in return for the country's pledge to disarm. Former presidents, fellow first ladies and about 1,800 other people attended a private funeral in Austin, Texas, for Lady Bird Johnson, the widow of President Lyndon B. Johnson.

Five years ago: A suicide bomber blew himself up among guests at a wedding hall in northern Afghanistan, killing 23 people, including a prominent ex-Uzbek warlord turned lawmaker who was the father of the bride. Nick Buckles, the boss of British security group G4S, went on BBC Television to say he was sorry that his company had bungled the contract to help protect the upcoming 2012 London Olympic Games.

One year ago: Terror struck Bastille Day celebrations in the French Riviera city of Nice (nees) as a large truck plowed into a festive crowd, killing 86 people in an attack claimed by Islamic State extremists; the driver was shot dead by police.

Today's Birthdays: Actor Harry Dean Stanton is 91. Actress Nancy Olson is 89. Former football player and actor Rosey Grier is 85. Actor Vincent Pastore is 71. Music company executive Tommy Mottola is 69. Rock musician Chris Cross (Ultravox) is 65. Actor Jerry Houser is 65. Actor-director Eric Laneuville is 65. Actor Stan Shaw is 65. Movie producer Scott Rudin is 59. Singer-guitarist Kyle Gass is 57. Country musician Ray Herndon (McBride and the Ride) is 57. Actress Jane Lynch is 57. Actor Jackie Earle Haley is 56. Actor Matthew Fox is 51. Rock musician Ellen Reid (Crash Test Dummies) is 51. Rock singer-musician Tanya Donelly is 51. Actress Missy Gold is 47. Olympic gold medal snowboarder Ross Rebagliati is 46. Rhythm-and-blues singer Tameka Cottle (Xscape) is 42. Country singer Jamey Johnson is 42. Hip-hop musician taboo (Black Eyed Peas) is 42. Actor Scott Porter is 38. Rock singer Dan Smith (Bastille) is 31. Actress Sara Canning (TV: "The Vampire Diaries") is 30. Rock singer Dan Reynolds (Imagine Dragons) is 30.

Thought for Today: "If the government is big enough to give you everything you want, it is big enough to take away everything you have." -- President Gerald R. Ford (1913-2006).