Today in History

Today is Tuesday, Aug. 18, the 231st day of 2020. There are 135 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On August 18, 1920, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, guaranteeing all American women's right to vote, was ratified as Tennessee became the 36th state to approve it.

On this date:

In 1587, Virginia Dare became the first child of English parents to be born in present-day America, on what is now Roanoke Island in North Carolina. (However, the Roanoke colony ended up mysteriously disappearing.)

In 1838, the first marine expedition sponsored by the U.S. government set sail from Hampton Roads, Virginia; the crews traveled the southern Pacific Ocean, gathering scientific information.

In 1846, during the Mexican-American War, U.S. forces led by Gen. Stephen W. Kearny occupied Santa Fe in present-day New Mexico.

In 1894, Congress established the Bureau of Immigration.

In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson issued his Proclamation of Neutrality, aimed at keeping the United States out of World War I.

In 1963, James Meredith became the first Black student to graduate from the University of Mississippi.

In 1969, the Woodstock Music and Art Fair in Bethel, New York, wound to a close after three nights with a mid-morning set by Jimi Hendrix.

In 1983, Hurricane Alicia slammed into the Texas coast, leaving 21 dead and causing more than a billion dollars' worth of damage.

In 1993, a judge in Sarasota, Fla., ruled that Kimberly Mays, the 14-year-old girl who had been switched at birth with another baby, need never again see her biological parents, Ernest and Regina Twigg, in accordance with her stated wishes. (However, Kimberly later moved in with the Twiggs.)

In 2009, former South Korean President and Nobel Peace laureate Kim Dae-jung died in Seoul.

In 2014, Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon ordered the National Guard to Ferguson, a suburb of St. Louis convulsed by protests over the fatal shooting of a Black teen. Don Pardo, 96, a durable radio and television announcer known for his introductions with a booming baritone on "Saturday Night Live" and other shows, died in Tucson, Arizona.

In 2017, Steve Bannon, President Donald Trump's top White House strategist, was forced out of his post by Trump; Bannon returned immediately as executive chairman to Breitbart News, which he led before joining Trump's campaign. (Bannon would step down as Breitbart chairman in January 2018 after the release of a book in which he criticized Trump and members of his family.)

Ten years ago: General Motors filed the first batch of paperwork to sell stock to the public again, a significant step toward shedding U.S. government ownership a year after the automaker had filed for bankruptcy. A bull leapt into the packed grandstands of a bullring in northern Spain and ran amok, charging and trampling spectators and leaving dozens of people injured. (The bull was brought under control by handlers and was later killed.)

Five years ago: The Food and Drug Administration approved Addyi, the world's first prescription drug designed to boost sexual desire in women. Bud Yorkin, a director and producer who helped forge a new brand of topical TV comedy with the 1970s hit "All in the Family," died in Los Angeles at age 89.

One year ago: Kathleen Blanco, who became Louisiana's first female governor only to see her political career derailed by the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, died in hospice care in Lafayette, Louisiana at the age of 76; she'd struggled for years with cancer. Broadcaster Jack Whitaker, who reported on events ranging from the first Super Bowl to Secretariat's Triple Crown, died in Devon, Pennsylvania; he was 95.

Today's Birthdays: Former first lady Rosalynn Carter is 93. Movie director Roman Polanski is 87. Olympic gold medal decathlete Rafer Johnson is 85. Actor-director Robert Redford is 84. Actor Henry G. Sanders is 78. Actor-comedian Martin Mull is 77. Rhythm-and-blues singer Sarah Dash (LaBelle) is 75. Rock musician Dennis Elliott is 70. Country singer Jamie O'Hara is 70. Comedian Elayne Boosler is 68. Country singer Steve Wilkinson (The Wilkinsons) is 65. Actor Denis Leary is 63. Actor Madeleine Stowe is 62. Former Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner is 59. ABC News reporter Bob Woodruff is 59. The former president of Mexico, Felipe Calderon, is 58. Bluegrass musician Jimmy Mattingly is 58. Actor Adam Storke is 58. Actor Craig Bierko is 56. Rock singer-musician Zac Maloy (The Nixons) is 52. Rock singer and hip-hop artist Everlast is 51. Rapper Masta Killa (Wu-Tang Clan) is 51. Actor Christian Slater is 51. Actor Edward Norton is 51. Actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner is 50. Actor Kaitlin Olson is 45. Actor-writer-director Hadjii is 44. Rock musician Dirk Lance is 44. Actor-comedian Andy Samberg (TV: "Saturday Night Live") is 42. Country musician Brad Tursi (Old Dominion) is 41. Actor Mika Boorem is 33. Actor Maia Mitchell is 27. Actor Madelaine Petsch is 26. Actor Parker McKenna Posey is 25.