Today in History

Today in History

Today is Wednesday, July 12, the 193rd day of 2017. There are 172 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On July 12, 1967, rioting erupted in Newark, New Jersey, over the police beating of a black taxi driver; 26 people were killed in the five days of violence that followed.

On this date:

In 1543, England's King Henry VIII married his sixth and last wife, Catherine Parr.

In 1817, author, poet and naturalist Henry David Thoreau was born in Concord, Massachusetts.

In 1862, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln signed a bill authorizing the Army Medal of Honor.

In 1909, the House of Representatives joined the Senate in passing the 16th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, allowing for a federal income tax, and submitted it to the states. (It was declared ratified in February 1913.)

In 1917, artist Andrew Wyeth was born in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania.

In 1948, the Democratic National Convention, which nominated President Harry S. Truman for a second term of office, opened in Philadelphia.

In 1957, President Dwight D. Eisenhower was flown by helicopter from the White House to a secret mountaintop location as part of a drill involving a mock nuclear attack on Washington.

In 1977, President Jimmy Carter defended Supreme Court limits on government payments for poor women's abortions, saying, "There are many things in life that are not fair."

In 1984, Democratic presidential candidate Walter F. Mondale announced his choice of U.S. Rep. Geraldine A. Ferraro of New York to be his running-mate; Ferraro was the first woman to run for vice president on a major-party ticket.

In 1988, Democratic presidential candidate Michael S. Dukakis tapped Sen. Lloyd Bentsen of Texas as his running-mate.

In 1994, President Bill Clinton, visiting Germany, went to the eastern sector of Berlin, the first U.S. president to do so since Harry Truman.

In 2001, Abner Louima, the Haitian immigrant tortured in a New York City police station, agreed to an $8.7 million settlement with the city and its police union.

Ten years ago: Presidential hopeful Barack Obama drew the loudest cheers of the eight Democratic candidates at an NAACP civil rights forum in Detroit as he assailed the Bush administration's record on race relations. The House of Representatives voted 223-201 to withdraw U.S. troops by spring 2008 despite a veto threat from President George W. Bush. British soccer star David Beckham and his wife, Victoria (of Spice Girls fame), arrived in Los Angeles to begin their new lives in the United States.

Five years ago: Vice President Joe Biden rallied support for President Barack Obama at the NAACP's convention in Houston, declaring that Republican challenger Mitt Romney's election-year agenda would hurt -- not help -- working families in the black community. A scathing report by former FBI Director Louis Freeh said the late Joe Paterno and other top Penn State officials had buried child sexual abuse allegations against Jerry Sandusky more than a decade earlier to avoid bad publicity.

One year ago: President Barack Obama visited Dallas, where five police officers were killed the previous week by a black man seeking vengeance for police killings; Obama said a week of deeply troubling violence seemed to expose "the deepest fault lines of our democracy," but insisted the nation was not as divided as it seemed. With hugs and handshakes, Bernie Sanders endorsed Hillary Clinton for president during an appearance in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The American League won its fourth consecutive All-Star Game, beating the NL 4-2 at Petco Park in San Diego.

Today's Birthdays: Movie director Monte Hellman is 88. Actor-comedian Bill Cosby is 80. Singer-musician Christine McVie is 74. Actress Denise Nicholas is 73. Singer-songwriter Butch Hancock is 72. Fitness guru Richard Simmons is 69. Actor Jay Thomas is 69. Singer Walter Egan is 69. Writer-producer Brian Grazer is 66. Actress Cheryl Ladd is 66. Country singer Julie Miller is 61. Gospel singer Sandi Patty is 61. Actress Mel Harris is 61. Actor Buddy Foster is 60. Rock guitarist Dan Murphy (Soul Asylum) is 55. Actress Judi Evans is 53. Rock singer Robin Wilson (Gin Blossoms) is 52. Actress Natalie Desselle Reid is 50. Actress Lisa Nicole Carson is 48. Olympic gold medal figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi is 46. Country singer Shannon Lawson is 44. Rapper Magoo is 44. Actress Anna Friel is 41. Rhythm-and-blues singer Tracie Spencer is 41. Actress Alison Wright is 41. Actor Steve Howey is 40. Actor Topher Grace is 39. Actress Michelle Rodriguez is 39. Actress Kristen Connolly is 37. Country singer-musician Kimberly Perry (The Band Perry) is 34. Actor Matt Cook (TV: "Man With a Plan") is 33. Actress Natalie Martinez is 33. Actress Ta'Rhonda Jones is 29. Golfer Inbee Park is 29. Actress Rachel Brosnahan is 27. Actor Erik Per Sullivan is 26. Olympic gold medal gymnast Jordyn Wieber is 22. Nobel Peace laureate Malala Yousafzai is 20.

Thought for Today: "There is no remedy for love but to love more." -- Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862).