Today in History

Today is Saturday, July 7, the 188th day of 2018. There are 177 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On July 7, 1865, four people were hanged in Washington, D.C. for conspiring with John Wilkes Booth to assassinate President Abraham Lincoln: Lewis Powell (aka Lewis Payne), David Herold, George Atzerodt and Mary Surratt, the first woman to be executed by the federal government.

On this date:

In 1846, U.S. annexation of California was proclaimed at Monterey after the surrender of a Mexican garrison.

In 1898, the United States annexed Hawaii.

In 1919, the first Transcontinental Motor Convoy, in which a U.S. Army convoy of motorized vehicles crossed the United States, departed Washington, D.C. (The trip ended in San Francisco on Sept. 6, 1919.)

In 1937, the Second Sino-Japanese War erupted into full-scale conflict as Imperial Japanese forces attacked the Marco Polo Bridge in Beijing.

In 1946, Italian-born Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini was canonized as the first American saint by Pope Pius XII. Jimmy Carter, 21, married Rosalynn Smith, 18, in Plains, Georgia.

In 1948, six female U.S. Navy reservists became the first women to be sworn in to the regular Navy.

In 1954, Elvis Presley made his radio debut as Memphis, Tennessee, station WHBQ played his first recording for Sun Records, "That's All Right."

In 1969, Canada's House of Commons gave final approval to the Official Languages Act, making French equal to English throughout the national government.

In 1976, President and Mrs. Gerald R. Ford hosted a White House dinner for Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. The United States Military Academy at West Point included female cadets for the first time as 119 women joined the Class of 1980.

In 1981, President Ronald Reagan announced he was nominating Arizona Judge Sandra Day O'Connor to become the first female justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.

In 1987, Lt. Col. Oliver North began his long-awaited public testimony at the Iran-Contra hearing, telling Congress that he had "never carried out a single act, not one," without authorization.

In 1990, the first "Three Tenors" concert took place as opera stars Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras performed amid the brick ruins of Rome's Baths of Caracalla on the eve of the World Cup championship.

Ten years ago: A suicide bomber struck the Indian Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, killing at least 60 people. President George W. Bush met Russian President Dmitry Medvedev for the first time at the Group of Eight summit in Hokkaido, Japan. Actress Nicole Kidman gave birth to a girl; she and her husband, country star Keith Urban, named their daughter Sunday Rose Kidman Urban.

Five years ago: A de Havilland DHC-3 Otter air taxi crashed after taking off from Soldotna, Alaska, killing all 10 people on board. Andy Murray became the first British man in 77 years to win the Wimbledon title, beating Novak Djokovic 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 in the final.

One year ago: Islamic militants attacked a remote Egyptian army outpost in the Sinai Peninsula with a suicide car bomb and heavy machine gun fire, killing at least 23 soldiers in the deadliest attack in the turbulent region in two years. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed Hawaii's attempt to challenge Trump administration rules for a travel ban on citizens from six majority-Muslim countries, saying it didn't have jurisdiction to address the issue.

Today's Birthdays: Musician-conductor Doc Severinsen is 91. Pulitzer Prize-winning author David McCullough is 85. Rock star Ringo Starr is 78. Comedian Bill Oddie is 77. Singer-musician Warren Entner (The Grass Roots) is 75. Actor Joe Spano is 72. Pop singer David Hodo (The Village People) is 71. Country singer Linda Williams is 71. Actress Shelley Duvall is 69. Actress Roz Ryan is 67. Actor Billy Campbell is 59. Actor Robert Taylor is 58. Rock musician Mark White (Spin Doctors) is 56. Singer-songwriter Vonda Shepard is 55. Actor-comedian Jim Gaffigan is 52. Rhythm-and-blues musician Ricky Kinchen (Mint Condition) is 52. Actress Amy Carlson is 50. Actress Jorja Fox is 50. Actress Cree Summer is 49. Actress Robin Weigert is 49. Actress Kirsten Vangsness is 46. Actor Troy Garity is 45. Actress Berenice Bejo is 42. Actor Hamish Linklater is 42. Olympic silver and bronze medal figure skater Michelle Kwan is 38. Rapper Cassidy is 36. Country singer Gabbie Nolen is 36. Actor Ross Malinger is 34. Actor-comedian Luke Null (TV: "Saturday Night Live") is 28. Pop singer Ally Hernandez (Fifth Harmony) (TV: "The X Factor") is 25. Pop musician Ashton Irwin (5 Seconds to Summer) is 24. Country singer Maddie Marlow (Maddie and Tae) is 23.

Thought for Today: "It takes people a long time to learn the difference between talent and genius, especially ambitious young men and women." -- Louisa May Alcott, American author (1832-1888).