Today in History

Today is Friday, July 9, the 190th day of 2021. There are 175 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On July 9, 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.

On this date:

In 1540, England's King Henry VIII had his 6-month-old marriage to his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, annulled.

In 1776, the Declaration of Independence was read aloud to Gen. George Washington's troops in New York.

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 1944, during World War II, American forces secured Saipan as the last Japanese defenses fell.

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

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 1999, A jury in Los Angeles ordered General Motors Corp. to pay $4.9 billion to six people severely burned when their Chevrolet Malibu exploded in flames in a rear-end collision. (A judge later reduced the punitive damages to $1.09 billion, while letting stand $107 million in compensatory damages; GM settled the lawsuit in July 2003 for an undisclosed amount.)

In 2010, the largest U.S.-Russia spy swap since the Cold War was completed 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.

In 2015, 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.

Ten years ago: South Sudan became the world's newest nation, officially breaking away from Sudan after two civil wars over five decades that had cost millions of lives. Derek Jeter homered for his 3,000th hit, making him the first player to reach the mark with the New York Yankees, who defeated the Tampa Bay Rays, 5-4.

Five years ago: President Barack Obama wrapped up his visit to the NATO summit in Warsaw before heading to Madrid for a visit cut short because of violence back home, where five Dallas police officers had been killed by a sniper and two Black men were dead after being shot by police. Serena Williams won her record-tying 22nd Grand Slam title by beating Angelique Kerber 7-5, 6-3 in the Wimbledon final and pulling even with Steffi Graf for the most major championships in the Open era, which began in 1968.

One year ago: The World Health Organization acknowledged the possibility that COVID-19 might be spread in the air under certain conditions; more than 200 scientists, in an open letter, had urged the agency to do so. The head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Robert Redfield, said federal health officials would not revise their coronavirus guidelines for reopening schools, despite criticism from President Donald Trump. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio used a roller to help paint "Black Lives Matter" in front of Trump's namesake Manhattan tower. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of a New York prosecutor's demands for Trump's tax records.

Today's Birthdays: Actor-singer Ed Ames is 94. Former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld is 89. Actor Richard Roundtree is 79. Singer Dee Dee Kenniebrew (The Crystals) is 76. Author Dean Koontz is 76. Football Hall of Famer O.J. Simpson is 74. Actor Chris Cooper is 70. TV personality John Tesh is 69. Country singer David Ball is 68. Business executive/TV personality Kevin O'Leary (TV: "Shark Tank") is 67. R&B singer Debbie Sledge (Sister Sledge) is 67. Actor Jimmy Smits is 66. Actor Tom Hanks is 65. Singer Marc Almond is 64. Actor Kelly McGillis is 64. Rock singer Jim Kerr (Simple Minds) is 62. Actor-rock singer Courtney Love is 57. Rock musician Frank Bello (Anthrax) is 56. Actor David O'Hara is 56. Actor Pamela Adlon is 55. Actor Scott Grimes is 50. Actor Enrique Murciano is 48. Rock singer-musician Isaac Brock (Modest Mouse) is 46. Musician/producer Jack White is 46. Rock musician Dan Estrin (Hoobastank) is 45. Actor-director Fred Savage is 45. Actor Linda Park is 43. Actor Megan Parlen is 41. R&B singer Kiely Williams (3lw) is 35. Actor Mitchel Musso is 30. Actor Georgie Henley is 26.