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Saturday, July 21, 2007

This day in history          Send a link to a friend

[July 21, 2007]  (AP) Today is Saturday, July 21, the 202nd day of 2007. There are 163 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On July 21, 1861, the first Battle of Bull Run was fought at Manassas, Va., resulting in a Confederate victory.

On this date:

In 1831, Leopold I was proclaimed King of the Belgians.

In 1899, author Ernest Hemingway was born in Oak Park, Ill.; poet Hart Crane was born in Garrettsville, Ohio.

In 1925, the so-called "Monkey Trial" ended in Dayton, Tenn., with John T. Scopes convicted of violating state law for teaching Darwin's Theory of Evolution. (The conviction was later overturned on a technicality.)

In 1930, President Herbert Hoover signed an executive order establishing the Veterans Administration.

In 1944, American forces landed on Guam during World War II.

In 1949, the U.S. Senate ratified the North Atlantic Treaty.

In 1955, during the Geneva summit, President Dwight D. Eisenhower presented his "open skies" proposal under which the U.S. and the Soviet Union would trade information on each other's military facilities and allow aerial reconnaissance.

In 1961, Capt. Virgil "Gus" Grissom became the second American to rocket into a sub-orbital pattern around the Earth, flying aboard the Liberty Bell 7.

In 1969, Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin blasted off from the moon aboard the lunar module.

In 1980, draft registration began in the U.S. for 19- and 20-year-old men.

Ten years ago: The USS Constitution, which defended the U.S. during the War of 1812, set sail under its own power for first time in 116 years, leaving its temporary anchorage at Marblehead, Mass., for a one-hour voyage marking its 200th anniversary. (The actual anniversary was in October 1997.)

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Five years ago: Telecommunications giant WorldCom Inc. filed for bankruptcy protection, about a month after disclosing it had inflated profits by nearly $4 billion through deceptive accounting. Ernie Els won the British Open in the first sudden-death finish in the 142-year history of the tournament.

One year ago: Israel massed tanks and troops on its northern border, called up reserves and warned civilians to flee Hezbollah-controlled southern Lebanon as it prepared for a ground invasion. Mako, the Japan-born actor who used his Oscar nomination for the 1966 film "The Sand Pebbles" to push for better roles for Asian American actors, died in Somis, Calif., at age 72.

Today's Birthdays: Jazz musician-critic Billy Taylor is 86. Singer Kay Starr is 85. Movie director Norman Jewison is 81. Actor Paul Burke is 81. Former Attorney General Janet Reno is 69. Actress Patricia Elliott is 65. Actor David Downing is 64. Actor Edward Herrmann is 64. Actor Leigh Lawson is 62. Actor Wendell Burton is 60. Actor Art Hindle is 59. Singer Yusuf Islam (formerly Cat Stevens) is 59. Cartoonist Garry Trudeau is 59. Comedian-actor Robin Williams is 56. Comedian Jon Lovitz is 50. Actor Lance Guest is 47. Actor Matt Mulhern is 47. Comedian Greg Behrendt is 44. Rock musician Koen Lieckens (K's Choice) is 41. Rock singer Emerson Hart (Tonic) is 38. Country singer Paul Brandt is 35. Actress Ali Landry is 34. Actor Josh Hartnett is 29. Reggae singer Damian Marley is 29. Country singer Brad Mates (Emerson Drive) is 29. Singer Blake Lewis ("American Idol") is 26. Actress Vanessa Lengies is 22. Actor Jamie Waylett ("Harry Potter" films) is 18.

Thought for Today: "All our words from loose using have lost their edge." _ Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961).

[Associated Press]

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