Today in History

Today is Sunday, Aug. 11, the 223rd day of 2019. There are 142 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On August 11, 1992, the Mall of America, the nation's largest shopping-entertainment center, opened in Bloomington, Minnesota.

On this date:

In 1919, Germany's Weimar Constitution was signed by President Friedrich Ebert.

In 1949, President Harry S. Truman nominated General Omar N. Bradley to become the first chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

In 1956, abstract painter Jackson Pollock, 44, died in an automobile accident on Long Island, New York.

In 1960, the African country of Chad became independent of France.

In 1964, the Beatles movie "A Hard Day's Night" had its U.S. premiere in New York.

In 1965, rioting and looting that claimed 34 lives broke out in the predominantly black Watts section of Los Angeles.

In 1984, at the Los Angeles Olympics, American runner Mary Decker fell after colliding with South African-born British competitor Zola Budd in the 3,000-meter final; Budd finished seventh.

In 1991, Shiite Muslim kidnappers in Lebanon released two Western captives: Edward Tracy, an American held nearly five years, and Jerome Leyraud, a Frenchman who'd been abducted by a rival group three days earlier.

In 1993, President Bill Clinton named Army Gen. John Shalikashvili to be the new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, succeeding the retiring Gen. Colin Powell.

In 1997, President Bill Clinton made the first use of the historic line-item veto, rejecting three items in spending and tax bills. (However, the U.S. Supreme Court later struck down the veto as unconstitutional.)

In 2012, Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney announced his choice of Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin to be his running mate. Usain Bolt capped his perfect London Olympics by leading Jamaica to victory in a world-record 36.84 seconds in the 4x100 meters.

In 2017, a federal judge ordered Charlottesville, Virginia, to allow a weekend rally of white nationalists and other extremists to take place at its originally planned location downtown. (Violence erupted at the rally, and a woman was killed when a man plowed his car into a group of counterprotesters.)

Ten years ago: A Myanmar court found democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi guilty of violating her house arrest by allowing an uninvited American to visit her home; she was ordered to serve an 18-month sentence under house arrest. Jeers and taunts drowned out Democratic lawmakers calling for a health care overhaul at town halls; during his own town hall in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, President Barack Obama assailed "wild misrepresentations" of his health care plan. Eunice Kennedy Shriver, sister of President John F. Kennedy and founder of the Special Olympics, died in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, at age 88.

Five years ago: Academy Award-winning actor and comedian Robin Williams, 63, died in Tiburon, California, a suicide.

One year ago: Nobel Prize-winning novelist V.S. Naipaul died at his London home at the age of 85. President Donald Trump said former White House staffer and reality-TV star Omarosa Maniguault Newman was a "lowlife"; Manigualt Newman had been promoting a book in which she said Trump is a racist who had used racial slurs on the set of "The Apprentice." Republican U.S. Rep. Chris Collins of New York ended his re-election bid, days after his indictment on insider trading charges.

Today's Birthdays: Actress Arlene Dahl is 94. Songwriter-producer Kenny Gamble is 76. Rock musician Jim Kale (Guess Who) is 76. Magazine columnist Marilyn Vos Savant is 73. Country singer John Conlee is 73. Singer Eric Carmen is 70. Computer scientist and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak is 69. Wrestler-actor Hulk Hogan is 66. Singer Joe Jackson is 65. Playwright David Henry Hwang is 62. Actor Miguel A. Nunez Jr. is 60. Actress Viola Davis is 54. Actress Embeth Davidtz is 54. Actor Duane Martin is 54. Actor-host Joe Rogan is 52. Rhythm-and-blues musician Chris Dave is 51. Actress Anna Gunn is 51. Actress Ashley Jensen is 51. Actress Sophie Okonedo is 51. Rock guitarist Charlie Sexton is 51. Hip-hop artist Ali Shaheed Muhammad is 49. Actor Nigel Harman is 46. Actor Will Friedle is 43. Actor Rob Kerkovich is 40. Actress Merritt Wever is 39. Actor Chris Hemsworth is 36. Rock musician Heath Fogg (Alabama Shakes) is 35. Singer J-Boog is 34. Rapper Asher Roth is 34. Actress Alyson Stoner is 26.

Thought for Today: "You will have bad times, but they will always wake you up to the stuff you weren't paying attention to." -- Robin Williams (1951-2014).