This day in history

[July 03, 2008]  (AP)  Today is Thursday, July 3, the 185th day of 2008. There are 181 days left in the year.

Today's highlight in history:

Four hundred years ago, on July 3, 1608, the city of Quebec was founded by Samuel de Champlain.

On this date:

In 1775, Gen. George Washington took command of the Continental Army at Cambridge, Mass.

In 1863, the three-day Civil War Battle of Gettysburg, Pa., ended in a major victory for the North as Confederate troops retreated.

In 1890, Idaho became the 43rd state of the Union.

In 1898, the U.S. Navy defeated a Spanish fleet in the harbor at Santiago, Cuba, during the Spanish-American War.

In 1908, author Joel Chandler Harris, the creator of Uncle Remus, died in Atlanta.

In 1944, during World War II, Soviet forces recaptured Minsk.

In 1962, Algeria became independent after 132 years of French rule.

In 1971, singer Jim Morrison of The Doors died in Paris at age 27.

In 1978, the Supreme Court, in Federal Communications Commission v. Pacifica Foundation, ruled the FCC was within its authority to reprimand New York radio station WBAI-FM for broadcasting George Carlin's "Filthy Words" comedy routine.

In 1988, the USS Vincennes shot down an Iran Air jetliner over the Persian Gulf, killing all 290 people aboard.

Ten years ago: President Clinton concluded his Far East tour in Hong Kong, where he challenged leaders to set the pace for rescuing Asia from the region's financial crisis. Residents in northeastern Florida continued to evacuate because of wildfires closing in from three directions. The 12th World AIDS Conference ended in Geneva.

Five years ago: The U.S. put a $25 million bounty on Saddam Hussein.

One year ago: President Bush refused to rule out an eventual pardon for I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby after already commuting his prison sentence in the CIA leak case. Japan's defense minister (Fumio Kyuma) resigned after drawing furious criticism for suggesting the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were inevitable. The Alinghi team from Switzerland successfully defended sailing's coveted America's Cup, beating Emirates Team New Zealand 5-2. Saxophonist Boots Randolph ("Yakety Sax") died in Nashville at age 80.

Today's birthdays: Movie director Ken Russell is 81. Jazz musician Pete Fountain is 78. Playwright Tom Stoppard is 71. Writer-producer Jay Tarses is 69. Singer Fontella Bass is 68. Actor Kurtwood Smith is 65. Actor Michael Cole ("The Mod Squad") is 63. Country singer Johnny Lee is 62. Writer Dave Barry is 61. Actress Betty Buckley is 61. Rock singer-musician Paul Barrere (Little Feat) is 60. Actress Jan Smithers is 59. Former Haitian President Jean-Claude Duvalier is 57. Talk show host Montel Williams is 52. Country singer Aaron Tippin is 50. Rock musician Vince Clarke (Erasure) is 48. Actor Tom Cruise is 46. Actor Thomas Gibson is 46. Actress Hunter Tylo is 46. Actress Connie Nielsen is 44. Actress Yeardley Smith is 44. Singer Ishmael Butler is 39. Rock musician Kevin Hearn (Barenaked Ladies) is 39. Actress-singer Audra McDonald is 38. Country singer Trent Tomlinson is 33. Singer Shane Lynch (Boyzone) is 32. Rhythm-and-blues singer Tonia Tash (Divine) is 29. Country singer-songwriter Sarah Buxton is 28. Actor Grant Rosenmeyer is 17. Actress Kelsey Batelaan is 13.

Thought for today: "A man never knows how to say goodbye; a woman never knows when to say it." -- Helen Rowland, American journalist and humorist (1876-1950)

[Associated Press]

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