Today in History

Today is Saturday, July 15, the 196th day of 2023. There are 169 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On July 15, 1916, Boeing Co., originally known as Pacific Aero Products Co., was founded in Seattle.

On this date:

In 1834, the Spanish Inquisition was abolished more than 350 years after its creation.

In 1870, Georgia became the last Confederate state to be readmitted to the Union.

In 1913, Democrat Augustus Bacon of Georgia became the first person elected to the U.S. Senate under the terms of the recently ratified 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, providing for popular election of senators.

In 1975, three American astronauts blasted off aboard an Apollo spaceship hours after two Soviet cosmonauts were launched aboard a Soyuz spacecraft for a mission that included a linkup of the two ships in orbit.

In 1976, a 36-hour kidnap ordeal began for 26 schoolchildren and their bus driver as they were abducted near Chowchilla, California, by three gunmen and imprisoned in an underground cell. (The captives escaped unharmed; the kidnappers were caught.)

In 1996, MSNBC, a 24-hour all-news network, made its debut on cable and the internet.

In 1997, fashion designer Gianni Versace, 50, was shot dead outside his Miami Beach home; suspected gunman Andrew Phillip Cunanan, 27, was found dead eight days later, a suicide. (Investigators believed Cunanan killed four other people before Versace in a cross-country rampage that began the previous March.)

In 2002, John Walker Lindh, an American who'd fought alongside the Taliban in Afghanistan, pleaded guilty in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, to two felonies in a deal sparing him life in prison.

In 2016, Donald Trump chose Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, an experienced politician with deep Washington connections, as his running mate.

In 2019, avowed white supremacist James Alex Fields Jr. was sentenced to life in prison plus 419 years for killing one and injuring dozens of others when he deliberately drove his car into a crowd of anti-racism protesters during a rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

In 2020, George Floyd's family filed a lawsuit against the city of Minneapolis and the four police officers charged in his death, alleging the officers violated Floyd's rights when they restrained him and that the city allowed a culture of excessive force, racism and impunity to flourish in its police force. (The city would agree to pay $27 million to settle the lawsuit in March 2021.)

Ten years ago: Two days after a Florida jury acquitted George Zimmerman in the death of Trayvon Martin, Attorney General Eric Holder called the killing a "tragic, unnecessary shooting," and said the Justice Department would follow "the facts and the law" as it reviewed evidence to see whether federal criminal charges were warranted. (Federal authorities have yet to reach a decision in the case.) Miguel Angel Trevino Morales, the notoriously brutal leader of the feared Zetas drug cartel, was captured in the first major blow against an organized crime leader by Mexican officials.

Five years ago: President Donald Trump arrived in Finland for a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Earlier, in an interview with CBS News, Trump named the European Union as a top adversary of the United States. France won its second World Cup title, beating Croatia 4-2 in the final in Moscow. Novak Djokovic captured his fourth Wimbledon title, defeating Kevin Anderson; it was Djokovic's 13th major trophy, but his first in more than two years. A wildfire that killed a California firefighter forced the closure of a key route into Yosemite National Park.

One year ago: President Joe Biden exchanged a cordial fist bump with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, but said he then raised the issue of the murder of writer Jamal Khashoggi, which U.S. intelligence had said the crown prince approved. Biden held a private meeting with the crown prince and other Saudi officials in hopes of repairing an important diplomatic relationship. Rescuers with sniffer dogs combed through debris in a central Ukrainian city looking for people missing after a devastating Russian missile strike that killed at least 23 people and wounded more than 100.

Today's Birthdays: Actor Patrick Wayne is 84. R&B singer Millie Jackson is 79. Rock singer-musician Peter Lewis (Moby Grape) is 78. Singer Linda Ronstadt is 77. Rock musician Artimus Pyle is 75. Arianna Huffington, co-founder of The Huffington Post, is 73. Actor Celia Imrie is 71. Actor Terry O'Quinn is 71. Rock singer-musician David Pack is 71. Rock musician Marky Ramone is 71. Rock musician Joe Satriani is 67. Country singer-songwriter Mac McAnally is 66. Model Kim Alexis is 63. Actor Willie Aames is 63. Actor-director Forest Whitaker is 62. Actor Lolita Davidovich is 62. Actor Shari Headley is 60. Actor Brigitte Nielsen is 60. Rock musician Jason Bonham is 57. Actor Amanda Foreman is 57. R&B singer Stokley (Mint Condition) is 56. Actor-comedian Eddie Griffin is 55. Actor Reggie Hayes is 54. Actor-screenwriter Jim Rash is 52. Rock musician John Dolmayan is 51. Actor Scott Foley is 51. Actor Brian Austin Green is 50. Rapper Jim Jones is 47. Actor Diane Kruger is 47. Actor Lana Parrilla is 46. Rock musician Ray Toro (My Chemical Romance) is 46. Actor Laura Benanti is 44. Actor Travis Fimmel is 44. Actor Taylor Kinney is 42. Actor-singer Tristan "Mack" Wilds is 34. Actor Medalion Rahimi is 31. Actor Iain Armitage (TV: "Big Little Lies" "Young Sheldon") is 15.