Today in History

Today in History

Today is Sunday, July 9, the 190th day of 2017. There are 175 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On July 9, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was read aloud to Gen. George Washington's troops in New York.

On this date:

In 1540, England's King Henry VIII had his 6-month-old marriage to his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, annulled.

In 1816, Argentina declared independence from Spain.

In 1850, the 12th president of the United States, Zachary Taylor, died after serving only 16 months of his term. (He was succeeded by Millard Fillmore.)

In 1896, William Jennings Bryan delivered his famous "cross of gold" speech at the Democratic national convention in Chicago.

In 1918, 101 people were killed in a train collision in Nashville, Tennessee. The Distinguished Service Cross was established by an Act of Congress.

In 1937, a fire at 20th Century Fox's film storage facility in Little Ferry, New Jersey, destroyed most of the studio's silent films.

In 1945, architect Frank Lloyd Wright unveiled his design for the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, a spiral structure on Manhattan's Upper East Side that was completed in 1959.

In 1951, President Harry S. Truman asked Congress to formally end the state of war between the United States and Germany. (An official end to the state of war was declared in October 1951.)

In 1962, pop artist Andy Warhol's exhibit of 32 paintings of Campbell's soup cans opened at the Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles.

In 1974, former U.S. Chief Justice Earl Warren died in Washington at age 83.

In 1982, Pan Am Flight 759, a Boeing 727, crashed in Kenner, Louisiana, shortly after takeoff from New Orleans International Airport, killing all 145 people aboard and eight people on the ground.

In 1995, Jerry Garcia performed for the final time as frontman of the Grateful Dead during a concert at Chicago's Soldier Field (Garcia died a month later).

Ten years ago: President George W. Bush directed former aides to defy congressional subpoenas, claiming executive privilege in resisting Congress' investigation into the firings of U.S. attorneys. Sen. David Vitter, R-La., whose telephone number was disclosed by Deborah Jeane Palfrey, the so-called "D.C. Madam," said in a statement he was sorry for a "serious sin" and that he'd already made peace with his wife. A jury convicted four Muslim militants of plotting to bomb London's public transport system. Character actor Charles Lane, 102, died in Santa Monica, California.

Five years ago: Facing sagging jobs numbers, President Barack Obama sought to recast the November election as a fight over tax fairness, urging tax cut extensions for all families earning less than $250,000 but denying them to households making more than that. The remains of 6 U.S. airmen lost over Laos in 1965 were laid to rest in a single casket at Arlington National Cemetery. Detroit's Prince Fielder became only the second player, after Ken Griffey Jr., to win multiple titles in the All-Star Home Run Derby, thrilling the crowd at Kauffman Stadium with eight splash shots into the right-field fountain and beating Toronto's Jose Bautista 12-7 in the final.

One year ago: President Barack Obama wrapped up his visit to the NATO summit in Warsaw before heading to Madrid for a visit cut short because of violence back home, where five Dallas police officers had been killed by a sniper and two black men were left dead at the hands of police. Serena Williams won her record-tying 22nd Grand Slam title by beating Angelique Kerber 7-5, 6-3 in the Wimbledon final and pulling even with Steffi Graf for the most major championships in the Open era, which began in 1968.

Today's Birthdays: Actor-singer Ed Ames is 90. Former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld is 85. Actor James Hampton is 81. Actor Brian Dennehy is 79. Actor Richard Roundtree is 75. Author Dean Koontz is 72. Football Hall of Famer O.J. Simpson is 70. Actor Chris Cooper is 66. TV personality John Tesh is 65. Country singer David Ball is 64. Business executive/TV personality Kevin O'Leary (TV: "Shark Tank") is 63. Rhythm-and-blues singer Debbie Sledge (Sister Sledge) is 63. Actor Jimmy Smits is 62. Actress Lisa Banes is 62. Actor Tom Hanks is 61. Singer Marc Almond is 60. Actress Kelly McGillis is 60. Rock singer Jim Kerr (Simple Minds) is 58. Actress-rock singer Courtney Love is 53. Rock musician Frank Bello (Anthrax) is 52. Actor David O'Hara is 52. Actress Pamela Adlon is 51. Rock musician Xavier Muriel is 49. Actor Scott Grimes is 46. Actor Enrique Murciano is 44. Rock singer-musician Isaac Brock (Modest Mouse) is 42. Musician/producer Jack White is 42. Rock musician Dan Estrin (Hoobastank) is 41. Actor-director Fred Savage is 41. Country musician Pat Allingham is 39. Actress Linda Park is 39. Actress Megan Parlen is 37. Rhythm-and-blues singer Kiely Williams (3lw) is 31. Actor Mitchel Musso is 26. Actress Georgie Henley is 22.

Thought for Today: "Invest in the human soul. Who knows, it might be a diamond in the rough." -- Mary McLeod Bethune, American educator and reformer (1875-1955).