Today in History

Today in History

Today is Monday, July 9, the 190th day of 2018. 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 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 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 1986, the Attorney General's Commission on Pornography released the final draft of its report, which linked hard-core porn to sex crimes.

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).

In 2001, a divided court in Chile ruled that Gen. Augusto Pinochet could not be tried on human rights charges because of his deteriorating health and mental condition, a ruling that effectively brought the 85-year-old former dictator's legal troubles to an end.

Ten years ago: Citing new DNA tests, prosecutors cleared JonBenet Ramsey's parents and brother in the 1996 killing of the 6-year-old beauty queen in Boulder, Colo. Massachusetts Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, battling a brain tumor, walked into the Senate to cast a dramatic vote in favor of long-stalled Medicare legislation. Iran test-fired nine missiles, including ones capable of hitting Israel. Gunmen stormed a guard post at the U.S. consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, touching off a firefight that killed three police officers and three assailants.

Five years ago: Egypt's military-backed interim leader, Adly Mansour, named economist Hazem el-Beblawi as prime minister, ending days of political deadlock. Francesco Schettino, the former captain of the luxury liner Costa Concordia, went on trial for the 2012 shipwreck off Giglio that claimed 32 lives. A massive memorial service in Arizona honored 19 members of the Prescott-based Granite Mountain Hotshots who died when a wind-fueled, out-of-control fire overran them. Defensemen Scott Niedermayer and Chris Chelios, along with forward Brendan Shanahan, were elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame; they were joined in the class of 2013 by Geraldine Heaney, the third woman to be enshrined in the hall, and the late Fred Shero, the coach who'd led the Philadelphia Flyers to the Stanley Cup in 1974 and '75.

One year ago: A cease-fire arranged by the United States, Russia and Jordan took effect in three war-torn provinces of southern Syria. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi celebrated with Iraqi troops in Mosul after they drove Islamic State militants from some of their last strongholds.

Today's Birthdays: Actor-singer Ed Ames is 91. Former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld is 86. Actor James Hampton is 82. Actor Brian Dennehy is 80. Actor Richard Roundtree is 76. Singer Dee Dee Kenniebrew (The Crystals) is 73. Author Dean Koontz is 73. Football Hall of Famer O.J. Simpson is 71. Actor Chris Cooper is 67. TV personality John Tesh is 66. Country singer David Ball is 65. Business executive/TV personality Kevin O'Leary (TV: "Shark Tank") is 64. Rhythm-and-blues singer Debbie Sledge (Sister Sledge) is 64. Actor Jimmy Smits is 63. Actress Lisa Banes is 63. Actor Tom Hanks is 62. Singer Marc Almond is 61. Actress Kelly McGillis is 61. Rock singer Jim Kerr (Simple Minds) is 59. Actress-rock singer Courtney Love is 54. Rock musician Frank Bello (Anthrax) is 53. Actor David O'Hara is 53. Actress Pamela Adlon is 52. Rock musician Xavier Muriel is 50. Actor Scott Grimes is 47. Actor Enrique Murciano is 45. Rock singer-musician Isaac Brock (Modest Mouse) is 43. Musician/producer Jack White is 43. Rock musician Dan Estrin (Hoobastank) is 42. Actor-director Fred Savage is 42. Country musician Pat Allingham is 40. Actress Linda Park is 40. Actress Megan Parlen is 38. Rhythm-and-blues singer Kiely Williams (3lw) is 32. Actor Mitchel Musso is 27. Actress Georgie Henley is 23.

Thought for Today: "A good storyteller is a person who has a good memory and hopes other people haven't." -- Irvin S. Cobb, American humorist (1876-1944).