Today in History

Today is Thursday, July 9, the 191st day of 2020. 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 1755, British General Edward Braddock was mortally wounded as his troops suffered a massive defeat during the French and Indian War (he died four days later).

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 1943, during World War II, the Allies launched Operation Husky, the invasion of Sicily.

In 1947, the engagement of Britain's Princess Elizabeth to Lt. Philip Mountbatten was announced.

In 1965, the Sonny & Cher single "I Got You Babe" was released by ATCO Records.

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 1992, Democrat Bill Clinton tapped Tennessee Sen. Al Gore to be his running mate. Former CBS News commentator Eric Sevareid died in Washington at age 79.

In 2004, a Senate Intelligence Committee report concluded the CIA had provided unfounded assessments of the threat posed by Iraq that the Bush administration had relied on to justify going to war.

Ten years ago: The largest U.S.-Russia spy swap since the Cold War took place on a remote stretch of Vienna airport tarmac as planes from New York and Moscow arrived within minutes of each other with 10 Russian sleeper agents and four prisoners accused by Russia of spying for the West.

Five years ago: South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley relegated the Confederate flag to the state's "relic room" after the legislature passed a measure removing the flag from the grounds of the Statehouse in the wake of the slaughter of nine African-Americans at a church Bible study. The Obama administration said hackers had stolen Social Security numbers, health histories and other highly sensitive data from more than 21 million people, acknowledging that the breach of U.S. government computer systems was far more severe than previously disclosed. Saudi Arabia's Prince Saud al-Faisal, who had been the world's longest-serving foreign minister with 40 years in the post until his retirement earlier in the year, died at age 75.

One year ago: Billionaire H. Ross Perot, who ran for president as a third-party candidate in 1992, died at his home in Dallas; he was 89. A federal appeals court said President Donald Trump was violating the First Amendment any time he blocked a critic on Twitter to silence a viewpoint; the court warned that any elected official who uses social media for "all manner of official purposes" can't then exclude critics without violating free-speech protections. Actor Rip Torn, an Emmy winner for "The Larry Sanders Show," died at 88. The American League won its seventh straight baseball All-Star Game, 4-3 over the National League, as American League pitchers combined to strike out 16 batters.

Today's Birthdays: Actor-singer Ed Ames is 93. Former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld is 88. Actor James Hampton is 84. Actor Richard Roundtree is 78. Singer Dee Dee Kenniebrew (The Crystals) is 75. Author Dean Koontz is 75. Football Hall of Famer O.J. Simpson is 73. Actor Chris Cooper is 69. TV personality John Tesh is 68. Country singer David Ball is 67. Business executive/TV personality Kevin O'Leary (TV: "Shark Tank") is 66. Rhythm-and-blues singer Debbie Sledge (Sister Sledge) is 66. Actor Jimmy Smits is 65. Actress Lisa Banes is 65. Actor Tom Hanks is 64. Singer Marc Almond is 63. Actress Kelly McGillis is 63. Rock singer Jim Kerr (Simple Minds) is 61. Actress-rock singer Courtney Love is 56. Rock musician Frank Bello (Anthrax) is 55. Actor David O'Hara is 55. Actress Pamela Adlon is 54. Rock musician Xavier Muriel is 52. Actor Scott Grimes is 49. Actor Enrique Murciano is 47. Rock singer-musician Isaac Brock (Modest Mouse) is 45. Musician/producer Jack White is 45. Rock musician Dan Estrin (Hoobastank) is 44. Actor-director Fred Savage is 44. Country musician Pat Allingham is 42. Actress Linda Park is 42. Actress Megan Parlen is 40. Rhythm-and-blues singer Kiely Williams (3lw) is 34. Actor Mitchel (cq) Musso is 29. Actress Georgie Henley is 25.