Today in History

Today is Sunday, July 11, the 192nd day of 2021. There are 173 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On July 11, 1995, the U.N.-designated "safe haven" of Srebrenica in Bosnia-Herzegovina fell to Bosnian Serb forces, who then carried out the killings of more than 8,000 Muslim men and boys.

On this date:

In 1798, the U.S. Marine Corps was formally re-established by a congressional act that also created the U.S. Marine Band.

In 1804, Vice President Aaron Burr mortally wounded former Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton during a pistol duel in Weehawken, New Jersey. (Hamilton died the next day.)

In 1859, Big Ben, the great bell inside the famous London clock tower, chimed for the first time.

In 1936, New York City's Triborough Bridge (now officially the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge) linking Manhattan, Queens and The Bronx was opened to traffic.

In 1955, the U.S. Air Force Academy swore in its first class of cadets at its temporary quarters at Lowry Air Force Base in Colorado.

In 1960, the novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee was first published by J.B. Lippincott and Co.

In 1966, the game show "The Newlywed Game," hosted by Bob Eubanks, premiered on ABC-TV.

In 1972, the World Chess Championship opened as grandmasters Bobby Fischer of the United States and defending champion Boris Spassky of the Soviet Union began play in Reykjavik, Iceland. (Fischer won after 21 games.)

In 1979, the abandoned U.S. space station Skylab made a spectacular return to Earth, burning up in the atmosphere and showering debris over the Indian Ocean and Australia.

In 1989, actor and director Laurence Olivier died in Steyning, West Sussex, England, at age 82.

In 1991, a Nigeria Airways DC-8 carrying Muslim pilgrims crashed at the Jiddah, Saudi Arabia, international airport, killing all 261 people on board.

In 1995, the United States normalized relations with Vietnam.

Ten years ago: Rupert Murdoch's media empire was besieged by accusations that two more of his British newspapers engaged in hacking, deception and privacy violations. So Yeon Ryu (soh yahn yoo) won the U.S. Women's Open, defeating fellow South Korean Hee Kyung Seo (soh) by three shots in a three-hole playoff.

Five years ago: Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced that the United States would send 560 more troops to Iraq to transform a freshly retaken air base into a staging hub for a long-awaited battle to recapture Mosul from Islamic State militants. Two bailiffs at the Berrien County, Michigan, courthouse were shot to death by a jail inmate during an escape attempt; the inmate was also killed.

One year ago: In Portland, Oregon, where nightly protests since the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis had frequently turned violent, a protester was hospitalized in critical condition after being hit in the head by a round fired by a federal law enforcement officer. (Videos showed that Donavan LaBella had been standing with both arms in the air, holding a large speaker, across the street from the federal courthouse when he was hit.) President Donald Trump wore a mask during a visit to a military hospital; it was the first time he had been seen in public with one. Okinawa's governor said dozens of U.S. Marines at bases on the Japanese island had been infected with the coronavirus. As virus cases surged in Florida, Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom reopened with new rules in place to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Today's Birthdays: Actor Susan Seaforth Hayes is 78. Singer Jeff Hanna (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band) is 74. Ventriloquist-actor Jay Johnson is 72. Actor Bruce McGill is 71. Actor Stephen Lang is 69. Actor Mindy Sterling is 68. Actor Sela Ward is 65. Reggae singer Michael Rose (Black Uhuru) is 64. Singer Peter Murphy is 64. Actor Mark Lester is 63. Jazz musician Kirk Whalum is 63. Singer Suzanne Vega is 62. Rock guitarist Richie Sambora (Bon Jovi) is 62. Actor Lisa Rinna is 58. Rock musician Scott Shriner (Weezer) is 56. Actor Debbe Dunning is 55. Actor Greg Grunberg is 55. Wildlife expert Jeff Corwin is 54. Actor Justin Chambers is 51. Actor Leisha Hailey is 50. Actor Michael Rosenbaum is 49. Pop-rock singer Andrew Bird is 48. Country singer Scotty Emerick is 48. Rapper Lil' Kim is 47. U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona is 46. Actor Jon Wellner is 46. Rapper Lil' Zane is 40. Pop-jazz singer-musician Peter Cincotti is 38. Actor Serinda Swan is 37. Actor Robert Adamson is 36. Actor David Henrie is 32. Actor Connor Paolo is 31. Former tennis player Caroline Wozniacki is 31. R&B/pop singer Alessia Cara is 25.