Today in History

Today is Friday, July 14, the 195th day of 2023. There are 170 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On July 14, 2004, the Senate scuttled a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, with 48 senators voting to advance the measure -- 12 short of the 60 needed -- and 50 voting to block it.

On this date:

In 1789, in an event symbolizing the start of the French Revolution, citizens of Paris stormed the Bastille prison and released the seven prisoners inside.

In 1798, Congress passed the Sedition Act, making it a federal crime to publish false, scandalous or malicious writing about the United States government.

In 1881, outlaw William H. Bonney Jr., alias "Billy the Kid," was shot and killed by Sheriff Pat Garrett in Fort Sumner in present-day New Mexico.

In 1912, American folk singer-songwriter Woody Guthrie was born in Okemah, Oklahoma.

In 1933, all German political parties, except the Nazi Party, were outlawed.

In 1945, Italy formally declared war on Japan, its former Axis partner during World War II.

In 1976, Jimmy Carter won the Democratic presidential nomination at the party's convention in New York.

In 1980, the Republican national convention opened in Detroit, where nominee-apparent Ronald Reagan told a welcoming rally he and his supporters were determined to "make America great again."

In 2009, disgraced financier Bernard Madoff arrived at the Butner Federal Correctional Complex in North Carolina to begin serving a 150-year sentence for his massive Ponzi scheme.

In 2015, world powers and Iran struck a deal to curb Iran's nuclear program in exchange for relief from international sanctions.

In 2016, terror struck Bastille Day celebrations in the French Riviera city of Nice as a large truck plowed into a festive crowd, killing 86 people in an attack claimed by Islamic State extremists; the driver was shot dead by police.

In 2020, researchers reported that the first COVID-19 vaccine tested in the U.S. revved up people's immune systems as scientists had hoped; the vaccine was developed by the National Institutes of Health and Moderna Inc.

Ten years ago: Thousands of demonstrators across the country protested a Florida jury's decision the day before to clear George Zimmerman in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, in a TV interview, called for tougher European and global rules on data protection amid fallout from recent revelations about U.S. surveillance programs.

Five years ago: Angelique Kerber beat Serena Williams in the women's final for her first Wimbledon title. A firefighter, Braden Varney, was killed while trying to prevent a wildfire near California's Yosemite National Park from spreading. Thousands of people in Scotland staged colorful, peaceful protests against Donald Trump as the U.S. president played golf at his Scottish golf resort at Turnberry ahead of his summit in Finland with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

One year ago: President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid stood side-by-side at a joint news conference and declared they would not allow Iran to become a nuclear power. They parted ways on how to get there, however, with Biden saying he still wanted to give diplomacy a chance while Lapid insisted that words alone wouldn't thwart Tehran's nuclear ambitions. Ivana Trump, the first wife of former President Donald Trump and mother of his three eldest children, died in New York City at age 73. The National Galleries of Scotland said a previously unknown self-portrait of Vincent Van Gogh was discovered behind another of the artist's paintings when experts took an X-ray of the canvas ahead of an upcoming exhibition.

Today's Birthdays: Actor Nancy Olson is 95. Former football player and actor Rosey Grier is 91. Actor Vincent Pastore is 77. Music company executive Tommy Mottola is 75. Rock musician Chris Cross (Ultravox) is 71. Actor Jerry Houser is 71. Actor-director Eric Laneuville is 71. Actor Stan Shaw is 71. Movie producer Scott Rudin is 65. Singer-guitarist Kyle Gass is 63. Actor Jane Lynch is 63. Actor Jackie Earle Haley is 62. Actor Matthew Fox is 57. Rock musician Ellen Reid (Crash Test Dummies) is 57. Rock singer-musician Tanya Donelly is 57. Former child actor Missy Gold is 53. Olympic gold medal snowboarder Ross Rebagliati is 52. R&B singer Tameka Cottle (Xscape) is 48. Country singer Jamey Johnson is 48. Hip-hop musician "taboo" (Black Eyed Peas) is 48. Actor Scott Porter is 44. Actor/writer/producer Phoebe Waller-Bridge is 38. Rock singer Dan Smith (Bastille) is 37. Actor Sara Canning (TV: "The Vampire Diaries") is 36. Rock singer Dan Reynolds (Imagine Dragons) is 36.